IUP earns No. 5 seed in 1st NCAA Division II College World Series appearance
Following a dramatic 2-1 series victory over Seton Hill in the Atlantic Region Super Regionals last weekend, the IUP baseball team made history, qualifying for the NCAA Division II College World Series for the first time.
The Crimson Hawks (38-16), led by coach Steve Kline, earned the No. 5 seed.
Their Super Regionals triumph was also the first in program history.
FINAL: Atlantic Super Regional Game 3:
#5 @IUPBaseball 7, #6 Seton Hill 4
FOR THE FIRST TIME IN PROGRAM HISTORY, THE IUP CRIMSON HAWKS ARE GOING TO THE WORLD SERIES!!! @IUPCrimsonHawk @PSACsports #D2Baseball pic.twitter.com/q9YJyFcCme
— D2 Baseball (@divIIbaseball) May 26, 2024
They will play No. 4 Point Loma at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, in Cary, N.C.
Depending on the results of their own game Saturday, the Crimson Hawks will either play the winner or loser of No. 1 Central Missouri and No. 8 Angelo State on June 3.
Kline, a former MLB relief pitcher who played 11 seasons between 1997-2007, was hired at IUP following 2021, when the Crimson Hawks were at a low ebb, having gone just 2-35 that year.
Three years later and Kline has the program in uncharted territory.
The Crimson Hawks compete in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) and finished the regular season in second place in the West Division behind Seton Hill.
Justin Guerriero is a TribLive reporter covering the Penguins, Pirates and college sports. A Pittsburgh native, he is a Central Catholic and University of Colorado graduate. He joined the Trib in 2022 after covering the Colorado Buffaloes for Rivals and freelancing for the Denver Post. He can be reached at jguerriero@triblive.com.
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