St. Paul, Minn. –– The University of Northwestern baseball team is making their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division III Baseball Championships. In addition to its first appearance, it is the first time that the team is hosting a regional tournament. The NCAA Division III Baseball Committee selected 48 teams for the 2021 NCAA Division III Baseball Championships to be held May 27-30/31. Forty-two teams earned automatic qualifications after winning their respective conference tournaments, while the other six were at-large selections. The NCAA selection committee announced the field of 48 teams late on Sunday night.

Northwestern defeated St. Scholastica in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference Tournament this past weekend to earn the automatic bid to the 2021 NCAA Division III Baseball Championship. The Eagles earned the No. 4 seed in their own regional and will open against No. 3 Misericordia University on Thursday, May 27 at 6:00 pm at Reynolds Field. Northwestern was selected to be one of the eight hosts of the regional tournament.

NCAA DIII Baseball Championships - 2021 Regional Tournament Brackets

Six teams will compete in each regional, and the winners of the eight double-elimination regionals will qualify for the DIII World Series. A pool play double-elimination tournament is held at Perfect Game Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Friday-Wednesday, June 4 - June 9.

About the Eagles

Northwestern rolls into the tournament with its first regular-season conference championship in 25 years and first-ever tournament championship. As a result, Northwestern has tallied the most wins in program history at 32. The Eagles' strength falls squarely on the shoulders of the rotation. The team has a 3.24 combined ERA which is 23rd in the nation, but only five of those twenty-two teams have thrown more than Northwestern's 344.2 innings. 

Bryce Crabb (Des Moines, Iowa/Grand View Christian), Owen Boerema (Litchfield, Minn./Litchfield), and Philip Wall (Juneau, Alaska/IDEA) lead a strong stable of arms that can get batters out in many different ways. Boerema, named the UMAC Pitcher of the Year, finished the regular season by throwing 43 innings in five starts while striking out 54 and only allowing 19 hits and two earned runs. He followed that up by shutting down St. Scholastica in the UMAC Tournament to send the Eagles to the championship game. Crabb, named the NCCAA North Central All-Regional Pitcher of the Year, led the team with his 1.27 ERA, and sits tied for the single-season wins record at eight. In his 70.2 innings, second on the team, he's struck out 62. Both sophomores diced up UMAC competition and are ready to be tested by new competition.

Philip Wall (Juneau, Alaska/IDEA) produced for the team in a variety of different ways throughout the season. He led the team with innings at 71.1 while finishing third with his 2.52 ERA. In addition to his exploits on the mound, the senior hit .333 as he primarily played first base when he was not pitching. He hit his first career home run against St. Scholastica to send Northwestern to the championship game. He followed up his homer by pitching all nine innings in the title game while only allowing one earned run. Together, those two feats earned him the UMAC Tournament MVP.

Pair those arms with the big bats that Northwestern has, and the school is a real threat to advance out of its regional. Crabb has led the team in hitting with a .389 average. While an ill-timed quarantine prevented him from playing in the UMAC Tournament, the sophomore is back and ready to compete on the national stage. Keegan Vercoe (Queen Creek, Ariz./Poston Butte), Northwestern's other First-Team All-UMAC representative, tied the single-season home runs record with 12. The grad-transfer slugger has helped power the Eagles to one of its most successful offensive seasons in school history. The team has hit 103 doubles this season, far and away the most in school history. 

Aaron Severson (Columbia Heights, Minn./Columbia Heights), Sam Peterson (Aitkin, Minn./Aitkin), and Wyatt Morrell (Elk River, Minn./Homeschool) have all been huge elements of Northwestern's success throughout the season. The three infielders are second, third, and fifth for on-base percentage on the team while playing elite defense. The latter two have formed the middle-infield pairing for the last three seasons, and they are ready to carry the Eagles on a deep run. Severson, the team's freshman of the year, sits tied for second on the team with 30 RBIs and has four saves on the season. Northwestern's lineup does not get easier as you progress down in the order. Carlton Lindow (Cannon Falls, Minn./Cannon Falls), the senior catcher, hit .455 in the conference tournament with seven RBIs, five runs scored, and three doubles in three games. Guerin Szafraniec (Brighton, Colo./Brighton), the team's number nine hitter for most of the season, is tied for second on the team with 30 RBIs. His offensive numbers have steadily improved throughout the season, culminating in a very strong conference tournament. Finally, Andrew Simonson (Hudson, Wis./East Ridge) has hit leadoff and sits second in school history with 26 steals this season. He has the school record with 50 runs and is looking to continue to cause terror on the base paths. He also has yet to commit an error, as Vercoe, Szafraniec, and Simonson have played exceptional defense throughout the season.

2021 NCAA Division III Regionals and Opponents

No. 1 Trinity University, Texas (28-7)

No. 2 Aurora University (37-6)

No. 3 Misericordia University (29-8)

No. 4 University of Northwestern, St. Paul (32-10)

No. 5 Saint Mary's University, Minnesota (29-14)

No. 6 Johns Hopkins University (11-3)

Regional Opponents

Trinity University (28-7)

• Trinity brings a ranking of No. 7 in the country into the tournament.

• They were one of the six at large teams after losing in the SCAC Championship Game.

• The Tigers have the 23rd best team batting average in the country with a .336 average.

• They have tallied 40 home runs as a team while drawing 215 walks.

• They come into the regional average 9.9 runs scored per game.

• They won the 2016 National Championship over Keystone College.

Aurora University (37-6)

• Making their 23rd overall NCAA Tournament appearance since the 1987 season and third overall.

• They have won 14 of their final 16 games and are ranked No. 8 in the country.

• Won the Northwestern Athletics Collegiate Conference Baseball Tournament.

• Third consecutive 30-win season and the most wins since they won 38 in 2012.

• The Spartans are hitting .333 and rank among the top 25 in Division III in almost all statistical hitting categories as a team.

• They have a combined ERA of 3.60, and opponents are only hitting .241 against them.

Misericordia University (29-8)

• Tenth consecutive NCAA Tournament for the Cougars.

• Won the Middle Atlantic Conference Baseball Tournament for the 10th straight year.

• Leads the nation in HBP with 116.

• The Cougars' pitching staff is anchored by starters Tom Jacob and Brendan Gray and closer Tyler Leonard.

• Jacob is 7-2 and currently ranks second in school history with 21 career wins, while Gray is 9-1 with a 2.15 earned run average. Leonard is 2-1 with a team-high six saves.

• Shortstop Sean Boylan leads the Cougars in most batting categories. His 49 RBIs is the fifth-highest single-season mark in school history.

Saint Mary's University (29-14)

• The Cardinals won their first-ever MIAC Postseason Championship in 2021.

• Making their first NCAA Regional Tournament since 1993.

• They have won a school-record 29 games this season.

• Six super-seniors returned for this season and are a significant reason why they've had so much success.

• They had to come from behind to knock off St. Thomas and scored 17 runs against Gustavus to win the tournament.

• Their pitching staff carries a 4.18 ERA into the tournament, while their offense averages 5.88 runs per game.

Johns Hopkins University (11-3)

• Won the Centennial Conference tournament.

• Making its 24th appearance in the NCAA Division III Tournament, including the 23rd under head coach Bob Babb.

• Claimed a regional title in the last NCAA Tournament in 2019 and have won four overall (1989, 2008, 2010, and 2019).

• The team has a .295 average as a team in its 14 games and is averaging 7.14 runs per game.

• The pitching staff sits second in the country with its 2.42 ERA, and opponents only hit .208 against them.