Suffolk Earns GNAC Baseball Top Seed; Saint Joseph's to Host Weekend Tournament Action

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WINTHROP, Mass. – A split with Anna Maria College on April 17 was the only blemish on Suffolk University's record in league play this spring, as the three-time defending GNAC champion Rams went a stellar 13-1 against league foes to capture the top seed in this week's GNAC Baseball Tournament. The second season gets underway on Wednesday with the GNAC's single-elimination first round, as third-seeded Johnson & Wales University (RI) will host sixth-seeded Anna Maria at 6:00 PM and fourth-seeded Lasell College gets set to host fifth-seeded Norwich University at 5:30 PM at Brandeis. 

On Thursday, the Anna Maria/JWU winner will then travel to second-seeded Saint Joseph's College of Maine for a 4:00 PM showdown as the double-elimination portion of the tournament begins. Elsewhere, the Norwich/Lasell winner will be at top seed Suffolk Thursday night (7:00 PM) at East Boston Memorial Park.

Predetermined host Saint Joseph's will host all remaining games of the tournament at Larry Mahaney Diamond in Standish, Maine this weekend on Saturday-Sunday, May 5-6. 

Suffolk coasted to the GNAC Tournament title last spring with a 1-0 victory over JWU, avoiding the if-necessary game to run the tables in the tournament without a loss. 

Back in 2016, Suffolk and Saint Joseph's had a Sunday showdown for the ages at host JWU. Staked a to a 5-0 lead prior to the if-necessary game, Suffolk was unable to close out SJC, as the Monks roared back to prevail, 8-7, and force the do-or-die championship game, which saw the Rams win a 5-4, 10-inning thriller after SJC scored twice in the ninth to force extras. 

First Round - Wednesday, May 2 (single elimination)
Game 1: #6 Anna Maria at #3 Johnson & Wales - 6:00 PM
Game 2: #5 Norwich vs #4 Lasell (at Brandeis) - 5:30 PM 

Second Round - Thursday, May 3 (double-elim begins)
Game 3: 3/6 winner at #2 Saint Joseph's of Maine - 4:00 PM
Game 4: 4/5 winner at #1 Suffolk - 7:00 PM

Semifinals - Saturday, May 5 (Hosted by Saint Joseph's of Maine)
Game 5: Game 3 Loser vs. Game 4 Loser (elimination game) - 10:00 AM
Game 6: Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner - 1:30 PM
Game 7: Game 5 Winner vs. Game 6 Loser (elimination game) - 5:00 PM

Championship - Sunday, May 6 (Hosted by Saint Joseph's of Maine)
Game 8: Game 6 Winner vs. Game 7 Winner - 12:00 PM
Game 9: if necessary - 3:30 PM

Founded in 1995, the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 13 member institutions and over 3,000 student-athletes across the New England region. Each year, the GNAC sponsors and administers 20 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunities and community involvement. 

– #TheGNAC –