WAPPINGERS FALLS, N.Y. – No one is doubting the Stags anymore. After surprising their opposition during the regular season and doing it in sometimes magical style, Fairfield left no doubt that they are not just a team exceeding expectations, they are the best group in the league. The Stags set MAAC Championship records by scoring 18 runs and winning margin by defeating Siena by 16 runs in capturing the first-ever MAAC tournament title in program history and the fourth overall, the first since 1993. With the victory, the Stags will now head to the NCAA Tournament for the first time ever.

“We thought we had something a lot more special than the preseason ranking of eighth,” Head Coach Bill Currier said. “We certainly had to prove it to ourselves and we did that. I think that's the best way to do it. Keep proving it over the course of the season and in baseball it's an endurance run. We kept proving it to ourselves, and kept believing in ourselves.”

That might have been the key that this Stags team possessed which helped them accomplish what no Fairfield team has ever done before. They really did believe in themselves and that helped them find a way to win, no matter what it took. They didn't need any comebacks today, they didn't need a pitching gem, because today the Stags pounded out 19 hits and 18 runs, both season-highs.

They started off their offensive parade by executing 'small ball' like they have all season. Michael Conti was the first Stag to produce by executing a hit-and-run play when he brought the 3-2 pitch the other way for a double which scored Drew Arciuolo with the game's first run leading off the first. Two batters later, Conti would score when Kevin Radziewicz went the other way for a RBI single, giving the Stags a 2-0 advantage.

Freshman John Signore, who has been one of the many surprises, didn't seem affected by either the pressure of the game nor the intense humid heat, reaching 93 degrees. The rookie gave up two soft hits in the second inning but was able to escape further trouble by inducing a 6-4-3 double play ball to end the threat.

Signore would need the benefit of a double play again in the third after allowing a RBI single to center field by Jordan Bishop. Signore did get the ground ball that he needed as Conti gloved with the backhand to start another 6-4-3 twin killing.

Signore's catcher was there to pick him up in the Fairfield half of the fourth when Radziewicz poked a two-run single into right center, extending the Fairfield advantage to 4-1.

And the Stags continued to pile on against the Siena weekday starters and the rest of the Saints pen. Jack Gethings drove in a run with a single and Jake Salpietro, who has been the power story of the tournament broke the game open with a two-run double, giving Fairfield a 7-1 lead.

After the Saints got a run back in the fifth, the Stags kept their foot on the gas tacking on their own run in the bottom half of the frame. Brendan Tracy, who has had the flair for the dramatic the last week, launched his third home run of the season to give Fairfield an 8-2 lead.

Salpietro would add another hit eighth hit and drive in his fourth run of the tournament with a lined single up the middle in the sixth to put the score at 10-2 in favor of the Stags.

After that, it was all Stags. They crossed the plate eight more times, 18 total, which made the final out when Aaron Howell got a strikeout looking a mere formality. After the strike three was called it was time for the Stags to celebrate finally achieving their goal.

Radziewicz was named to the All-Tournament team after hitting .600 (6-for-10) and driving in five runs. He was joined by freshman Gethinga (.500 average), Arciuolo (.417 average and five runs scored), and Michael Conti (.333 average and four RBI). But Salpietro was the one who stood out from the rest playing his best baseball of his career when it meant the most. The MAAC Tournament MVP hit .692 (9-for-13, with four doubles and seven runs scored.

Those players were led by the head man Bill Currier, who for the first time in his 27-year career is heading to the NCAA Regionals.

“It certainly is a tremendous effort,” Currier said. “We weren't sure where the guys were going to improve to this year and they exceeded expectations. We knew we had this here but you never know how guys are going to improve. It shows the hard work they put in and our coaches put in by pushing them and everyone else, it really paid off.”

Now the Stags will await their opponent and their destination for their first-ever NCAA Regional appearance with the selection show on Monday at noon on ESPNU. In a year full of surprises, magic, and excitement, the 2016 Stags are unbelievably MAAC Champions.

The only ones who believed in the Stags all season, are the ones carrying home the trophy.