CONWAY, S.C. – The MAAC Champion, Fairfield University Baseball team will compete in the NCAA Conway Regional when they take on the host Coastal Carolina on Friday at 6pm on Vrooman Field and Springs Brooks Stadium. The Stags will be making their third-ever appearance in a NCAA Regional and their first since their At-Large selection in 2021.
Fairfield earned the automatic qualifier into the NCAA Regionals after a thrilling extra-inning victory over top-seeded Rider in the MAAC Championship.
Nolan Colby provided one of the most memorable moments in school history as he crushed a solo shot in the top of the tenth, the first extra-inning home run in a final in conference history.
Blake Helmstetter picked up the win in relief by tossing the final three innings, sealing the championship win with three outs in the 10th.
The Stags will bring in a single-season record tying 39 wins and a RPI of 74 into the Regionals. To account for that success, the Stags bring one of the MAAC's best offenses onto the national stage, leading the league in: scoring (8.3), on-base percentage (.411), and walks (359, setting a new single-season program record).
Dean Ferrara has been one of the leaders on the offensive bunch, setting a conference single-season record with 98 hits which places fourth in the country. He also leads the team with a .381 average. In his career, he has posted a .357 hitting clip which is second all-time for the Stags.
The MAAC Championship Most Outstanding Player,
Matthew Bucciero has provided the power for the club with 14 homers and 66 RBI. He recently broke the program's all-time career mark for RBI with 166, a record that stood for 25 years.
The Fairfield pitching staff is also atop of the conference in several statistics including: ERA (4.86) and WHIP (1.45).
Ben Alekson has been the ace of the staff, tying a program single-season record with nine wins to go along with a MAAC leading 1.11 WHIP and a 3.24 ERA which ranks third in the conference.
Bowen Bake leads the staff with a 3.20 ERA after tossing a complete game with eight solid innings in the first win over Rider. The left-hander was named to the MAAC All-Championship team.
Among the historic accomplishments this season, the Stags tied their single-season record with 39 wins, while also setting program records for walks (359) while plating 466 runs, the second-most in program history.
Head Coach
Bill Currier will be making his third appearance in the NCAA Regionals, all coming with the Stags. In his 14 years as the Stags' skipper, he has posted 398 victories with a .562 winning percentage. In his 36 years as a head coach, he has earned 890 victories which is the 17th most among active Division I coaches.
Fairfield has played Coastal Carolina once in their program history, opening up their 2023 season at Conway. The Sun Belt Regular Season and Tournament Champions bring 48 wins into the contest, including 18-straight decisions. The Chanticleers ranks second in the nation with a 3.24 ERA and their .814 winning percentage is also second in Division I.
The winner of the game will advance in the winner's bracket of the Conway Regional and will play the winner of Florida and East Carolina on Saturday at 6pm.
