BEREA, Ohio – The Adrian College baseball team starts the NCAA Regionals on Friday where they will face off with Catholic University at Baldwin Wallace. The Bulldogs earned the automatic bid by sweeping the MIAA Tournament last weekend and will serve as the No. 3 seed for the Regionals.
 
Adrian enters the tournament with a 29-14 record on the season while Catholic enters 31-12. Adrian has been hot on the mound with its starting pitchers starting the seventh inning in four of their last five games. With the exception of the two double forfeits against Hope College earlier in the year, the Bulldogs have won 13 of their last 15 games.
 
The pitching staff is led by Jakob Charles who holds a 9-1 record on the season with a 3.63 ERA in 11 starts. He's pitched 72 innings, tossed two complete games, and struck out 39 batters. Jaxon Clark has been solid on the mound throwing in 61 innings while holding a 6-3 record with a 3.69 ERA, two complete games, and 47 strikeouts in ten starts. Daniel Gutierrez has started 12 games where he's thrown 62.1 innings holding a 4-2 record with a 4.76 ERA and 58 strikeouts. The Bulldogs hold a team ERA of 3.81 which ranks 19^th in NCAA Division III.
 
At the plate, the Bulldogs are led by Nic Bruder who is hitting .398 and was crowned the MIAA Batting Champion. Bruder has totaled 68 hits on the season with ten doubles and 32 RBIs. AJ Miranda is hot at the plate where he racked up eight hits in the MIAA Tournament and was named the final MIAA Position Player of the Week. Miranda leads the team with five home runs, 16 doubles, and 41 RBIs while hitting .366. David Kedrow hits .333 for Adrian followed by Joe Casale at .331 and Edward Wagner at .324.
 
Adrian faces Catholic University to start the NCAA Regionals. Catholic holds the No. 2 seed for the weekend and relies on a left-handed starting pitcher who holds a 2.18 ERA in 62 innings with an 8-1 record and a 0.94 WHIP. As a team, Catholic is hitting .301 and has three hitters with an average over .300. Friday's match up will mark the first time in program history that Catholic and Adrian will face each other.
 
The other two teams in the Regional at No. 1 Baldwin Wallace and No. 4 Penn State Behrend. Adrian lost to Baldwin Wallace early in the year, 15-5, and Penn State Behrend in the regular season finale, 6-5. The Regional will consist of a double elimination bracket with two elimination games planned for Saturday. The Regional Championship is slatted to take place on Sunday.
 
Adrian opens on Friday, May 17 at 1:30 PM in the opening round at Baldwin Wallace. Tickets can be purchased by clicking HERE. More information on the NCAA Regional such as parking instructions, programs, and directions can be found by clicking HERE. Stay tuned to www.adrianbulldogs.com for up-to-date information on the NCAA Regionals.