May 29, 2006

FAIRFIELD, CT - The Sacred Heart University baseball team will take on #7 Georgia in its first-ever appearance in the NCAA National Championships. The Pioneers, winners of seven straight and the Northeast Conference champions, were selected for the Athens, GA regional with Florida State and Jacksonville State.

The 26-28 Pioneers are the #4 seed in the regional. Florida State (42-19) is the #2 seed, while Jacksonville (42-17) is the #3 seed. Georgia, 41-19 and the top seed, was eliminated in the semi-finals of the SEC playoffs by Vanderbilt.

The Bulldogs are led by junior outfielder Jonathan Wyatt who hit a crisp .357 this season. They also boast a trio of power hitters in junior first baseman Josh Morris (20 HR, 60 RBI), freshman shortstop Gordon Beckham (11 HR, 49 RBI) and junior outfielder Joey Side (10 HR, 37 RBI). Georgia hit .311 as a team this season.

The pitching staff is led by junior righty Brooks Brown with a 7-3 record and 3.86 ERA. It is more likely the Pioneers will face freshman lefty Nathan Moreau (7-1, 4.90) or senior lefty Mickey Westphal (6-1, 4.96). Senior lefty Rip Warren compiled an 8-2 record and 3.10 ERA out of the bullpen.

The tournament begins on Friday at 3 p.m. with Florida State and Jacksonville. SHU and Georgia will play at 7:00 p.m.