NWC CHAMPIONSHIP: Bruins-Lutes One-Game NWC Playoff Set for May 9

NEWBERG, Ore. - A berth in the NCAA Division III Baseball National Championship Tournament will be on the line when the George Fox University Bruins and the Pacific Lutheran University Lutes square off in a one-game playoff on Saturday, May 9, at 1:00 p.m. at George Fox’s Morse Field to determine the Northwest Conference’s automatic bid to the tournament.

George Fox (32-9) and Pacific Lutheran (31-8) tied for the regular season NWC title with identical 27-5 conference slates.  In the series of tiebreakers approved by the conference last year, the first tiebreaker in the NWC baseball procedures manual is head-to-head competition, and the Bruins and the Lutes split their four-game series.  The second tiebreaker is the one-game playoff, with the host site being determined by records against the next team down in the standings.  Linfield College finished third, and PLU went 2-2 vs. the Wildcats while the Bruins were 3-1, giving George Fox the right to host.

However, NCAA regulations prevent D-III baseball teams from competing beyond a 19-week window, including fall practices, until post-season play begins.  As both teams had completed their 19 weeks, the athletics administrations of the two schools submitted a request for a special waver of the requirement to the NCAA, and the request was granted Wednesday morning, allowing the playoff game to take place.

While the playoff game’s winner is assured of post-season play, the loser will have to hope for an at-large bid to the post-season.  George Fox is ranked 17th in the D3baseball.com poll, 22nd in the American Baseball Coaches Association poll, and 5th in the West Region.  Pacific Lutheran is 21st in the D3baseball.com poll, 28th in the ABCA poll, and 3rd in the West Region.  The complete field of 54 teams (35 “Pool A” automatic qualifiers, 6 “Pool B” independents, and 13 “Pool C” at-larges), with sites, dates, and pairings, will be announced Monday morning, May 11.

Because of travel considerations, the Bruins and Lutes, if they make the field, are virtual locks to be assigned to the West Regional at Linfield’s Roy Helser Field/Jim Wright Stadium in McMinnville, Ore.  If the West is a six-team tournament, it will begin on Thursday, May 14; if an eight-team playoff, it will start on Wednesday, May 13.  The eight-team NCAA Division III World Series is set for Friday-Tuesday, May 22-26, at Fox Cities Stadium in Appleton, Wisc.