April 28, 2010

Download Bracket | Tournament Website

AUGUSTA, GA – The Peach Belt Conference has released the 2010 Baseball Tournament bracket from the league office in Augusta, Ga., part of the PBC Championship Series presented by GEICO.

The eight-team, single-elimination tournament will begin on Saturday, May 8, at USC Aiken’s Roberto Hernandez Stadium in Aiken, S.C. and conclude on Sunday, May 9.  

The top four teams from the east and west divisions advanced to tournament play with regular-season champions Georgia College & State University the #1 seed in the west and Francis Marion the #1 seed in the east.

Flagler and North Georgia will play their opening-round game at Lake Olmstead Stadium in Augusta, Ga., at 11:00 am on Saturday.  Lake Olmstead Stadium is the home of the South Atlantic League’s single-A Augusta Greenjackets.

Two regular-season conference series remain on the schedule, but neither will have an effect on which teams make the tournament or the final seeds.

Francis Marion is the top seed in the east after finishing divisional play with a 10-5 record.  UNC Pembroke will be the #2 seed, also with a 10-5 division mark.  FMU wins the seed in a tiebreak thanks to taking two out of three games in their regular-season series earlier in April, including a 14-inning thriller the Patriots won after dropping the opener at UNCP.

Flagler entered the final weekend of their regular season not having secured a spot in the tournament at all.  The Saints not only secured the spot with their three-game sweep over Armstrong Atlantic State, they are the #3 seed in the east with a 9-6 division mark.  Flagler and host USC Aiken were tied with the 9-6 record, but Flagler won the tiebreak after taking two of three from the Pacers in early April.  USC Aiken, who is hosting the PBC Tournament for the third straight year, will be the #4 seed in the east.

GCSU won the west and claimed their third PBC regular-season Championship in the last five years after a 13-2 mark in the division and a 17-4 mark in overall conference play.  Division seeds are awarded based on division play while the championship is awarded to the best overall conference winning percentage.

North Georgia is the #2 seed in the west with a 10-5 division record.  The Saints reached the championship game in the 2009 tournament and are the 2008 tournament champions.  Columbus State will be the #3 seed in the west.  The Cougars lost one game due to weather and finished with a 9-5 division mark.  Georgia Southwestern will appear in the PBC Tournament for the first time ever as the #4 seed in the west.  The Hurricanes were 7-8 in the division in 2010.

Francis Marion will face Georgia Southwestern in the first game of the tournament at Roberto Hernandez Stadium at 11:00 am on Saturday, May 8.  North Georgia and Flagler will also begin at 11:00 am on Saturday.  UNC Pembroke will meet Columbus State at 2:30 at Roberto Hernandez Stadium with USC Aiken hosting GCSU at 6:00.

The tournament will conclude on Sunday with the first semifinal game at 11:00 am, the second at 2:30.  The winners of those two games will play for the PBC Championship at 6:00 pm on Sunday.