FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DEFENDING CHAMPS WILL HOST WEST REGION PLAYOFFS AS NO. 1 SEED

ORANGE, Calif. –  Amid speculation that the NCAA Division III West Region baseball championships would be held in Texas this week, the powers that be decided to leave it in the same place it has been each of the past four years. Chapman University will be the host for the regional playoffs for the fifth consecutive year, while the Panthers will be the No. 1 seed in the seven-team tournament.

Chapman (35-5) is coming off its best regular season record since 1999 and will face the loser of No. 4 Texas-Dallas vs. No. 5 George Fox (Ore.) at 8 p.m. on Wednesday at Hart Park. The Panthers are back-to-back defending West Region champions, placing sixth and third at the Division III World Series each of the past two years. Chapman also won regional championships in 1997, 2000, 2001 and 2003 and a national championship in 2003.

The Panthers earned one of six Pool ‘B’ at-large (independent) selections into the NCAA playoffs. Rounding out the seven-team field will be conference winners No. 2 Pacific Lutheran (Wash.), No. 3 Texas Lutheran, No. 6 Pomona-Pitzer and No. 7 Austin College. UT-Dallas and George Fox earned Pool ‘C’ bids as second place conference teams.

Chapman was a perfect 5-0 against the West Region field this season, including a three-game sweep over George Fox on the final weekend of the regular season earlier this month.

Typically a pitching and defense oriented team, Chapman’s offensive elements have made the Panthers even more dominating in 2007. The Panthers rank in the top-30 in Division III in batting (.337), slugging (.481) home runs per game (0.78) and doubles per game (2.33). Chapman ranks No. 6 in team earned run average (2.68) and No. 4 in strikeouts per nine innings (8.6).

The Panthers are led offensively by a pair of sophomore IFs Ryan Cavan (.417, 5 HR, 45 runs) and Kurt Yacko (.401, 6 HR, 41 RBI), as well as senior OF Tyler Dean (.331, 6 HR, 15 2B, 34 RBI). On the mound, RHPs Devin Drag and Wayde Kitchens combined to go 23-1 this season with six complete games and 187 strikeouts. Yacko (5-1, 8 saves) is also the team leader in ERA with a 1.37 mark.

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NCAA West Region 7-Team Bracket (PDF)