FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Champions Fairfield University Baseball team found out their NCAA Regional opponents as they drew the Conway Regional in the NCAA Selection Show. The Stags will be part of the four-team regional with host Coastal Carolina as well as East Carolina and Florida. Fairfield will be making their third-ever appearance in the Regionals and their first since 2021.
"We were surprised," Head Coach Bill Currier said. "We heard a lot of different cities in a lot of different places and then Coastal Carolina popped up. We've been there before and it's a beautiful ballpark. They've had a phenomenal year and we're excited to have East Carolina and Florida in it. It's certainly the top class teams and it will be a great challenge for us."
The Stags earned their right to punch their ticket into the NCAA Regionals after winning the MAAC Championship in extra-inning dramatic fashion. Freshman Nolan Colby launched the go-ahead home run in the top of the tenth to break the 6-6 tie and give the Stags an eventual 7-6 victory.
Fairfield had to rally from one-run down in the ninth and managed to sneak across the game-tying run on a TJ Schmalzle RBI single. MAAC Tournament Most Outstanding Player Matthew Bucciero led off the frame with a walk and moved into scoring position with a stolen base.
Graduate student Blake Helmstetter would record the win in relief with three solid innings to capture Fairfield's first MAAC Championship in nine years.
Along with the historic win, the Stags tied their single-season record with their 39th win and will bring a 39-17 overall record 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.
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 Baker 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.
Coach 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 Stags will begin NCAA Regional play against the Chanticleers on Friday at 6pm on ESPN+.