EWING, N.J. – The TCNJ baseball team found out Monday afternoon that it will head to Baltimore for its NCAA regional as the region's top seed. The Lions will face Susquehanna on Friday in their first game. Host and second-seeded Johns Hopkins will face third-seeded Farmingdale State in the other first-round game on Friday. Game times are yet to be determined.
 
All four teams in the Baltimore Region were conference champions.
 
No. 1 TCNJ (31-9)
 
The Lions enter the NCAA Tournament after sweeping through the NJAC Tournament without trailing in 36 innings of baseball. The conference title victory was the second in three seasons for the Lions, and they've now qualified for the NCAA Tournament for four consecutive seasons.
 
The Lions excel on the hill and at the plate. The Lions lead the NJAC with seven shutouts while ranking second in both ERA and WHIP. Their 3.36 team ERA is 21^st in the nation. Peter Nielsen is fourth in the league with a 2.33 ERA. The Lions' starting staff (pitchers with at least five starts) is 25-3 with a 2.70 ERA.
 
On offense, the Lions lead the NJAC with 8.2 runs per game. Catcher David Cardona III leads the conference and ranks 20^th nationally with a .435 batting average. Left fielder Jacob Simon is the league's top RBI guy, and shortstop Danny Borup ranks third in the NJAC with 65 hits. Cardona is also third in the conference with a .514 on-base percentage.
 
No. 2 Johns Hopkins (30-11)
 
Johns Hopkins lost two of their last three regular season games, but the Blue Jays cruised through the Centennial Conference Tournament, outscoring three opponents by a combined score of 33-6. The conference title is the 15^th for Johns Hopkins.
 
Johns Hopkins leads the nation with 72 home runs. The Blue Jays are also ranked second nationally in walks, fifth in scoring (9.3 runs per game) and seventh in slugging percentage (.503). Nathan Davis is fourth in the country with 15 home runs and second with an .852 slugging percentage. After Davis, Chris Festa is seventh nationally with 13 home runs. Chris DeGiacomo has 11, and Tim Kutcher has nine.
 
Jack Bunting leads the Johns Hopkins pitching staff. He ranks first in the country with 11 victories, and he ranks 11^th in the country with an 8.57 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
 
No. 3 Farmingdale State (32-7)
 
TCNJ defeated Farmingdale State, 10-1, in a non-conference game at George Ackerman Park on April 9. That defeat snapped a 13-game Farmingdale winning streak, but the Rams got right back on the winning path. Following that loss to the Lions, the Rams are 12-1. With its victory over Old Westbury in the Skylie Conference Championship, Farmingdale State clinched its first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2014.
 
Led by former Major League catcher Keith Osik, the Rams' 32-7 record ranks ninth nationally in winning percentage. Farmingdale has won those game with small ball. The Rams are fourth nationally in sacrifice bunts and 11^th in the NCAA in stolen bases. Vincent Rice is second in the league with a .402 batting average.
 
On the hill, the Rams ninth in team ERA, 11^th in WHIP, and 15^th in fewest hits per nine innings. Steven Burke is 15^th nationally in hits allowed per nine innings (5.4), and 18^th nationally with a 1.47 ERA.
 
No. 4 Susquehanna (23-16)
 
TCNJ's first round opponent won the Landmark Conference Tournament with a 3-0 record, defeating Scranton once and Moravian twice.
 
The River Hawks led the Landmark in several categories, including batting .328 as a team. That ranked 20^th in the NCAA. Susquehanna was also 24^th in the nation in hits and 22^nd in doubles. Susquehanna also led its conference and ranked 32^nd nationally with a .414 on-base percentage. Scoring 7.2 runs per game and stealing 74 bases, the River Hawks owned the Landmark's top spot in those two categories, as well.
 
Nick Berger has 17 doubles to lead the league, and Steve Lorenz is second in the Landmark with a .400 batting average.
 
Susquehanna pitcher Will Carey is one of the best relief pitchers in the nation. He leads the conference and the nation in walks allowed per nine innings with a miniscule 0.62 mark. He also leads the Landmark with an 8.33 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a 1.66 ERA.