WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Catholic University baseball team will make its fifth appearance in the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship as it takes on Adrian College on Friday. The Cardinals earned an at-large selection after posting a 31-12 record while taking on a challenging non-conference schedule including multiple wins against ranked opponents.

Catholic, who most recently qualified in 2022, was one of 60 teams to make the tournament and will head to Berea, Ohio for a regional hosted by Baldwin Wallace University. Alongside Catholic, Adrian, and Baldwin Wallace, the pod also includes Penn State-Behrend (28-11-1). The four teams will compete in a double elimination style tournament from May 17-19. The winner of each regional will advance to the super-regional on May 24-25. This round follows a best-of-three format. The eight super regional winners will advance to the Division III World Series in Eastlake, Ohio.

HOW THEY GOT HERE

Catholic finished the season winning 18 of its final 23 games and recorded four doubleheader sweeps against Landmark Conference opponents. The Cardinals earned ranked victories over Salisbury and Johns Hopkins along with a notable win over Arcadia, all of whom are in the 2024 NCAA Tournament field.

Catholic went 17-7 in Landmark Conference play, beating Scranton 6-0 to end the regular season and earn the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament. The Cardinals met the Royals again in the first round but dropped the contest 5-25 before bouncing back to top Susquehanna 6-1 in an elimination game. The Cardinals' run ended in a tight contest against top-ranked Elizabethtown, 6-7. 

As the number two seed in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association, Adrian upset top-seeded Kalamazoo and defeated third-seeded Hope to win the conference championship and earn an automatic bid to this year's NCAA tournament. The Bulldogs currently hold an overall record of 29-14 and finished 15-6 in the conference.

FAMILIAR POST-SEASON CONTENDERS

As mentioned above, Catholic will participate in its fifth NCAA Tournament after missing out in 2023. Catholic has previously made the NCAA Tournament in 2011, 2015, 2018 and 2022. In 2022, the Cardinals had an impressive run all the way to the Division III World Series. They will look to find similar magic in 2024. 

Three teams from the Landmark Conference were selected for the tournament for the first time ever. Catholic is joined by conference champions Scranton as well as Elizabethtown.