Despite being eliminated from the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference playoff tournament, the No. 14 ranked Leopards earned an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament Monday morning, their 12th in appearance in the NCAA tournament in program history.
With a 9-5 win over the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Stags in the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday at Ben Hines Field, the Leopards clinched the regular season SCIAC championship with a 18-6 conference record.
Freshman left-handed pitcher Niko Urquidi struck out 11 batters and the Leopards’ offense had two big innings in their 8-3 win over the Whittier Poets on Friday at Ben Hines Field.
A grueling three-game series against the Chapman Panthers ended in a dramatic 7-5 win for the No. 10 Leopards in the second game of their doubleheader Saturday to complete a series sweep.
Sophomore shortstop Ryan Vosika’s walk-off single capped a ninth-inning, 7-6, come-from-behind victory for the No. 14 Leopards to complete the sweep against the Occidental Tigers on Saturday at Ben Hines Field.
The No. 14 nationally ranked Leopards faced the SUNY Cortland Red Dragons in a non-conference game that ended in a 7-7 tie after 10 innings due to darkness Tuesday at Ben Hines Field.