1978 NCAA Division II baseball tournament
The 1978 NCAA Division II baseball tournament was the postseason tournament hosted by the NCAA to determine the national champion of baseball among its Division II colleges and universities at the end of the 1978 NCAA Division II baseball season.[1]
| Season | 1978 |
|---|---|
| Finals site | |
| Champions | Florida Southern (4th title) |
| Runner-up | Delta State (2nd CWS Appearance) |
| Winning coach | Joe Arnold (1st title) |
| MOP | Ricky Perkins (3B) (Delta State) |
| Attendance | 625 |
Florida Southern defeated Delta State in the championship game of the double-elimination tournament, 7–2, winning the Moccasins' fourth national title. Florida Southern were coached by Joe Arnold.
Regionals
The regionals consisted 32 teams in eight groupings. Each regional consisted of a 4-team bracket. All brackets were double elimination format. The top team in each bracket advanced to the 1978 Division II College World Series.[2]
New England Regional
New Haven (3–0)
Sacred Heart (2–2)
NYIT (1–2)
Assumption (0–2)
New Haven won regional
Middle Atlantic Regional
Le Moyne (3–1)
Shippensburg (3–2)
UMBC (1–2)
Towson (0–2)
Le Moyne won regional
South Atlantic Regional
Valdosta State (3–0)
West Georgia (2–2)
Augusta (1–2)
Albany State (0–2)
Valdosta State won regional
South Regional
Florida Southern (3–0)
FIU (2–2)
Saint Leo (1–2)
Eckerd (0–2)
Florida Southern won regional
Great Lakes Regional
Eastern Illinois (4–1)
Western Illinois (2–2)
Wright State (1–2)
Indianapolis (0–2)
Eastern Illinois won regional
North Central Regional
Southwest Missouri State (3–0)
Northwest Missouri State (2–2)
UMSL (1–2)
Morningside (0–2)
Southwest Missouri State won regional
South Central Regional
Delta State (3–1)
Troy State (3–2)
Minnesota State (1–2)
Southeastern Louisiana (0–2)
Delta State won regional
Finals
Participants
| School | Conference | Record (conference) | Head coach | Previous finals appearances | Best finals finish | Finals record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delta State | Gulf South | 43–19 (14–4) | Boo Ferriss | 2 (last:1977) | 2nd | 5–3 |
| Eastern Illinois | Independent | 27–19 | Tom McDevitt | 1 (last: 1973) | 3rd | 2–2 |
| Florida Southern | Sunshine State | 34–11 | Joe Arnold | 6 (last: 1976) | 1st | 13–9 |
| Le Moyne | Independent | 28–12 | Dick Rockwell | 0 (last: none) | None | 0–0 |
| New Haven | Independent | 32–4 | Frank Vieira | 2 (last:1977) | 3rd | 3–4 |
| San Diego | Independent | 33–22 | John Cunningham | 1 (last: 1971) | 3rd | 1–2 |
| Southwest Missouri State | MAIAA | 28–10 (11–4) | Bill Rowe | 2 (last:1970) | 2nd | 3–4 |
| Valdosta State | SAC | 39–20 (9–3) | Tommy Thomas | 2 (last:1977) | 3rd | 2–4 |
Bracket
| First Round | Second Round | Third Round | Semifinals | Preliminary Final | Championship | |||||||||||||||||
| Delta State | 12 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Southwest Missouri State | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Delta State | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| San Diego | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Illinois | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| San Diego | 15 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Delta State | 8 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Florida Southern | 13 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Florida Southern | 14 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Florida Southern | 8 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| New Haven | 9 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Florida Southern | 13 | New Haven | 14 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Valdosta State | 7 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Le Moyne | 9 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Valdosta State | 10 | Florida Southern | 7 | |||||||||||||||||||
| New Haven | 11 | Delta State | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Consolation First Round | Consolation Second Round | Delta State | 12 | |||||||||||||||||||
| San Diego | 5 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| New Haven | 710 | New Haven | 11 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Delta State | 9 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Le Moyne | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Valdosta State | 5 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Valdosta State | 11 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| SW Missouri State | 11 | Eastern Illinois | 9 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Illinois | 21 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Game Results
| Date | Game | Winner | Score | Loser | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 25 | Game 1 | Delta State | 12–2 | Southwest Missouri State | |
| Game 2 | San Diego | 15–6 | Eastern Illinois | ||
| May 26 | Game 3 | Florida Southern | 14–9 | New Haven | |
| Game 4 | Valdosta State | 10–9 | Le Moyne | ||
| May 27 | Game 5 | Eastern Illinois | 21–11 | Southwest Missouri State | Southwest Missouri State eliminated |
| Game 6 | New Haven | 7–610 | Le Moyne | Le Moyne eliminated | |
| Game 7 | Delta State | 6–1 | San Diego | ||
| Game 8 | Florida Southern | 13–7 | Valdosta State | ||
| May 28 | Game 9 | New Haven | 11–5 | San Diego | San Diego eliminated |
| Game 10 | Valdosta State | 11–9 | Eastern Illinois | Eastern Illinois eliminated | |
| May 29 | Game 11 | Florida Southern | 13–8 | Delta State | |
| May 30 | Game 12 | Delta State | 9–5 | Valdosta State | Valdosta State eliminated |
| Game 13 | New Haven | 14–8 | Florida Southern | ||
| May 31 | Game 14 | Delta State | 12–1 | New Haven | New Haven eliminated |
| Game 15 | Florida Southern | 7–2 | Delta State | Florida Southern wins National Championship |
See also
References
- "DIVISION II BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS RECORDS BOOK" (PDF). NCAA.org. NCAA. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
- "Division II Baseball Championships Record Book" (PDF). NCAA. p. 13. Retrieved June 23, 2024.