FLORENCE, S.C., May 13, 2021 – The two-time defending East District Champions are back in the hunt again this year, as the Monroe College Mustangs baseball team will compete for its third-straight East District Title after winning last weekend's Region 20 Championship Tournament. The Mustangs are set to challenge Region 10 Champion, and No. 8-ranked Florence-Darlington Technical College at the Stingers' home of Dailey Field in a best-of-three series beginning this Friday, May 14.
 
CHAMPIONSHIP INFORMATION
Where:
Dailey Field
Florence-Darlington Technical College
Florence, SC
 
Schedule:
Game 1: Friday, May 14 – 1:00 p.m.
Game 2: Saturday, May 15 – 1:00 p.m.
Game 3 (if necessary): Sunday, May 16 – 1:00 p.m.
 
THE TEAMS (and how they got here)
Monroe College (33-5-1)
Roster | Schedule | Stats
Monroe went 30-5-1 through the regular season in 2021 after packing in as many games as possible with a late start to the season. Despite 2021 being one of the shortest seasons in the program's history, the Mustangs have had the most productive offensive season in the program's history.
 
The Mustangs used that offensive prowess to back up some strong pitching at the Region 20 Championships in Hagerstown, Md., last weekend. The third-seeded Mustangs opened up against host and No. 2-seeded Hagerstown, defeating the Hawks, 16-3, to advance into the winner's bracket. No. 4 Harford Community College upset No. 1 WVU Potomac State College in the opening round. Potomac State then eliminated Hagerstown, while the Mustangs picked up a 4-1 victory over Harford to advance to the championship. Harford then had a wild comeback to defeat and eliminate Potomac State to match up with Monroe once again on Championship Sunday. The Mustangs took care of business, beating the Fighting Owls, 15-8, to win the tournament and earn their spot in the East District Championship after a perfect 3-0 weekend.
 
No. 8 Florence-Darlington Technical College (44-6)
Roster | Schedule | Stats
The Stingers have been dominant throughout the year, leading a competitive Region 10 in South Carolina for the entire season. Florence-Darlington has steadily risen up the NJCAA Div. I Baseball Rankings, now reaching No. 8 in the most recent poll. They did not lose a single series in-region this season and earned the No. 1 seed in last weekend's Region 10 Championship Tournament.
 
As the top seed in a seven-team, double-elimination tournament, the Stingers had a bye past the first round of games in the tournament. Their first contest was against No. 5-seed USC Salkehatchie on Friday, which the Stingers won handily, 9-0, in eight innings. This allowed Florence-Darlington to take Saturday off and play their next game on Sunday against No. 3 Louisburg College, which resulted in an 8-3 victory for the Stingers, advancing them to Monday's championship. No. 2 Spartanburg Methodist College, the 2019 (and most recent) Region 10 Champion, earned its way to Monday's final as well, needing to beat the Stingers twice. Spartanburg Methodist claimed an early lead, but the Stingers ultimately climbed back into the lead for good, picking up a 13-7 win to take home the Region 10 Title and the right to host the 2021 East District Championship Series.
 
WHAT COMES NEXT
The first to two wins in the East District Championship Series will be named the 2021 East District Champion and earn the district's automatic bid into the 2021 Junior College World Series. The JUCO World Series, traditionally held at Sam Suplizio Field in Grand Junction, Colo., will take place from May 29-June 5.
 
Make sure you keep up with the Mustangs on MonroeCollegeMustangs.com and on the Mustangs' Twitter, Instagram and Facebook pages for the most up-to-the-minute updates.
 
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 36 teams competing across nine sports. There are 19 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well as club men's and women's rugby, the Monroe College marching band, and the newly added esports program, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus, has 17 teams competing at the NJCAA Division III level.
 
For more information about the Monroe Mustangs, please visit us at www.MonroeCollegeMustangs.com or follow us on social media: Facebook (Monroe Mustangs Athletics), Twitter (@Monroe_Mustangs) and Instagram (@monroemustangs).