The SUNY Cortland baseball team earned its 13th trip to the NCAA Division III World Series and its seventh in 11 years by defeating RPI, 7-0, Saturday afternoon in the championship round of the New York Regional in Auburn, N.Y. The Red Dragons (40-4) will face Webster University of Missouri (34-13) during the opening day of competition Friday, May 22, at 1:15 p.m. (2:15 p.m. Eastern) at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium in Grand Chute, Wis. (near Appleton). The eight-team tournament potentially runs until Wednesday, May 27.

The World Series features a new format this year mirroring the Division I College World Series. The tournament consists of two, four-team double-elimination pools. The two bracket winners will play a best-of-three series to determine the national champion.

The other teams in Cortland's pool, Frostburg State (Md.) (41-7) and Ramapo College (N.J.) (32-14), will play Friday at 10 a.m. The Cortland/Webster winner and loser will match up with the Frostburg/Ramapo winner and loser, respectively, on Saturday. Bracket play continues Sunday and, if needed, Monday, and the championship series will start on either Monday or Tuesday.

The other four-team bracket features first-round matchups of Trinity University (Texas) (37-12) versus Emory University (Ga.) (30-13) and the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (33-13) versus Salisbury University (Md.) (33-4-1).

Only one school in this year's Series field has won a national title. Ramapo won the NCAA crown in 1984. Cortland was national runner-up in both 2005 and 2010, while Emory was runner-up in 2007 and 2014. Emory and Salisbury are each making their fifth Series appearance. Webster is in the Series for the third time, all since 2012. Ramapo has not played in the Series since winning its title in 1984, and the remaining schools are making their first showings in the finals.

Cortland is 2-1 all-time versus, all in spring break Florida trips. The Red Dragons defeated the Gorloks in 2009 and 2013 and Webster beat Cortland in 2014. The teams both played in the 2012 World Series but did not face each other.

Cortland's 13 World Series appearances are the most by any Division III school since the division first adopted an eight-team field in 1991. In addition to their national second-place finishes in 2005 and 2010, the Red Dragons also finished third in both 1997 and 1998, fourth in 2007 and 2012, and tied for fifth in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2014.

Cortland, led by 16th-year head coach Joe Brown, was seeded first in the eight-team New York Regional. The Red Dragons opened with a 6-4 win over Oberlin (Ohio), followed by 7-5 victories versus both Amherst (Mass.) and RPI. In each of those three games Cortland trailed after six innings. Cortland won 7-0 versus RPI in the championship round.

NEW IN 2015 - OPENING CEREMONY AT THE STADIUM ON THURSDAY

For the first time this spring, an Opening Ceremony will be held the evening prior to the World Series at Fox Cities Stadium. The Thursday ceremony is open to the public free of charge. Gates open at 6:30 p.m. and the ceremony will begin at approximately 7:20 p.m. The ceremony will feature the introduction of the eight teams, presentation of the NCAA Elite 89 Award, team videos, and announcement of the ABCA All-America Team. A fireworks show will end the ceremony. The first 750 fans in attendance will receive a commemorative mini baseball bat.

Cortland World Series Notes Packet (PDF)

NCAA Championship Page
NCAA Interactive Bracket
(All games will be webcast on NCAA.com) (Live Broadcast Schedule Page)
D3baseball.com Scoreboard Page (includes links to live stats and video)


NCAA Division III Baseball World Series
May 22-27, 2015; Fox Cities Stadium; Grand Chute, Wis.

FRIDAY, MAY 22 (All times Central)
Game 1 (Pool A) - 10 a.m. - Frostburg St. Univ. (Md.) (41-7) vs. Ramapo College (N.J.) (32-14)
Game 2 (Pool A) - 1:15 p.m. - SUNY Cortland (40-4) vs. Webster University (Mo.) (34-13)
Game 3 (Pool B) - 4:30 p.m. - Trinity University (Texas) (37-12) vs. Emory University (Ga.) (30-13)
Game 4 (Pool B) - 7:45 p.m. - University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (33-13) vs. Salisbury University (Md.) (33-4-1)

SATURDAY, MAY 23
Game 5 (A) - 10 a.m. - Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2
Game 6 (A) - 1:15 p.m. - Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2
Game 7 (B) - 4:30 p.m. - Loser of Game 3 vs. Loser of Game 4
Game 8 (B) - 7:45 p.m. - Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4

SUNDAY, MAY 24
Game 9 (A) - 10 a.m. - Winner of Game 5 vs. Loser of Game 6
Game 10 (B) - 1:15 p.m. - Winner of Game 7 vs. Loser of Game 8
Game 11 (A) - 4:30 p.m. - Winner of Game 6 vs. Winner of Game 9
Game 12 (B) - 7:45 p.m. - Winner of Game 8 vs. Winner of Game 10

If no "if necessary" games are needed for either pool:

Monday, May 25:
Game 13 - 12 p.m. - Pool A winner vs. Pool B winner (first game of best-of-three championship series)

Tuesday, May 26:
Game 14 - 11 a.m. - second game of best-of-three championship series
Game 15 - (30 min. after Game 14) - third game of best-of-three championship series, if needed

If one pool needs an "if necessary" game:

Monday, May 25:
Game 13 - 12 p.m. - Pool A or Pool B "if necessary" game

Tuesday, May 26:
Game 14 - 11 a.m. - Pool A winner vs. Pool B winner (first game of best-of-three championship series)
Game 15 - (30 min. after Game 14) - second game of best-of-three championship series

Wednesday, May 27:
Game 16 - 11 a.m. - third game of best-of-three championship series, if needed

If both pools need an "if necessary" game:

Monday, May 25:
Game 13 - 12 p.m. - Pool A "if necessary" game
Game 14 - 3:30 p.m. - Pool B "if necessary" game

Tuesday, May 26:
Game 15 - 11 a.m. - Pool A winner vs. Pool B winner (first game of best-of-three championship series)
Game 16 - (30 min. after Game 14) - second game of best-of-three championship series

Wednesday, May 27:
Game 17 - 11 a.m. - third game of best-of-three championship series, if needed