UPEI Men’s Baseball team crowned Atlantic Champions, advances to nationals in Ottawa
The UPEI Men’s Panthers Baseball team has claimed the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball Association (ACBA) championship following a successful run and is set to represent the region at the Canadian National University Championship (CNUC) October 22 and 23 in Ottawa.
UPEI’s championship journey began with a high-stakes finish to the regular season, where the team found itself in a three-way tie for the final two playoff spots. UPEI secured its ticket to the Atlantic Championship by edging out Dalhousie University on defensive runs against.
Capitalizing on the post-season opportunity, UPEI delivered an impressive, undefeated performance throughout the Atlantic tournament. They opened the tournament with a decisive 10-0 victory over Acadia University, powered by an explosive offensive display and a complete-game performance on the mound. In their second game against the University of New Brunswick (UNB), UPEI secured a 6-1 win. Supported by another complete game from their starting pitcher, the offence relied on strategic small ball early on before breaking out with key hits.
Facing Holland College in a late Saturday, October 17 match-up, UPEI showed resilience after falling behind 2-0 early, then rallying with a three-run fifth inning to earn a 4-2 victory. Finally, facing UNB once again in the championship game on Sunday, October 18, UPEI overcame an early 1-0 deficit by answering with four runs in the second inning. The game turned into a hard-fought pitcher's duel and defensive battle, but behind a third complete-game pitching effort, UPEI held off UNB to secure a 4-3 victory and take home the Atlantic title.
“I'm really happy with how this team played on the weekend. They are such a tight-knit group, so when one guy is struggling everyone is there to pick him up, and I really do believe that is why we find success. Overall, I'm happy with how we competed as a team and never gave up when the games got tough,” said Patrick Young, UPEI Men’s Baseball head coach. “Going into nationals this week, I'm excited to compete against such highly recognized schools. We have some tough games coming up, but I know our guys are going to go out, compete, and give everything they've got to try to bring home a national title.”
With the regional title secured, UPEI turns its attention to the national championship hosted in Ottawa, Ontario.
UPEI’s pool play schedule for the opening days includes:
* Thursday, October 22 at 8:00 pm (ADT) against University of Waterloo.
* Friday, October 23 at 10:00 am (ADT) againstUniversity of Toronto.
* Friday, October 23 at 4:00 pm (ADT) against host Carleton University.
Games for the remainder of the weekend will be determined based on pool play standings.
Congratulations, team!
