2003 NCAA Division III Baseball Championship
Tournament Statistics
Team Statistics
Regional Playoff Results
Records
Chapman Explodes For Division III Crown
Grand Chute, Wisconsin - It is amazing what a team can achieve when destiny is on its side. Chapman University had the tough task Tuesday of winning two games against Christopher Newport University at Fox Cities Stadium to claim the title at the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship Series.
For the team of destiny from Chapman, beating previously unbeaten Christopher Newport twice would be just another feat in an amazing run to the national championship.
After pounding the Captains 15-2 in the first game Tuesday to force a second championship game in the double-elimination tournament, Chapman beat Christopher Newport 15-7 to win its first national championship. The Panthers became the third team ever, and the first since Montclair State University in 2000, to win two games on the final day to claim the title. “I don’t think anyone didn’t believe we couldn’t pull this off today,” Chapman shortstop Brian Sanders said.
First-year Chapman head coach Tom Tereschuk had already seen his team beat George Fox University twice on the final day of the regional just to get to the Championship Series. Then it was a superb performance in front of a record and highly partisan University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh crowd of 3,868 on Friday in a 6-1 win over the Titans. He then witnessed a fabulous comeback Sunday night against Emory University that saw the Panthers score four times, including three runs with two outs, in the bottom of the ninth to beat the Eagles 6-5 in an elimination game. “We had complete confidence from the start,” Tereschuk said. “They never wavered in their faith, and they kept after it.”
The Panthers, which came into the Championship Series with one of the best pitching staffs in the nation, did the talking with their bats on Tuesday. In the two games, Chapman (39-12) scored 30 runs and pounded out 40 hits, all while getting solid pitching from a staff depleted by five days of play. The Panthers had 24 hits, a season high, in the title game. “For a team that supposedly pitches it pretty good, they hit it pretty good too,” Christopher Newport head coach John Harvell said.
After getting routed in the first game, it appeared as though the Captains had righted the ship. After falling behind 4-2, thanks to a four-run third inning by Chapman in which Matt Graves belted a two-run double, Christopher Newport rallied in the bottom half of the frame. Matt Turner led off with a homer, and the Captains got two more hits in the inning and took advantage of two walks to grab a 5-4 lead.
But the hits just kept coming for Chapman. The Panthers scored two more in the fourth and fifth, and Graves belted a solo homer in the sixth to give Chapman a 9-7 lead heading into the seventh. “It’s hard to play catch-up all the time,” Harvell said. “(Chapman) flat-out swung the bats today.”
The Panthers really broke the game open with five runs in the seventh. Chapman had five hits in the inning, including a two-run single by Shaun Donahoe and a two-run double by Sanders.
The Panthers added another run in the eighth to complete the scoring, and it was driven in on a double by second baseman Alex Taylor, who was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Championship Series.
“I thought we were loose as we can be. I think we had the advantage today. I think they were nervous,” Sanders said. “When you play that bad and win (against Emory), it does something for you. After that game, I didn’t think we were going to lose.”
After getting off to a rocky start, Chapman starter Scott Akamine settled down in the second half of the game. He didn’t allow a run in the final four innings and went the distance. He allowed nine hits, struck out six and walked five.
“We played in front of the largest crowd. We had the biggest comeback. We won the championship,” Taylor said. “I can’t think of any other team that could have experienced the scope of the tournament (more).”
2003 All Tournament Team
MVP - Alex Taylor, Chapman
Catcher - Scott George, Christopher Newport; First Base - Justin Hallenbeck, Chapman; Second Base - Alex Taylor; Eugene Julian, Eastern Conn State; Third Base - Andrew Pinckney, Emory; Shortstop - Billy Sanders, Chapman; Outfield - CJ Castillo, Chapman; Dan Silva, Eastern Conn State; Pitcher - Jairo Ochoa, Chapman; Eben Brower, Christopher Newport; John Louden Anderson.
2003Tournament Results
Eastern Conn State 6, DeSales 3
Christopher Newport 7, Trinity (Conn) 3
Chapman 6, Wisconsin-Oshkosh 1
Wisconsin-Oshkosh 5, Trinity (Conn) 4
Anderson 3, Eastern Conn State 2
Christopher Newport 6, Chapman 4
Eastern Conn State 12, Wisconsin-Oshkosh 2
Christopher Newport 2, Anderson 1 (12)
Christopher Newport 4, Eastern Conn State 2