#BIGEASTbase Minute – Xavier’s Postseason Run Ends in NCAA Regional Championship Loss To UCSB
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Xavier, the BIG EAST regular season and tournament champions, saw its NCAA run end on Monday afternoon as the Musketeers fell to UC Santa Barbara, 14-5, at Hawkins Field in the tournament’s Nashville Regional championship game. The Musketeers finished the year winning 18 of their final 22 games – and eight of their last 10 – en route to the league’s regular season and championship title, while advancing to the program’s third NCAA Tournament.
The No. 4 seed Musketeers (32-30) went 2-2 on the weekend, moving their all-time NCAA Tournament record to 4-6. Xavier advanced to the championship game of an NCAA Tournament Regional for the first time in school history with Monday's appearance in the title game. The Musketeers were the final No. 4 seed remaining in NCAA Tournament action on Monday afternoon.
The Gauchos (40-18-1) scored nine runs in the fourth inning to go ahead, 7-2, before eventually adding seven more runs to seal the victory. USCB advances to the NCAA Super Regional next weekend to face Louisville with the winner advancing to the College World Series. The nine runs allowed in the fourth inning were the most surrendered in a single inning by the Musketeers this season.
Joe Gellenbeck, Andre Jernigan and Matt Fallon all tied the single-season school record for games played with their 62nd appearance on the diamond this season.
The 32 wins for the Musketeers ranks tied for second in single-season school history. Xavier has won 32 or more games in a season five times.
It was the second time in three years Xavier represented the BIG EAST in the NCAA Tournament as the automatic qualifier. It was the second year in a row the No. 1 seed in the BIG EAST Championship went on to win and be the league’s automatic qualifier.
Xavier had five players on the Nashville Regional All-Tournament Team: Daniel Rizzie (C), Chris Givin (2B), Rylan Bannon (3B), Matt Fallon (OF), David Morton (DH). Rizzie was named to a second NCAA Tournament Regional All-Tournament after also earning the honor at the 2014 Nashville Regional. The Musketeers had more players than any other team in the Nashville Regional on the all-tournament team. UCSB had four, while Washington and Vanderbilt each had one.