The 2022 Atlantic East Champion Immaculata baseball team is set to host the program’s first ever NCAA Regional this weekend. The No. 1 seed Mighty Macs will kick off the tournament on Friday, May 20th, facing off against the No. 4 Keystone College Giants of the CSAC.
The regional will consist of a four-team, double-elimination tournament. The other half of the pod consists of the No. 2 Montclair State University Red Hawks of the NJAC and the No. 3 Ithaca College Bombers of the Liberty League. The victor of this weekend’s regional will advance to the Super Regional where they will face the victory of the Shenandoah pod in a best-of-three series from May 27th-28th.
The Mighty Macs (28-12, 14-4 AEC) earned an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament following a 3-0 sweep in the Atlantic East Tournament, defeating Marymount twice and Cabrini once to claim the Atlantic East title. The Macs’ defense did not commit a single error on the weekend while the Macs’ pitching staff held the competition to two runs over 27 innings of work.
In the championship game, the Mighty Macs defeated the Marymount Saints 5-1 last Friday. Frank Margiotta went 2-for-5 with two runs scored and one RBI while Ryan Crowell pitched seven innings of one-run ball on the mound.
Overall, the Mighty Macs’ pitching staff enters the weekend with the best ERA among the pod at 3.94, which currently ranks 24th in the nation. The Macs’ pitching staff is led by four Atlantic East All-Conference selections in Jason Hughes, Mason Keller, Trevor Wagner, and Ryan Crowell. Hughes, Keller, and Crowell combine to form one of the strongest three-man rotations in the country while Wagner led the Atlantic East with seven saves on the year.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Macs are led by a contingent of five All-Conference selectees. Frank Margiotta leads the Macs from the leadoff spot while Joey Wright and Josh Crowding serve as the Macs’ three and four hitters. Also featured in a strong Immaculata lineup are shortstop Steven Theisen and utility player Louis Sharp.
Information on cost of admission, parking and more is available online.