SALEM, W.Va. (May 4) – The Salem International University baseball team will begin play in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) Tournament on Wednesday, May 6, at 12:00 p.m. The Tigers will face Trevecca Nazarene, the top seed in the league, to open the tournament at Prasco Park and Legacy Field in Mason, Ohio.

Tickets: Ticket prices will be determined at the gate.

Live Coverage: The G-MAC will provide live statistics for the games. For additional information about the tournament, please click here.

G-MAC Tournament: Salem International is the No. 6 seed in the tournament with a 6-18 conference mark. Trevecca is the No. 1 seed in the tournament behind a 21-3 league record this season. The winner will face the loser of the No. 3 seed, Kentucky Wesleyan, vs. the No. 4 seed, Cedarville, in a game on Thursday at 3 p.m. The loser of the Salem/Trevecca game will meet the loser of the No. 2 seed, Alderson Broaddus, vs. the No. 5 seed, Ohio Valley, in an elimination game on Thursday at 12:00 p.m.

National Rankings: There are not any G-MAC teams ranked in the latest National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Top 25 poll.
 
Regional Rankings: Trevecca and Kentucky Wesleyan both appear in the latest NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Rankings, coming in at seventh and eighth, respectively. The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) and the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Tournament winners receive automatic qualifiers (AQ) into the NCAA Midwest Regional Tournament, with the remaining six spots going to the highest remaining teams in the regional rankings.
 
Scouting the Tigers: After a series sweep against Davis & Elkins and wins at Cedarville and Ohio Valley, Salem International enters the tournament as the No. 6 seed. The Tigers have been led at the plate this season by junior outfielder Nicco Lollio (Carleton, Mich./Airport), who is hitting .325 with two home runs and 31 RBI this season, both team-bests. Versatile senior shortstop Manny Dominguez (Bronx, N.Y./Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics) ranks second on the team with 14 RBI and is hitting .287 in a year where he has played at several different positions in order to help the team fill holes due to injuries.
 
The top of the batting order will look significantly different from the team's last meeting with Trevecca Nazarene. Junior centerfielder Joe Drago (Albany, Ind./Delta) has returned from an injury that cost him 10 games and ranks third on the team with a .294 batting average and 14 RBI primarily from the lead-off role. Meanwhile, junior first baseman Anthony Bariso (Tarpon Springs, Fla./Tarpon Springs) has provided a significant boost to the Salem International lineup primarily in the two hole. Bariso, who spent the first 20 games of the year primarily as a pitcher, has embraced his role in the lineup and leads the team with a .381 batting average to go along with a home run and 10 RBI this season.

The Tigers primarily featured a four-man rotation over the course of the season. Junior Colton Lankford (Rowlett, Texas/Rowlett), a one-time G-MAC Pitcher of the Week, led the team with a 5.52 ERA over 58.2 innings and 41 strikeouts, but has not pitched since April 16 against Davis & Elkins. Senior Cam Hall (Fort Erie, Ontario/Lakeshore Catholic) ranks just behind Lankford with a 5.68 ERA and has been sharp in two of his last three outings.
 
Tigers in the Playoffs: The Tigers are making their second-consecutive appearance in the G-MAC Tournament. Last year, Salem International was eliminated from the bracket after losing its first two games to Kentucky Wesleyan and Ohio Valley. The Tigers have not won a conference crown since the 1971 West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) Tournament.
 
Scouting Trevecca: The Trojans enter the tournament as the No. 1 seed in the G-MAC after posting a 20-1 league record and 34-8 overall mark. The Trojans offense begins at junior third baseman Hunter Newman, the favorite for league player of the year honors. Newman leads the G-MAC in hitting (.481), home runs (18), RBI (71), runs scored (59) on-base percentage (.589) and slugging percentage (.975) this season. Newman has an impressive .500 batting average with runners in scoring position and is hitting .528 against right-handed pitching this season.
 
Newman and teammates Tyler Tichenor and Bryson Shelton give Trevecca three of the top five batting averages in the G-MAC, with Tichenor leading the league with 22 stolen bases and in a tie with Newman with a league-best 76 hits this season.
 
The Trojans feature a formidable pitching duo at the top of their rotation in Bryan Smith and Michael Purcell. Smith leads the G-MAC with seven wins and second with a 1.83 ERA over 54 innings, while Purcell is third with a 2.20 ERA over a league-high 73.2 innings pitched and second in the conference with 78 strikeouts.

2014 Tournament Rewind: The Tigers were eliminated from the G-MAC Tournament following a 15-0 loss to Kentucky Wesleyan in the opening round game and a 11-4 loss to Ohio Valley in a loser's bracket elimination game. Salem International held a 3-2 lead after three innings, but runs in the four of the last six innings of the game by the Scots sealed their victory. Former Tiger Jared Ward led the team with three hits and an RBI in what would be his final game at Salem International.