The New York City area is looking for a repeat of the college baseball magic from 2012.
Ten years ago, Stony Brook reached the College World Series, a stunning run for a mid-major program from the northeast. That same year, St. John’s advanced past the opening weekend to the Super Regionals.
A local team hasn’t been there since. But starting on Friday, three teams — Columbia, LIU and Hofstra — have an opportunity.
All three open double-elimination play on Friday. Columbia, the third seed in the Blacksburg Regional, will meet No. 2 Gonzaga at 1 p.m. Fourth-seeded LIU takes on No. 1 Maryland at 7 p.m. while No. 4 Hofstra, in its first-ever NCAA Tournament, faces North Carolina, the one-seed in the Chapel Hill Regional and the No. 10 overall national seed, at 2 p.m.
The Hofstra baseball team celebrates after winning the CAA Tournament. Hofstra AthleticsThis is the sixth time since 2008 Columbia has reached the tournament under coach Brett Boretti. It advanced to the final game of the opening weekend in 2015, before falling short against Miami. LIU, which notched its most wins (37) in program history, is in the tournament for the third time. The Sharks last qualified in 2018.
