1978 NCAA Division II baseball tournament

Last updated

1978 NCAA Division II
baseball tournament
Season1978
Finals site
Champions Florida Southern  (4th title)
Runner-up Delta State (2nd CWS Appearance)
Winning coach Joe Arnold  (1st title)
MOP Ricky Perkins (3B) (Delta State)
Attendance625

The 1978 NCAA Division II baseball tournament was the postseason tournament hosted by the NCAA to determine the national champion of baseball among its Division II colleges and universities at the end of the 1978 NCAA Division II baseball season. [1]

Contents

Florida Southern defeated Delta State in the championship game of the double-elimination tournament, 7–2, winning the Moccasins' fourth national title. Florida Southern were coached by Joe Arnold.

Regionals

The regionals consisted 32 teams in eight groupings. Each regional consisted of a 4-team bracket. All brackets were double elimination format. The top team in each bracket advanced to the 1978 Division II College World Series. [2]

New England Regional

TeamWinsLosses
New Haven 30
Sacred Heart 22
NYIT 12
Assumption 02

Middle Atlantic Regional

TeamWinsLosses
Le Moyne 31
Shippensburg 32
UMBC 12
Towson 02

South Atlantic Regional

TeamWinsLosses
Valdosta State 30
West Georgia 22
Augusta 12
Albany State 02

South Regional

TeamWinsLosses
Florida Southern 30
FIU 22
Saint Leo 12
Eckerd 02

Great Lakes Regional

TeamWinsLosses
Eastern Illinois 41
Western Illinois 22
Wright State 12
Indianapolis 02

North Central Regional

TeamWinsLosses
Southwest Missouri State 30
Northwest Missouri State 22
UMSL 12
Morningside 02

South Central Regional

TeamWinsLosses
Delta State 31
Troy State 32
Minnesota State 12
Southeastern Louisiana 02

West Regional

TeamWinsLosses
San Diego 41
Chapman 22
UC Davis 12
Chico State 02

Finals

Participants

SchoolConferenceRecord (conference)Head coachPrevious finals appearancesBest finals finishFinals record
Delta State Gulf South 43–19 (14–4) Dave Ferriss 2
(last:1977)
2nd5–3
Eastern Illinois Independent 27–19Tom McDevitt1
(last: 1973)
3rd2–2
Florida Southern Sunshine State 34–11 Joe Arnold 6
(last: 1976)
1st13–9
Le Moyne Independent 28–12Dick Rockwell0
(last: none)
None00
New Haven Independent 32–4 Frank Vieira 2
(last:1977)
3rd3–4
San Diego Independent 33–22John Cunningham1
(last: 1971)
3rd1–2
Southwest Missouri State MAIAA 28–10 (11–4)Bill Rowe2
(last:1970)
2nd3–4
Valdosta State SAC 39–20 (9–3) Tommy Thomas 2
(last:1977)
3rd2–4

Results

Bracket

First RoundSecond RoundThird RoundSemifinalsPreliminary FinalChampionship
Delta State 12
Southwest Missouri State 2
Delta State6
San Diego1
Eastern Illinois 6
San Diego 15
Delta State8
Florida Southern13
Florida Southern 14
Florida Southern8
New Haven 9
Florida Southern13New Haven14
Valdosta State7
Le Moyne 9
Valdosta State 10Florida Southern7
New Haven11Delta State2
Consolation First RoundConsolation Second RoundDelta State12
San Diego5
New Haven710New Haven11
Delta State9
Le Moyne6
Valdosta State5
Valdosta State11
SW Missouri State11Eastern Illinois9
Eastern Illinois21

Game Results

DateGameWinnerScoreLoserNotes
May 25Game 1 Delta State 12–2 Southwest Missouri State
Game 2 San Diego 15–6 Eastern Illinois
May 26Game 3 Florida Southern 14–9 New Haven
Game 4 Valdosta State 10–9 Le Moyne
May 27Game 5 Eastern Illinois 21–11 Southwest Missouri State Southwest Missouri State eliminated
Game 6 New Haven 7–610 Le Moyne Le Moyne eliminated
Game 7 Delta State 6–1 San Diego
Game 8 Florida Southern 13–7 Valdosta State
May 28Game 9 New Haven 11–5 San Diego San Diego eliminated
Game 10 Valdosta State 11–9 Eastern Illinois Eastern Illinois eliminated
May 29Game 11 Florida Southern 13–8 Delta State
May 30Game 12 Delta State 9–5 Valdosta State Valdosta State eliminated
Game 13 New Haven 14–8 Florida Southern
May 31Game 14 Delta State 12–1 New Haven New Haven eliminated
Game 15 Florida Southern 7–2 Delta State Florida Southern wins National Championship

See also

References

  1. "DIVISION II BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS RECORDS BOOK" (PDF). NCAA.org. NCAA. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
  2. "Division II Baseball Championships Record Book" (PDF). NCAA. p. 13. Retrieved June 23, 2024.