HADLEY, Mass. - Williams College will look to earn its second NESCAC Baseball title this weekend when the Ephs host the top two teams from each division in Williamstown, Mass. for the 2007 NESCAC Baseball Championship. The three-day, double-elimination tournament begins on Friday afternoon with Williams taking on Bowdoin at 3:00 p.m. at Bobby Coombs Field while Tufts will face Amherst at Joe Wolfe Field in North Adams, Mass., beginning at 3:30 p.m. The 2007 NESCAC Baseball Championship concludes on Sunday, May 13 at 10:00 a.m.

Williams (22-8, 9-3 NESCAC West) finished the season tied with NESCAC rival Amherst for the top spot in the West Division standings, however the Ephs took two-of-three games from the Lord Jeffs in mid-April, giving Williams the head-to-head tie-breaker. The Ephs host the championship this year for only the second time in tournament history, as the inaugural tournament in 2001 was hosted - and won - by Williams. One of only two teams in the NESCAC to have won 20 games in each of the previous three seasons, the Ephs head into the weekend with a 12-4 record since the beginning of April, scoring on average almost seven runs per game over that span. Of the four teams in this year's championship, Williams leads the pack in batting average at .332, on-base percentage at .421, and ERA at 3.39. The Ephs are 3-2 against the field this year, splitting a series with Tufts on April 7 in Medford, Mass. along with two wins in the West Division series with Amherst. A talented group of upperclassmen leads the Ephs this season. Junior second baseman James DiCosmo (Fair Lawn, N.J.) holds a .352 average at the plate to pace the offense, while senior shortstop Paul Morgan (Essex Junction, Vt.) has collected a team-best 12 doubles and 28 RBI while batting .346, second only DiCosmo. Senior catcher Chris Kenny (Walpole, Mass.) the 2006 NESCAC Player of the Year, owns a .345 average and a team-high 39 hits to go along with seven steals. Getting it done both in the batter's box and on the mound this season is senior pitcher/outfielder Ryan Fote (Wethersfield, Conn.). Fote is batting a respectable .314 for the Ephs with a 1.93 ERA, third among all league pitchers, and a 5-0 record through six starts.

Williams will face a familiar foe on Friday when the Ephs meet Bowdoin (18-14, 9-3 NESCAC East) in the first game of the tournament for the third time in the last four years. The Polar Bears' only two wins in championship history have come over the Ephs, taking a 6-3 decision in 2004 and a 5-2 victory during last year's tournament. Bowdoin dropped its final two games of the regular season at 2006 NESCAC champ Middlebury last weekend, snapping a six-game winning streak in the process. The Polar Bears, who have also won 20 games or more in each of the previous three seasons, are just two wins shy of reaching both 20 victories this season and the championship game for the first time in tournament history. Bowdoin has only faced East Division foe Tufts among this year's field, dropping the first two games during a three-game series before picking up a 9-2 win on April 14. Statistically this season, the Polar Bears rank fifth in the NESCAC in batting average at .307 and are fourth in ERA at 4.62. Sophomore Joe Berte (Marlborough, Mass.) is among the individual leaders in the league offensively, posting a .378 batting average while recording 45 hits and 25 RBI, all team-highs. Junior Patrick Duchette (Wales, Maine) and senior Jon Koperniak (North Adams, Mass.) follow Berte closely on the Polar Bear stat sheet, as Duchette is batting .355 while Koperniak is averaging .340 at the dish with 20 RBI and three home runs.

Tufts (23-10, 10-2 NESCAC East) returns to the championship this spring in search of its second NESCAC crown after the Jumbos fell short in the championship game a year ago to Middlebury. The 2002 NESCAC Baseball Champions have had a successful season so far this year on the diamond, as they are making their sixth championship appearance this weekend. The Jumbos earned series wins over all four East Division foes this year and hold a 7-3 record over their last 10 games, allowing more than three runs only four times during that stretch. While Tufts ranks tied for seventh in the conference in batting average at .294, the Jumbos's pitching staff holds an ERA of 3.59, third among league teams, and averages just over six strikeouts per outing. The defense continues to be a strong point for Tufts, as the Jumbos are second in the NESCAC in fielding at .955 after leading the league the past two seasons. Freshman Corey Pontes (Milton, Mass.) is having a breakout rookie campaign with the Jumbos, as he ranks among the league leaders with a team-leading .416 batting average, while senior Bryan McDavitt (Holden, Mass.) follows Pontes on the stat sheet with a .379 average. Junior Adam Telian (Stoughton, Mass.) is second in the NESCAC in ERA at 1.67, as the southpaw holds a 5-1 record with 42 strikeouts while allowing only eight walks in nine appearances this season.

Tufts will take on arguably the hottest team in the NESCAC when the Jumbos battle Amherst (19-12, 9-3 NESCAC West) on Friday at Joe Wolfe Field. The Lord Jeffs, the only program to have won multiple NESCAC Baseball titles (2004, 2005), return to the tournament this year after falling short on making a fourth-consecutive appearance in 2006. Amherst has won its last seven outings, posting a 7-3 record in its last ten games, and will face Tufts for the first time since the first game of the 2005 NESCAC tournament. Friday's meeting will be the fourth occasion the two teams have faced each other on the first day, with Amherst winning the previous two meetings, 5-3 in 2005 and 5-1 in 2003. Amherst heads into the weekend third among conference teams in batting average, hitting at a .326 clip, while the pitching staff has combined for a 4.71 ERA this season. Junior catcher Neal Allar (Floyds Knobs, Ind.) leads the Jeffs in most statistical categories, including a .372 batting average, six home runs, a .602 slugging percentage, and a league-leading 41 RBI. Junior LHP Ryan Platzbecker (Westlake, Ohio) is 5-0 through 11 appearances this spring with a team-best 3.68 ERA, while senior RHP Nick Kehoe (Washington Depot, Conn.) is 4-2 with a 4.70 ERA, holding batters to a .216 average and recording 51 strikeouts, second among all NESCAC pitchers.

2007 NESCAC BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Day 1 - Friday, May 11
Game 1 - E2 Bowdoin at W1 Williams - 3:00 p.m. - at Bobby Coombs Field, Williamstown, Mass.
Game 2 - W2 Amherst vs. E1 Tufts - 3:30 p.m. - at Joe Wolfe Field, North Adams, Mass.
Day 2 - Saturday, May 12
Game 3 - Loser of GM 1 vs. Loser of GM 2 - 10:30 a.m. - at Joe Wolfe Field, North Adams, Mass.
Game 4 - Winner of GM 1 vs. Winner of GM 2 - 10:30 a.m. - at Bobby Coombs Field, Williamstown, Mass.
Game 5 - Winner of GM 3 vs. Loser of GM 4 - 2:30 p.m. - at Bobby Coombs Field, Williamstown, Mass.
Day 3 - Sunday, May 13 at Williams
Game 6 - Winner of GM 4 vs. Winner of GM 5 - 10:00 a.m.
Game 7 - If Necessary - Immediately Following