National Collegiate Athletic Association
NCAA News Archive - 2000
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The NCAA News
Montclair State University became the first team in 15 years to win the Division III Baseball Championship after starting the championship series with a loss.
The Red Hawks accomplished the feat with a 6-2 win over St. Thomas (Minnesota) in the final May 30 at Wisconsin-Oshkosh.
It took the the Red Hawks beating the Tommies twice to win the title. St. Thomas had entered the day as the tournament's only unbeaten team, but Montclair State beat St. Thomas, 13-3, in the opening game of the day then won the nightcap.
"It's very satisfying," Montclair State head coach Norm Schoenig said. "To come out of the loser's bracket is a real testament to these kids. Once you eliminate that final destination and work at the job at hand, you get where you want to go."
Sophomore Corey Hamman (8-2), the tournament's most outstanding player, pitched superbly in the final, scattering seven hits and allowing just one earned run. Hamman pitched a complete game, struck out five and didn't walk a batter. For the tournament, Hamman pitched 15 2/3 innings and allowed just eight hits and one earned run.
"Against the level of competition we played, to give up just one earned run, I can't even believe it," Hamman said. "When I went out on the mound, I didn't think about anything but hitting spots and throwing strikes."
St. Thomas coach Dennis Denning said Montclair simply overpowered his team with offense.
"They just outplayed us. They've got better hitters," Denning said. "It's tough to take when your expectations were nice and high. They had more bullets than we did."
After taking the lead with an early run, the Red Hawks stretched their advantage to 5-0 in the third. Montclair State strung together five consecutive hits, started by Craig Conway's single to center. George Gallagher followed with a single to left and Brian Ellerson's infield single loaded the bases. Frank Longo then doubled over the head of right fielder Ryan Benson to score Conway and Gallagher to make it 3-0. Frank Francia then singled up the middle to score Ellerson and Benson to give Montclair State a five-run bulge.
St. Thomas threatened in the eighth but could only manage one run.
"This is the best hitting team I've ever played for, one through nine," said Conway, adding the team's character was key to a run to the title through the loser's bracket. "That's the only way to sum it up. This team has a lot of heart. Our guys deserve a lot of credit. They never got down. They never gave up."
The championship was Montclair State's third, making it the third school to win three titles (Eastern Connecticut and Marietta are the others). The Red Hawks also won championships in 1987 and 1993.
Total attendance for the five days was 12,336, the fifth-highest total in 25-year history of the event.
Game No. 1
St. Thomas (Minn.) | 220 | 001 | 003 -- 8 | 14 | 3 |
Emory | 010 | 020 | 000 -- 3 | 6 | 1 |
Jon Lee, Stefan Lollar (9), Ethan Saloman (9) and Kyle Olsen and Tom Wilberg; Bryan Toov and David VanWinkle. W -- Toov. L -- Lee.
Game No. 2
Cortland St. | 002 | 000 | 003 -- 5 | 10 | 0 |
Montclair St. | 100 | 000 | 000 -- 1 | 6 | 1 |
Phil Benante, Brian Silsbee (9) and Mike Burns; Greg Belson, Kevin Rakowski-Kuhlman (9), Corey Hamman (9) and Jeff Schriber. W -- Benante. L -- Belson.
Game No. 3
Allegheny | 101 | 000 | 020 -- 4 | 9 | 4 |
Chapman | 001 | 001 | 000 -- 2 | 6 | 1 |
Jeff Mountain and Tug Ollock; Tim Huff and Tony Serna. HR -- Kevin Davidson (Allegheny). W -- Mountain. L -- Huff.
Game No. 4
Southern Me. | 000 | 000 | 001 -- 1 | 7 | 2 |
Wartburg | 000 | 020 | 00x -- 2 | 7 | 1 |
Denny Webber and Peter L'Italien; Shane Potratz and Matt Thede. W -- Potratz. L -- Webber.
Game No. 5
Emory | 000 | 000 | 000 -- 0 | 3 | 0 |
Montclair St. | 100 | 010 | 03x -- 5 | 9 | 0 |
Ryan Donegan, Patrick Bush (8) and David VanWinkle; Scott Allan, Corey Hamman (4) and Jeff Schriber. W -- Hamman. L -- Donegan.
Game No. 6
Chapman | 120 | 011 | 013 -- 9 | 13 | 1 |
Southern Me. | 100 | 000 | 000 -- 1 | 4 | 7 |
Eric Hayden, Eric Albright (9) and Tony Serna; Mark Russell, Ryan Adams (3), Alden Pelletier (6), Mark Gunning (7), Todd Southwick (7) and Peter L'Italien. W -- Hayden. L -- Russell.
Game No. 7
Cortland St. | 200 | 010 | 000 -- 3 | 14 | 1 |
St. Thomas (Minn.) | 004 | 103 | 00x -- 8 | 8 | 1 |
Kyle Johnson, Brian Silsbee (6), Chris Cobb (9) and Mike Burns; Mike Honsa and Tom Wilberg. W -- Honsa. L -- Johnson.
Game No. 8
Wartburg | 110 | 000 | 000 | 0 -- 2 | 10 | 4 |
Allegheny | 000 | 100 | 001 | 1 -- 3 | 10 | 2 |
Robert Mudd, Eric Kaestner (9), Patrick Smith (10) and Matt Thede; Scott Swinchock and Tug Ollock. W -- Swinchock. L -- Smith.
Game No. 9
Chapman | 000 | 000 | 302 -- 5 | 13 | 0 |
Cortland St. | 000 | 000 | 000 -- 0 | 6 | 0 |
Andrew Tisdale, Eric Albright (7) and Tony Serna; Jason Ross, Mark Pacella (9) and Mike Burns. W -- Tisdale. L -- Ross. S -- Albright.
Game No. 10
Montclair St. | 100 | 110 | 202 -- 7 | 10 | 0 |
Wartburg | 100 | 000 | 100 -- 2 | 6 | 7 |
George Gallagher, Kevin Rakowski-Kuhlman (7) and Jeff Schriber; Gary Hess, Eric Kaestner (5) and Matt Thede. W -- Gallagher. L -- Hess. S -- Kuhlman.
Game No. 11
Allegheny | 100 | 001 | 100 -- 3 | 10 | 1 |
St. Thomas (Minn.) | 120 | 000 | 10x -- 4 | 9 | 2 |
Jeff Mountain and Tug Ollock; Bryan Edstram, Mike Honsa (7) and Dan Novak and Tom Wilberg. HR -- Jon Guion [St. Thomas (Minn.)]. W -- Honsa. L -- Mountain.
Game No. 12
Montclair St. | 500 | 200 | 021 -- 10 | 18 | 0 |
Allegheny | 002 | 000 | 001 -- 3 | 8 | 3 |
Scott Allan and Jeff Schriber and Michael Clifford; Rob George, Adam Oshnock (4) and Nick Paolini (8) and Tug Ollock. HR -- Craig Conway (Montclair St.). W -- Allan. L -- George.
Game No. 13
St. Thomas (Minn.) | 000 | 000 | 300 -- 1 | 4 | 8 | 0 |
Chapman | 001 | 010 | 001 -- 0 | 3 | 12 | 3 |
Adam Iten, Jon Marzolf (6) and Kyle Olsen and Tom Wilberg; Erik Maurer, Clint Blevins (7), Eric Albright (10) and Tony Serna and Alex Taylor. W -- Marzolf. L -- Albright.
Game No. 14
Montclair St. | 301 | 012 | 600 -- 13 | 19 | 0 |
St. Thomas (Minn.) | 020 | 000 | 010 -- 3 | 11 | 2 |
Greg Belson, Steve Trangone (8), Jim Whalen (9) and Jeff Schriber and Michael Clifford; Bryan Toov, Ben Blazovich (7) and Tom Wilberg and Kyle Olsen. HR -- George Gallagher (Montclair St.), Brian Ellerson (Montclair St.). W -- Belson. L -- Toov.
Championship game
St. Thomas (Minn.) | AB | R | H | RBI | |
Brad Bonine, cf | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Matt Buzzell, ss | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Jake Mauer, 2b | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
Dan Novak, 1b | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
Luke Sather, dh | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Steve Aronson, lf | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
Jon Guion, 3b | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
Ryan Benson, rf | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | |
Tom Wilberg, c | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Mike Honsa, p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Totals | 32 | 2 | 7 | 2 | |
Montclair St. | AB | R | H | RBI | |
Dave Wurst, 2b | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
Chris Baran, rf | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Craig Conway, 3b | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
George Gallagher, dh | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
Brian Ellerson, ss | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | |
Frank Longo, cf | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 | |
Frank Francia, 1b | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | |
Marc Houser, lf | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Jeff Schriber, c | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Corey Hamman, p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Totals | 32 | 6 | 9 | 6 | |
St. Thomas (Minn.) | 000 | 010 | 010 -- 2 | 7 | 1 |
Montclair St. | 014 | 001 | 00x -- 6 | 9 | 1 |
E -- Guion, Longo. DP -- St. Thomas (Minn.) 1, Montclair St. 2. LOB -- St. Thomas (Minn.) 7, Montclair St 5. 2B -- Longo. SB -- Longo. CS -- Longo. SH -- Benson.
St. Thomas (Minn.) | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | |
Mike Honsa | 8.0 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 3 | |
Montclair St. | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | |
Corey Hamman | 9.0 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | |
W -- Hamman. L -- Honsa. WP -- Hamman. HBP -- Buzzell (2), Guion, Conway. Umpires -- Home, Bill Topp; First, George Drouches; Second, Dan Collins; Third, Jeff Sill. T -- 2:10. A -- 854.