1980 NCAA Division III Baseball Championship
Tournament Statistics
Team Statistics
Records
Ithaca Collage defeats Marietta College 12-5 to win the 1980 Division III Baseball Championship
Ithaca comes back from tournament-opening loss to capture their first baseball championship
Marietta, OH -- The Bombers suffered a 7-4 loss to Upsala in the first game of the World Series. Up against the wall in the double-elimination format, the Bombers scored 13 runs in the first three innings of their next outing, a 23-7 victory over Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Freshman designated hitter Mark Fagan had two home runs and two doubles, along with seven RBIs, in the victory. Junior Doug DeCarr then tossed a complete-game eight-hitter as Ithaca earned revenge over Upsala, 7-1.
To win the national championship, the Bombers needed to defeat host Marietta twice in the same afternoon. Ithaca fell behind 4-1, but thanks in part to some stellar relief work from freshman Dave Axenfeld, the Bombers climbed back into the game and won 5-4 on senior outfielder Ted French's eighth-inning home run.
The Ithaca bats exploded again in the title game as the Bombers came away with a 12-5 win. Junior third baseman Jim Barletto hit two solo home runs, junior outfielder Rick Watts added a solo shot and scored four times, and senior captain John Nicolo, the team's shortstop, was 5-for-6 with three RBIs. Marty Olmstead earned the complete-game victory on the mound after just one day's rest.
Nicolo was named World Series most valuable player after setting records for most runs (9) and hits (12) in the tournament.
Five members of that championship team were also teammates on Ithaca's 1979 national champion football team: sophomore Bob Campese, senior John Bertino, DeCarr, Nicolo, and sophomore Fred Yaple.
Story is complements of Ithaca College Sports Information
1980 All Tournament Team
MVP - John Nicolo, IthacaCatcher - Steve DeMatties, Ithaca; First Base - Brian Lee, Marietta; Second Base - Bruno Giordano, Upsala; Third Base - Jim Barletto, Ithaca; Shortstop - John Nicolo, Ithaca; Outfield - Dave Algrem, Wisconsin-Oshkosh; Carl Vasquez, Marietta; Ted French, Ithaca; Designated Hitter - Steve Yurchak, Marietta; Pitcher - Craig Henderson, Wisconsin-Oshkosh; Dave Axenfeld, Ithaca.
1980 Tournament Results
Marietta 4, Wisconsin-Oshkosh 3
Regional Playoff Results
Northeast Regional: Game 1: Brandeis 12, Rochester 6; Game 2: North Adams State 6, Rhode Island 3; Game 3: Ithaca 15, Eastern Conn State 7; Game 4: Rhode Island 10, Rochester 2; Game 5: Brandeis 13, Eastern Conn State 9; Game 6: Ithaca 7, North Adams State 0; Game 7: North Adams State 7, Rhode Island 6; Game 8: Ithaca 6, Brandeis 1; Game 9: North Adams State 12, Brandeis 8; Game 10: Ithaca 20, North Adams State 4. Ithaca advances
Mideast Regional: Game 1: Marietta 10, Alma 2; Game 2: Wooster 5, Mansfield State 1; Game 3: Ohio Northern 5, Juniata 3; Game 4: Mansfield State 11, Alma 2; Game 5: Marietta 7 Juniata 6; Game 6: Wooster 15, Ohio Northern 2; Game 7: Ohio Northern 4, Mansfield State 2; Game 8: Marietta 6, Wooster 4; Game 9: Wooster 7, Ohio Northern 3; Game 10: Marietta 14, Wooster 5. Marietta advances
South Regional: Game 1: Glassboro State 4, Johns Hopkins 1; Game 2: Salisbury State 3, Upsala 2; Game 3: Ramapo 10, Lynchburg 9; Game 4: Upsala 20, Johns Hopkins 11; Game 5: Lynchburg 5, Glassboro State 3; Game 6: Salisbury State 4, Ramapo 2; Game 7: Ramapo 7, Glassboro State 3; Game 8: Upsala 5, Lynchburg 4; Game 9: Salisbury State 5 Ramapo 4; Game 10: Upsala 5, Salisbury State 2; Game 11: Upsala 19, Salisbury State 2. Upsala advances
West Regional: Game 1: Illinois Benedictine 8, Elmhurst 5; Game 2: Wisconsin-Oshkosh 6, St, Olaf 3; Game 3: Buena Vista 12 Cal State Stanislaus 8; Game 4: Elmhurst 2, St. Olaf 1; Game 5: Cal State Stanislaus 13, Illinois Benedictine 2; Game 6: Wisconsin-Oshkosh 9, Buena Vista 4; Game 7: Buena Vista 7, Illinois Benedictine 6; Game 8: Cal State Stanislaus 6, Elmhurst 3; Game 9: Wisconsin-Oshkosh 16, Buena Vista 3; Game 10: Wisconsin-Oshkosh 12, Cal State Stanislaus 3. Wisconsin-Oshkosh advances