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2012 GSC Baseball Tournament Preview

May 2, 2012 - South Atlantic League (SAL) Rome Braves

Birmingham, AL - All eight Gulf South Conference Baseball squads will vie for the League Title this year as the GSC Tournament returns to the Peach State for the first time since 2001.

State Mutual Stadium, Home of the Rome Braves, is set to host the 2012 GSC Tournament from Friday, May 4 through Tuesday, May 8 in Rome, GA. Fans can expect a perfect venue to watch some of the best Division II baseball teams in the nation take the field for Conference bragging rights and an automatic NCAA post-season berth. The first pitch on the first day is set for 10 :00 am (Eastern).

Traditional power Delta State (35-11) headlines the field as the No. 1 seed and GSC Regular Season Champion. The Statesmen enter the post-season riding a nine-game winning streak and carrying a No. 9 Collegiate Baseball Newspaper ranking. DSU has won a league-best 11 GSC Baseball crowns dating back to 1978 and are 62-39 in Tournament play.

West Alabama (28-20) secured the No. 2 seed this past weekend, sweeping Christian Brothers at home and winning a three-way tiebreaker for the second spot over Alabama-Huntsville and North Alabama. UWA has won five straight games and returns to the post-season for the first time since 2009 and 17th overall time.

Alabama-Huntsville (28-20) collected the No. 3 seed thanks to last weekend's series win over UNA. The Chargers have won six of their last eight games and make their 12th all-time appearance. No. 4 seed North Alabama (36-14) seeks to rebound from last weekend's setbacks versus UAH, entering with a No. 27 national ranking. The Lions are one of just three teams in the field with 30-plus victories. UNA is a five-time GSC Champion and make its 22nd all-time appearance.

Valdosta State (26-17) won its way to the No. 5 seed by taking two from West Florida last Saturday. VSU is the most recent Past-GSC Champion in the field after claiming the crown in 2010. The Blazers have claimed four of their last five contests and are led by GSC Player of the Year Christian Glisson and GSC Freshman of the Year Bryant Hayman. VSU has reeled-off six consecutive GSC Tournament spots capped by this year's 16th overall appearance.

No. 6 seed West Florida (32-15) is the defending NCAA Division II Champions. The Argonauts hit the 30-win plateau this season despite the departure of many key contributors from a year ago. UWF hoisted the GSC trophy in 2007 and advances to the post-season for the ninth time.

No. 7 seed West Georgia (22-23) returns to the GSC Tournament for the first time since 2001, while No. 8 seed Christian Brothers (11-35) makes its first-ever appearance since joining the league in 1997. UWG has logged four previous outings in the GSC Tournament, going 4-7, while CBU seeks to surprise the field after collecting the most Conference wins by a Bucs' squad since 2008.

As usual, the GSC features complete coverage of the Baseball Tournament on the event's official Home Page at www.gscsports.org. Features include live in-game statistics and FREE live video streaming for all five days of the event. Tickets can be purchased in-person at the State Mutual Stadium Box Office, online at www.romebraves.com or at any TicketMaster outlet. Fans can contact the State Mutual Stadium Box Office by phone at (706) 378-5144.

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South Atlantic League Stories from May 2, 2012


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