Baseball Selected to Compete in its Fifth NCAA Tournament

5/11/2026 12:00:00 AM

(tournament page)

Goldey-Beacom has been picked to compete in the NCAA Tournament for the fourth consecutive year and will battle Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference-rival Wilmington (DE) in the opening game on Thursday in Waltham, MA.

Game time is 11:00 am. GBC (33-22) is the fifth seed for the East Regional 1, Wilmington (39-15) is the No. 4 seed and top-seeded Bentley (39-13) is the host.

The winner advances to battle the survivor of the East Regional 2 that involves No. 2 seed Molloy, third seeded Southern New Hampshire and No. 6 seed Felician.

Goldey-Beacom earned the bid after competing in the CACC final for the first time in program history. GBC was nationally ranked for the fourth time in the last five years, played in the CACC Tournament a sixth straight year, recorded an 11-game winning streak and will compete in the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in the last six seasons.

Among the many great players who stood out include senior pitcher Connor Blence (Downingtown, PA), who was picked first team all-league. Possessing great control and always giving the Lightning a chance to win, he had a three-game winning streak midway through the season, has pitched at least six innings each of his last nine outings and has at least seven strikeouts on seven occasions that include each of his last three of the last four.

Blence (5-3) is second in the league with a 3.05 ERA, second with 73 2/3 innings, tied for third with 72 strikeouts and seventh with a .252 batting average against.

Senior pitcher Kory Williams (Pennsauken, NJ) also was named first team all-conference, providing yet another reliable arm. He also enjoyed a three-game winning streak earlier this year, tossed at least eight innings three times and struck out 12 on March 31 vs. Lincoln (PA).

He is first in the CACC with 76 2/3 innings, tied for first with seven wins, second with 76 strikeouts, fourth with a 3.29 ERA and fourth with a .237 batting average against. Williams' victories this year are tied for first in team history, his strikeouts are tied for first and his innings are third.

Sophomore outfielder Roman Keith (Selbyville, DE) saw his playing time greatly increase and made his way into the heart of the lineup thanks to his exceptional hitting and solid contributions in left field. This all played a big part in him being picked second team All-CACC and to the league's all-tournament team.

Keith is eighth in the league with 62 hits, eighth with 50 RBI, tied for eighth with nine home runs and 12th with 15 doubles. During the Lightning's six games in the CACC Tournament, Keith batted .435 (10-for-23) with five RBI.

Sophomore catcher/first baseman Jake Macey (Smyrna, DE) was tabbed second team all-league, providing timely hitting, great defense, reliability and durability. He is fourth for the Lightning with 14 multi-hit games and reached base a team-best 27 straight contests.

Macey is 12th in the league with 46 RBI.

Sophomore infielder/designated hitter Zach Smethers (Nazareth, PA) and freshman outfielder Kaden Barmer (Edgewood, MD) joined Keith on the all-tournament team. Smethers hit .458 (11-for-24) with three doubles and nine RBI on the week with Barmer cracking the game-winning home run in last Thursday's opener against Jefferson.

Please keep in touch with GBCAthletics.com, X (@gbclightning) and CACCAthletics.org for any weather-related changes.

2026 NCAA Baseball Tournament – East Regional 1

Thursday, May 14
Game 1: No. 5 Goldey-Beacom (33-22) vs. No. 4 Wilmington (39-15), 11:00 am
Game 2: Game 1 Loser vs. No. 1 Bentley (39-13), 2:00 pm

(If two teams remain after Game 2)
Friday, May 15
Game 3: Two remaining teams, 11:00 am
Game 4: Two remaining teams, 45 minutes after game three

Saturday, May 16
Game 5: If necessary, 3:00 pm

(If three teams remain after Game 2)
Friday, May 15
Game 3: Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Loser, 11:00 am
Game 4: Game 2 Winner vs. Game 3 Loser, 2:00 pm

Saturday, May 16
Game 5: Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner, 3:00 pm

Print Friendly Version