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| The game between Chapman and Washington & Jefferson on Friday morning will get the 2019 Division III World Series started. Washington & Jefferson athletics photo by Martin Santek photography |
The brackets have been set for the 2019 Division III World Series. Chapman, Washington & Jefferson, Webster and Mass-Boston will compete in Bracket 1, while Babson, Johns Hopkins, Birmingham-Southern and Heidelberg will compete in Bracket 2.
Each bracket competes in a four-team double-elimination format. The winners will meet in a best-of-three championship series to determine who takes over Walnut and Bronze. No teams cross over from one bracket to the other.
Chapman (38-11, 5-2 postseason) and Washington & Jefferson (37-11, 5-0) will meet at 10 a.m. CT on Friday. Webster (37-11, 5-1 postseason) and Mass-Boston (35-12, 5-1) are slated to follow, in a game scheduled for 1:15 p.m. CT. Babson (38-8, 5-1) and Johns Hopkins (35-11, 5-0) are scheduled for 4:30, with Birmingham-Southern (39-13, 5-2) and Heidelberg (35-13, 5-0) to meet in a game scheduled to start at 7:45. However, traditionally these game times shift, as it is nearly impossible to get four consecutive games to completed in under two and a half hours.
Webster played and defeated Mass-Boston on March 13 in Florida by a 6-4 score. Mass-Boston played and defeated W&J in Florida the following day. Nobody else has played a team in its four-team bracket entering the weekend.
"It's been a few years since we've been to the World Series and now this is the first year it's going to be in Cedar Rapids, so that is exciting," Webster coach Bill Kurich said following his team's super regional win on Saturday. "The first time we went we were in awe of being there and let the moment get to us, so I hope that doesn't happen to us as none of these guys have been there. You've got to be able to handle the moment and not let it speed up on you."
Check back for more Division III NCAA Tournament coverage from D3baseball.com as the week progresses.