No. 3 Embry-Riddle (31-19) vs. No. 6 Delta State (32-22)
DATE: Thursday, May 16, 2024
CITY: Saint Leo, Fla.
SITE: Thomas B. Southard Stadium
START: 6 p.m.
STATS: Click Here
WATCH LIVE: Sunshine State Digital Network
 

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SOUTH REGION TOURNAMENT WEB PAGE: Click Here
NCAA D2 BASEBALL WEB PAGE: Click Here
TWITTER: @ERAUBaseball
 

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SAINT LEO, Fla. – On the heels of its most successful season in the Division II era, the Embry-Riddle baseball team is set to begin postseason play on Thursday. The South Region's third-seeded Eagles (31-19) will begin the 2024 NCAA Baseball Championship with a postseason rematch against No. 6 seed Delta State (32-22) out of the Gulf South Conference.

About the Eagles 
Embry-Riddle has enjoyed an exceptional campaign in 2024. The Eagles were chosen to finish eighth in the preseason by the conference's coaches, and ended the year at No. 4 among fellow SSC schools. ERAU took SSC season series from Rollins, Lynn, Nova Southeastern, Florida Southern and Eckerd, the latter two of which were three-game sweeps for the Eagles. 
 
The 31 overall wins is the most for an Eagle club in the DII era, and most since 2015. Offensively, the Blue & Gold was second in the Sunshine State Conference with its .297 average at the plate, and fifth from the mound with a collective 4.76 ERA. 
 
The success at the plate came from a variety of areas, led by second baseman Chase Bruno. Bruno, along with Camden Traficante, picked up All-Sunshine State Conference First Team honors. His .401 batting average not only paced the Eagles, but led the entire conference, as did his 79 base knocks. He had two walk off hits this season, downing each Valdosta State and Barry with one swing of the bat. Bruno ended the regular season on a 15-game hit streak, the final nine of which all came with multiple hits in each contest.
 
For his part, Traficante was solid all season, as he and Bruno combined for the conference's most potent middle infielding duo. Traficante posted a .292 average at the dish, adding a team-leading 48 runs, 47 RBI, 17 doubles and five home runs. The only Eagle to see action in all 50 games in 2024, he tallied multi-RBI games in 13 of those contests. 
 
Joining the Eagle fielders on All-SSC squads were starting pitcher Dillon Moran and outfielder Alex Britton. Moran, named to the Second Team, led the squad with 95 strikeouts in 86.1 innings of work. He was the only hurler in the conference to toss two complete games, and did so in back-to-back starts in conference play. Four times did Moran strikeout at least 10 batters, punching out a career-high 11 on three occasions. 
 
Britton was one of the premier outfielders in the conference with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage, one of only nine qualified SSC fielders to do so. Named to the All-SSC Defensive team, Britton also had quite the year at the plate, batting .301 with 55 hits, 45 runs and 26 RBI in 47 games played. He split time between the corners but primarily patrolled center field this season.
 
Other notables include the conference leader in triples, Tyler Castelli. His six three-baggers were tops in the Sunshine State, and ranked No. 11 nationally as an individual. His triples alone were as much or more than five SSC schools had collectively as a team. Castelli finished his senior season batting .333 in 33 starts, with a .935 OPS and .563 slug mark. He added 31 runs and 32 RBI on 48 hits. Those 48 base knocks were spread between nine doubles, the six triples and four homers.
 
ERAU featured two elite relievers on the mound as well, in Joe Balsam and Max Meyer. Each Eagle reliever appeared in 21 games. Balsam had an incredible 7.4 strikeouts per walk (37 punch outs to just five walks). His 2.40 ERA was second on the team to only Meyer's 2.97. For his part, Meyer, a transfer this season, collected an 8-2 record and team-best three saves in 57.2 innings of work. He struck out 54 and walked 26.

About Delta State
The Statesmen (32-22) sport four batters above .330 this season, led by Dylan Coleman's .387 average. Coleman registered 77 hits, 16 of which went out of the park. Hayden Cooper hits .345 with a team-high 13 doubles and added 31 RBI. 

On the mound, DSU throws two reliable starters in Logan Eldridge and Drake Fontenot. Eldrige owns a 3.89 ERA with 47 strikeouts in 71.2 innings, while Fontenot owns a 6.32 ERA but has struck out 75 over 74.0 innings.
 
About the Region
The Eagles and Delta State Statesmen have met just one time previously, a 5-1 victory for DSU in the 2019 South Region's first round. Other opponents in the South Region #2 include host and No. 2-seeded Saint Leo (38-11) and No. 7 West Florida (32-21). ERAU upset then-No. 7 Saint Leo on the road, 15-7, but dropped the three-game set back in late March. The Eagles are 10-26 all-time against the Lions. ERAU and UWF have played 11 times before, with the Blue & Gold holding a slim 6-5 margin. The last time the two met, Embry-Riddle claimed the three-game series, 2-1, in 2022.
 
The winner of the South Region #2 will play the winner of South Region #1, hosted by Tampa. The pod hosted by the No. 1 Spartans (41-7) features No. 4 Lee (37-16), No. 5 Auburn Montgomery (31-22) and No. 8 Savannah State (29-15). After the meeting of the two South Regions, play will move to Carey, N.C., June 1-8 for the finals.