Randolph-Macon Earns Top-Billing
FOREST, Va. --- Randolph-Macon College picked up a win on the final day of the regular season to lock up the top position in the league table and secure the #1 seed in the upcoming ODAC Baseball Tournament. A pair of ties helped dictate the remainder of the tournament field, which sees an increase in size by two teams in 2018.
Two weekends will feature tournament play for the first time with the field expanding to eight teams. The top four seeds will host four best-of-three series the first weekend. The four winners will then head to the ODAC Tournament's traditional home at City Stadium in Lynchburg, Va., the following weekend. They will play a double-elimination format to determine the league champion.
RELATED: Tournament Website
Randolph-Macon (28-5-1 overall, 17-3 ODAC) will play host to Series #1 as the top seed against eighth-seeded Bridgewater College (19-18-1, 7-13)). The Yellow Jackets lost just three times in conference play, including to Roanoke once on the final day. The Eagles return to the tournament field after missing out for the first time under head coach Curt Kendall in 2017.
Virginia Wesleyan University (25-12, 15-5) will be the second seed after winning out on head-to-head tiebreakers over Roanoke College (27-9, 15-5). The Marlins welcome seventh seeded Guilford College (20-18-1, 8-12) in Series #3. The Quakers finished tied with sixth-seeded Lynchburg College (15-22, 8-12). The Hornets earned the higher rating via the second step of the ODAC's tiebreaker system, which involves assign point values for wins over leauge teams. LC will make the trip to Roanoke for its best-of-three showdown in Series #4.
The final on-campus series will be played at fourth-seeded Shenandoah University (28-10, 14-6). The Hornets welcome fifth-seeded Hampden-Sydney College (17-18, 10-10) to Winchester in Series #2.
The best-of-three series will be competed May 5-6 with the possibility of using May 4-5 if there are issues with on-campus events or exams. Check the ODAC schedule this week for updates.
The four winners of those series head to City Stadium the weekend of May 11-13. Each team will play one game on Friday followed by a total of three games played on Saturday to narrow down the field to two teams. Those squads will play for the title on Sunday in one and possibly a second "if necessary" title game.
For more information on the tournament, visit any of the participating schools' websites or go to the ODAC Baseball Tournament website. Don't forget to become a fan of the ODAC on Facebook and follow @odacathletics on Twitter and Instagram.
2018 ODAC BASEBALL TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Best-of-Three Series
May 4-6, 2018
Game 1 on Saturday, May 5. Games 2 and 3 on Sunday, May 6.
*Friday, May 4, may be used in a case of campus conflicts (exams, graduation)
Series 1: #8 Bridgewater at #1 Randolph-Macon
Series 2: #5 Hampden-Sydney at #4 Shenandoah
Series 3: #7 Guilford at #2 Virginia Wesleyan
Series 4: #6 Lynchburg at #3 Roanoke
*** Tournament will be reseeded following the campus weekend series ***
Final Round - City Stadium in Lynchburg, Va.
May 11-13, 2018
Friday, May 11
Game 1: #1 Seed vs. #4 Seed | 4:00 p.m.
Game 2: #2 Seed vs. #3 Seed | 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 12
Game 3: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 | 12:00 p.m.
Game 4: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 | 3:30 p.m.
Game 5: Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4 | 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, May 13
Game 6: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5 | 1:00 p.m.
Game 7 (if necessary): Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6 | 30 minutes following Game 6