The University of Scranton baseball team (30-11) captured the program's second Landmark Conference title in four seasons with a victory over Elizabethtown and is set to take on North Carolina Wesleyan (33-11) in NCAA Regional action on Friday afternoon at Christopher Newport with first pitch slated for 1:30 p.m.

Christopher Newport will battle Immaculata in Friday's first game at 10 a.m. and three games are on the slate for Saturday along with potentially two on Sunday as part of the four-team, double elimination format.

This marks Scranton's second NCAA Tournament appearance after previously competing in the Collegeville (Minn.) regional in 2021.

Tickets can be purchased with cash only and are $10 for adults and $5 for seniors and students.

If you can't make it to Newport News, click the following links for video and live stats throughout the weekend.

North Carolina Wesleyan earned the USA South's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament with two victories over Brevard in the championship series. The Battling Bishops are making the program's third appearance in regionals in the last four seasons.

This will be the first ever meeting between the two programs.

Junior Jake Elston (New Milford, Conn./Canterbury School) garnered Landmark Tournament MVP accolades for the Royals as he went 6-10 (.600) with a double, home run, seven RBI and seven runs scored. The New Milford, Conn., native has hit .390 in 41 games with nine doubles, three triples, four home runs, 39 RBI, 12 stolen bases and 45 runs scored.

Senior John Zarnowski (East Brunswick, N.J./St. Joseph's) is tops on the team and leads the Landmark Conference with 55 RBI while hitting .351 with 13 doubles, three home runs and 39 runs scored. Elsewhere for Scranton, sophomore Vincent Napolitano (Merrick, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial) has hit .373 with two home runs and 27 RBI in 32 games and senior Jack Heineman (Abington, Pa./LaSalle College) has hit .317 in 36 games with a team-high 14 doubles and 35 RBI.

A total of six regulars have hit over .300 for the Royals as sophomore Aidan Casey (Silver Beach, N.J./Don Bosco Prep) has posted a .336 batting average and stolen a team-leading 22 bases on 24 attempts to go along with a .304 average from senior Matthew Querey (Wilmington, Del./Salesianum).

Casey, Elston, Querey and Zarnowski all received All-Conference recognition earlier this week.

On the mound, graduate student righty Daniel Johnson (Whitehouse Station, N.J./Immaculata) earned All-Landmark First Team honors with a 6-0 record and a 3.91 ERA in 10 appearances (nine starts). Senior lefty Jason Carpenter (Scranton, Pa./Scranton) also garnered First Team accolades with a 4-1 record, a 1.78 ERA and three saves in 17 appearances.

Graduate student righty Hunter Ralston (Duryea, Pa./Pittston Area) tossed a complete game in a victory over Elizabethtown in the Landmark Conference Tournament and has notched a 5-1 record with a 4.38 ERA in 13 appearances (11 starts). Ralston leads the team in both innings pitched (63 2/3) and strikeouts (55).

North Carolina Wesleyan has hit .329 as a team and Davie Morgan leads the way with a .420 batting average, 16 doubles, eight home runs and 51 RBI in 41 games. Tyson Bass has started all 44 games for the Battling Bishops and has hit .359 with eight doubles, four triples, 20 home runs, 56 RBI and 29 stolen bases.

Cord Butler has been the top starter for NC Wesleyan with an 11-0 record and a 2.68 ERA in 14 appearances (13 starts) while fanning 105 batters in 84.0 IP. In relief, Cullen Davis has posted a 5.50 ERA in 15 games including three saves.

Click here to view the full 2024 NCAA Division III Baseball bracket.

--ROYALS--