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LANCASTER, PA – The 2005 NCAA Division III Baseball Mid-Atlantic Region Tournament games will be available online at www.1370wpaz.com as 1370 WPAZ will broadcast all of the games from Boyertown’s Bear Stadium on May 19-22. The tournament will feature Rowan University, DeSales University, Alvernia College, The College of New Jersey, Messiah College and the Franklin & Marshall College Diplomats with the winner advancing to the Division III World Series in Appleton, Wisconsin. The Centennial Conference champion Diplomats (25-14, 15-3 Centennial Conference), ranked #6 in the May 9 American Baseball Coaches Association/Collegiate Baseball NCAA Division III Mid-Atlantic Region Poll, will meet #1 seed Rowan University (37-7, 11-5 NJAC) at 11:00 a.m. on May 19. Rowan is an at-large selection to the tournament as the Profs fell in the New Jersey Athletic Conference championship series versus The College of New Jersey. Thursday’s other first-round Mid-Atlantic Region match-ups include #2 seed DeSales University (31-8, 14-4 MAC Freedom), the Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom champions, versus #5 seed Messiah College (27-12-1, 18-4 MAC Commonwealth), the Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth champions, at 3:00 p.m. and #3 seed Alvernia College (35-4, 20-1 PAC), the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference champions, versus #4 seed The College of New Jersey (34-11, 11-5 NJAC), the New Jersey Athletic Conference champions, at 7:00 p.m. The bid marks the second to the national championship tournament in 130 years of varsity competition at Franklin & Marshall College and the second in the last 10 years as the 1995 Centennial Conference champion Diplomats went 2-2 at the Mid-Atlantic Regional at Skylands Park in Augusta, New Jersey. Overall, the regional tournament marks the Diplomats fourth non-conference post-season tournament appearance. In 1991, Franklin & Marshall was selected to the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III championship tournament, but lost 11-10 to Allentown College (now DeSales University) in the semifinal round. Following an NCAA appearance in 1995, the 2003 Diplomats went 1-1 in the ECAC Tournament defeating Wilkes University 5-4, but fell to host Penn State-Behrend 3-1 in the title game. The Diplomats advanced to the NCAA Tournament as Franklin & Marshall won the 2005 Centennial Conference championship over #8 regionally ranked Johns Hopkins University by taking games one and three of the best of three series with runs in the bottom of the ninth inning. The championship marks the third in school history as Franklin & Marshall last won the Centennial Conference title 10 years ago in 1995 as the Diplomats recorded a 30-6-1 record to win the regular season by three games over McDaniel College and earn the second conference title in school history. In 1978, the Diplomats finished 14-11-1 to win the Middle Atlantic Conference championship. More information on the NCAA Tournament is available online at www.titans.uwosh.edu/NCAA/Championship/2005, with directions and a schedule of games available at www.fandm.edu/departments/athletics/baseball/current/regionals05.html
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