The Point Loma baseball team is going dancing. The Sea Lions grabbed the No. 6 seed in the NCAA West Regional after going 33-16 this season and tying for third place in the PacWest Conference (19-13) to earn an at-large bid. PLNU will face No. 1 seed and regional host Cal Poly Pomona in the first round of this six-team, double-elimination tournament on Thursday, May 14.
PLNU had a historic run in the middle of the season when they set a school and PacWest record with 17 straight wins. That run helped Point Loma earn rankings in all four NCAA Regional polls. The Sea Lions came in No. 3 on the first two polls before dropping back to No. 6 in the final two polls as they hit a stretch where they lost seven of eight. The Sea Lions are a throwback style team relying on their pitching and defense. PLNU ranks third in PacWest with a 3.65 ERA and second with a .970 fielding percentage.
Cal Poly Pomona earned the No. 1 seed after winning the California Collegiate Athletic Association regular season and postseason titles. The Broncos went 39-14 on the season and 28-12 in conference. CPP was No. 6 in the country with a 2.83 ERA and it hit .288 as a team. Ryan Olson was 10-0 with a 1.54 ERA with 73 strikeouts in 70.1 innings to lead the Broncos staff.
The Sea Lions were one of four teams from the PacWest Conference to earn bids into the West Regional. Also grabbing spots from the PacWest were California Baptist at No. 2, Azusa Pacific at No. 3 and Dixie State at No. 4. UC San Diego of the CCAA out the West Region by grabbing the No. 5 seed. The winner of the NCAA West Regional will advance to the NCAA Division II World Series in Cary, N.C.
This was the third Point Loma athletic team to earn a trip to an NCAA Regional in the school’s first year as an active NCAA member. The baseball team joined the women’s soccer team which won the PacWest Conference to earn a bid and the women’s basketball team which grabbed an at-large bid as the No. 8 seed and went on the road to defeat the No. 1 team in the country Alaska Anchorage, 64-63, on a last second shot.