SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - Western New England College will meet Westfield State at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday (May 19) in an opening round game of the NCAA Division III New England Regional Baseball Championship in Willimantic, Connecticut, it was announced Monday (May 17).

Fifty-five teams will compete in the national tournament that begins Wednesday (May 19) at eight campus sites. The field consists of 36 conference champions and 19 schools who received at-large bids. The eight regionals are all double elimination tournaments.

The Golden Bears (33-10) were seeded third in the eight-team event while the Owls (30-9) gained the sixth seed.

In other games Wednesday, fourth-seeded (and host) Eastern Connecticut (30-13) will open the tournament against fifth-seeded Worcester State (31-19-1) at noon followed by a contest between top-seeded Tufts (31-5) and eight-seeded St. Joseph's, Maine (32-11) at approximately 1:15 p.m.

The final game of the day features second-seeded Wheaton (32-8) taking on seventh-seeded Massachusetts Boston (28-15) at approximately 7:45 p.m.

Western New England College earned its fifth consecutive trip to the national tournament (and seventh in the last 10 years) after capturing The Commonwealth Coast Conference (TCCC) Tournament title for the third straight season.

Westfield State was awarded an at-large invitation after placing second in the Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Tournament. The Owls are appearing in the NCAA Tournament for the third time in four years.

Ten of the 55 teams are from New England with Keene State and Castleton State selected to play in the New York Regional in Auburn, New York.

Regional champions will qualify for the double-elimination championship at Fox Cities Stadium in Appleton, Wisconsin, May 28-June 1.

New England Regional Tournament Website

-Courtesy of Western New England Sports Information