WE ARE IN: Baseball Headed to the NCAA Tournament for the First Time in Program History

5/23/2021 10:00:00 PM

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(Tournament Central)

Goldey-Beacom, champions of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference South Division and owners of the most single-season wins in team history, reached a momentous milestone in being selected to compete in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history.

Goldey-Beacom (20-7) is the fifth seed in the East Regional and will open on Thursday against second-seeded Saint Thomas Aquinas, beginning at 11:00 am. The double-elimination regional will be played on the campus of Franklin Pierce University in Rindge, NH and the tournament's web page can be found by clicking here.

Among this year's individual accomplishments include freshman first baseman Garrett Musey (Millville, NJ) being named CACC Rookie of the Year and first team all-league. Junior pitcher Trevor Jump (Wilmington, DE) was tabbed first team All-CACC with sophomore shortstop Mason Maxwell (Newfield, NJ), sophomore second baseman Connor Megginson (Harbeson, DE), freshman utility player Kyle Walker (Wilmington, DE) and junior pitcher Mitch Guerrieri (Greentown, PA) picked second all-league. Tom Riley closed the honors in being named CACC Coach of the Year.

Musey stepped into the role as first baseman and made it his own, displaying a tremendous amount of offensive power and making himself a mainstay in the lineup. Musey is 27th in the country with an .804 slugging percentage, 45th with a .511 on-base percentage, second in the league with eight home runs (tying Maxwell for the most in one season by a Lightning), 11th with a .384 batting average, 22nd with 23 RBI and 31st with 28 hits.

He is batting .460 (23-for-50) over his last 14 games with three doubles, a triple, eight home runs and 21 RBI. Musey has a hit in 11 of those contests and three hits in four of those games.

Jump, picked second team All-CACC in 2018, once again has been solid with his work ethic and many strong outings in proving to be one of the program's top leaders. He is 13th in the league with 37 strikeouts, fourth with five wins and seventh with a 4.21 ERA. Jump owns the program record with 123 career strikeouts.

Maxwell this season has been Mr. Reliable at shortstop, showing unbelievable ability with his bat and the poise of turning a difficult grounder into a routine play. He is 39th in the country with a .772 slugging percentage, eighth in the league with a .492 on-base percentage, 10th with a .386 batting average, second with eight home runs, third with 11 doubles and ninth with 39 hits. Maxwell is on a career-best 10-game hitting streak, during which he is batting .350 (14-for-40) with a double, a triple, three home runs and nine RBI.

Megginson has grabbed the reins at second base and has not let go, displaying a great deal of poise and a tremendous amount of ability. He is 19th in the CACC with a .360 batting average, 23rd with three home runs, 23rd with 32 hits, 30th with a .517 slugging percentage and 41st with a .416 on-base percentage. Among his highlights include hitting three home runs to go with eight RBI (both school records) on May 4 against Post.

Walker has done it all for the Lightning both in the outfield and the infield, deservedly earning his spot as a utility player. He is 19th in the CACC with seven doubles, 19th with 24 RBI, 20th with 33 hits, 25th with a .347 batting average and 37th with a .474 slugging percentage. Walker recorded a seven-game hitting streak earlier this season (4/25-5/2), during which he batted .452 (14-for-31) with four doubles, a triple, a home run and 12 RBI.

Guerrieri has been a vital player on the mound during his time for the Lightning. He is 11th in the league with three wins, 25th with a .225 batting average against and 32nd with 23 strikeouts. Guerrieri notched eight strikeouts over seven innings April 29 at U. of the Sciences and seven strikeouts over seven innings May 4 vs. Post.

Riley has been the Lightning's only coach since the program was instituted beginning with the 2016-17 academic year. His efforts helped the Lightning to be ranked fourth in the NCAA East Region poll and best their 19 victories from the 2018 campaign.

The team also went on a pair of eight-game winning streaks, opened 8-0 for the best start in program history, has outscored its opponents 242-107, is first in the league with a .336 batting average, first with 33 home runs and second with a 4.09 ERA.

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