Friday-Sunday, June 4-7, 2021
NCAA Division I Baseball Championship – Ruston Regional
#4 Rider Broncs (23-16)
Location: Ruston, LA – J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park
Live Video – All Games on ESPN3
Game 1 - #3 Alabama vs. #2 North Carolina State – Friday 2 p.m. (ET)/1 p.m. (CT)
Game 2 - #4 Rider vs. #1 Louisiana Tech – Friday 7 p.m. (ET)/6 p.m. (CT)
Game 3 – Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser – Saturday 3 p.m. (ET)/2 p.m. (CT)
Game 4 – Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner – Saturday 7 p.m. (ET)/6 p.m. (CT)
Game 5 – Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Loser – Sunday 3 p.m. (ET)/2 p.m. (CT)
Game 6 – Game 4 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner – Sunday 7 p.m. (ET)/6 p.m. (CT)
Game 7 – Game 4 Winner vs. Game 6 Winner (If Necessary) – Monday 4 p.m. (ET)/3 p.m. (CT)
Live Stats – NCAA.com
Tournament Central – LATechSports.com
 
What You Need To Know
- The fourth-seeded Rider University baseball team travels to Ruston, Louisiana, to take on top-seeded Louisiana Tech in the 2021 NCAA Ruston Regional Friday night at J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park.
- All games in the tournament will be broadcast live on ESPN3.
- The Broncs earned the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference's automatic bid into NCAA's, marching through the MAAC Tournament with five-straight wins, including a 7-2 win in the MAAC Finals against then 37-2 Fairfield on the Stags' home field.
- The Broncs are making their 14th appearance all-time in the NCAA Regionals - their first since 2010.
- Rider has never played any of the other three teams in this year's Ruston Regional.
- Rider is making its 14th appearance in the NCAA Regionals with its first bid since 2010. In his 17th season at Rider and his 32nd as a collegiate Head Coach, Dr. Barry Davis led a Broncs team to NCAA's for the third time (2008, 2010).
- Rider last won a game in a Regional in 1987, when the Broncs won three games against Georgia Tech, Dartmouth and Fordham, before falling to Georgia with a trip to the College World Series on the line. A CWS bid would've been the Broncs' second after Rider punched its ticket in 1967 for the lone appearance in the College World series in school history. 
- After struggling in their final four-game set of the regular season at Siena and being outscored, 16-4, in dropping three-of-four in the series, May 8 and 9, Rider regrouped and won five-straight games to punch its ticket to NCAA's. Rider outscored its opponents, 40-19, in the span.
- Rider came from behind in all five of its MAAC Championship contests to post a 5-0 record.
- Rider scored seven runs on five home runs to defeat Fairfield, 7-2, on the Stags' home field to clinch the MAAC Tournament Championship on May 28. The five home runs are the Broncs' most in a single game in more than 15 years.
- With the Broncs' automatic bid and Fairfield earning an at-large selection into this year's NCAA Tournament, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference has two teams in the NCAA Division I Baseball Championships for the first time in league history.
- Rider had just three players honored on the All-MAAC Teams and not one First Team selection. Pitcher Pete Soporowski and Third Baseman David Bermudez were honored for their accomplishments with Second Team accolades, while Brian Skettini was named to the All-Rookie Team.
- Louisiana Tech (40-18) fell to #18 Old Dominion in the Conference USA final this past weekend. The Bulldogs feature five First Team All-Conference USA selections – including Friday's scheduled starting pitcher, Jonathan Fincher. Taylor Young, Hunter Wells, Manny Garcia and Parker Bates were also named to the First Team. The Bulldogs' offense finished second in Conference USA in batting average (.308), RBI's (393), doubles (123), triples (12) and on-base percentage (.398).  
- Soporowski has posted a 6-2 record with a 3.20 ERA and a team-high 59 strikeouts in 59.0 innings pitched. He twice earned MAAC Pitcher of the Week this season, on March 22 and May 3.