CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - The UW-Stevens Point baseball team heads to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for its sixth appearance in the Division III College World Series. UWSP opens the weekend on Friday (June 3) with a 1:15 p.m. matchup with the defending National Champions, Salisbury. It will mark the first-ever matchup between the teams on a baseball diamond.

NCAA Bracket | CWS Microsite | UWSP Game Notes

    The Pointers earned a spot in the CWS by sweeping league rival UW-Whitewater in the Super Regional round. In the process, UWSP improved to 6-1 in this year's NCAA Tournament with four wins against ranked foes. 
    This season, the Pointers have repeatedly erased previous records from the program annuls. UWSP has drawn 263 walks this season, demolishing the previous single season record of 214 set in 1997. In an elimination game win over No. 18 North Central, the Pointers tied a school record with 27 runs in the win over the Cardinals. In the eighth inning of that game, UWSP tied a single-inning school record with 14 tallies, 10 of which came before the first out.
    UWSP raked in a plethora of awards with stellar play throughout the year. Second-year head coach Nat Richter was named the WIAC Coach of the Year for the second time. Senior Aaron Simmons (Franklin, Wis./Franklin) joined his coach with one of the league's top honors for a player, the WIAC Position Player of the Year award. Simmons has also landed a D3baseball.com second-team All-America laurels to go with a pair of first-team all-region nods. All told, the Pointers landed nine honors between the D3baseball.com and the ABCA all-region squads.
    Simmons has also etched his name in the UWSP and WIAC record books. He is tied for the league's all-time lead with a school record 16 triples. He set single-season school records with 20 home runs and 43 walks. Simmons also became to school's all-time leader in total bases with 409.
    Fellow senior Payton Nelson (Wausau, Wis./West) has climbed towards the top of a number of UWSP offensive categories. He set the school record for career doubles with his 50th in the Regional round. He also ranks among the all-time leaders in at-bats, runs scored, RBI and stolen bases.
    UWSP's offense has been clicking on all cylinders since the start of May. The Pointers have posted double figures in 11 games since May 1, all victories. In fact, the Pointers at 16-2 since the beginning of May.
    After UWSP's opening round game against Salisbury, the Pointers will fae either top-seed Marietta or Catholic in the second game on Saturday at a yet-to-be determined time.

QUICK HITS
- The Pointers are 6-1 and have defeated ranked teams four times in the NCAA Tournament.
- UWSP is making its sixth appearance in the College World Series. The team is 7-10 in the previous five appearances with a third-place finish in 2007, the best in program history. The Pointers have placed no lower than fifth in the previous CWS appearances.
- With his save appearance in the Super Regional clincher, Austin Syvertson (Randolph, Wis./Randolph) made his school-record 22nd appearance of the season. 
- Senior Lucas Luedtke (River Falls, Wis./River Falls) belted three home runs in the Super Regional clincher at UW-Whitewater. It was his first three-homer game of his career.
- With its walk-off win in the opening game of the Super Regionals, the Pointers have now won 19 games in which they trailed at some point in the game.
- Head coach Nat Richter became the first back-to-back WIAC Coach of the Year in UWSP history. He has won the honor in both season at the helm of the Pointers. Entering the CWS, he holds a 72-19 record.
- Sophomore Sidney Ferry (Paw Paw, Mich./Homeschooled) has converted 15 saves in just two season, the fourth-most in school history. This season, he holds a 5-0 record with six saves. In 62.2 career innings pitched, he has struck out 69 while issuing just seven walks.
-  UWSP's win over North Central in the Regional Round Game 6 tied the school record for runs in a game in the 27-3 victory. The Pointers posted 14 runs in the eighth inning, also tying a school record.
- In the 27-3 win over NCC, UWSP mashed eight home runs, tying the NCAA Tournament single game record. Five of those home runs came in the 14-run eighth, including two by pinch hitter Kyle Finger (Clintonville, Wis./Clintonville). The Pointers hit for "the cycle" with a solo, two-run, three-run and grand slam.
- The Pointers went 11-5 this season against opponents in the NCAA Tournament.
- In April, Casey Pickering (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley) fired back-to-back complete-game shutouts. He nearly no-hit Finlandia on April 4, allowing the lone hit with two outs in the ninth. In his next outing on April 10, UW-La Crosse got just two hits off him, both infield singles, in the shutout win.

SCOUTING REPORT
    Salisbury Sea Gulls:  The Sea Gulls won the 2021 DIII National Championship and return to the CWS for the seventh time in program history. Salisbury is making its 27th NCAA Tournament appearance and have reached the postseason every year since the turn of the century. This season, the Sea Gulls lead the country in fielding percentage (.981) and fewest hits allowed per game (7.34). Junior Patrick Campbell in the national leader in sacrifice bunts with 15. Senior Jimmy Adkins was named the D3baseball.com Pitcher of the Year and has a 1.38 ERA with 78 strikeouts in 78.0 innings. Junior Kavi Caster was a first-team All-America selection by D3baseball and leads the team with 61 RBI and a .428 batting average. Friday's game will be the first matchup between UWSP and Salisbury.
     Marietta Pioneers: Marietta is the top-seed in this year's CWS.  The Pioneers have won the National Championship six times, most recently in 2012. At 43-5, Marietta boasts five players hitting over .400 for the season. Individually, or as a team, Marietta leads the country in 10 statistical categories. UWSP and Marietta have only met one previous time with the Pioneers winning that game.
    Catholic Cardinals: The Cardinals reached the CWS with a pair of elimination-game wins over Ithaca on the road on Sunday. At 34-14, Catholic is making its first CWS appearance. Junior Ben Nardi hit a grand slam in the Super Regional clincher becoming just the eighth hitter in school history with at least 60 hits. UWSP and Catholic have never met. 

OTHER SIDE OF THE BRACKET
    Eastern Connecticut State Warriors: The No. 1 team in the country entering the NCAA Tournament, Eastern is the two-seed in the CWS. Senior Luke Broadhurst was a repeat Player of the Year selection by both D3baseball and ABCA. The Warriors are making their 13th CWS appearance. UWSP and Eastern have never met.
    LaGrange Panthers: LaGrange is the three-seed and making its first-ever appearance in the CWS. Junior Joe Ruth leads the country with 101 hits and senior McKinley Erves is the nation's leader with 90 runs scored this year. UWSP has never played LaGrange.
    Trinity Tigers: Trinity is the six-seed and is making its third CWS appearance. The Tigers have hit 66 home runs and have 126 doubles. Junior MJ Metz leads the team with 144 total bases, among the top-10 in the nation. UWSP defeated Trinity in the only meeting between the team. The Pointers took a 3-2 win in the opening game of the 2014 NCAA Regional behind J.P. Feyereisen's first save of the season.
    Baldwin Wallace Yellow Jackets: Baldwin Wallace in the seven-seed and is making the second CWS appearance in school history.  Behind 73 home runs, the Yellow Jackets have the fourth-best team slugging in the nation at .560. Junior Luke Vonderhaar leads the way with 19 long balls, trailing only UWSP's Simmons among CWS participants. UWSP and BW have two previous meetings with each team winning once.