Championship Weekend

It's the culmination of the spring season in the Centennial Conference with eight championships and six automatic berths to NCAA tournaments on the line this weekend. We'll be in Baltimore (baseball, m/w tennis), Collegeville (softball), Gettysburg (m/w lacrosse) and Swarthmore (m/w track and field) over the next three days and we hope to see you out at one of the venues. Here's what to watch for ...

Baseball
The #1 ranked team in Division III - Johns Hopkins - opens defense of its Centennial title against fourth-seeded Washington College this afternoon. The Shoremen are making their first CC playoff appearance and first conference tournament appearance, period, since 1984. The other game pits third-seeded Swarthmore at second-seeded Haverford in a contest that will raise their long-time rivalry to a new level. The losers meet Saturday morning at 9 a.m. in Baltimore for an elimination game, while the winners square off at 12:30. Game 5 is slated for a first pitch around 4 p.m. with action continuing Sunday at noon. You can listen to game 3-7 online with Conference-produced coverage from Hopkins. Championship Website

Men's Lacrosse
The #2 ranked team in Division III - Gettysburg - looks for its 14th Centennial title in 17 seasons this weekend. The Bullets play host to fourth-seeded McDaniel in today's first semifinal at 1:30, while #5 ranked Dickinson takes on third-seeded Haverford in the nightcap. The winners meet in Sunday's noon final. You can watch all three games in the tournament LIVE on your computer. Follow the championship website links.

Women's Lacrosse
The #5 ranked team in Division III - Gettysburg - looks for its unprecedented seventh Centennial title and first since 2006 this weekend. The Bullets take on fourth-seeded Haverford in Saturday's first semifinal at 1 p.m., while seventh-ranked Franklin & Marshall goes for its fourth straight CC championship this weekend and takes on Ursinus in the other semifinal. The winners meet in Sunday's final at 2 p.m. You can watch all three games in the tournament LIVE on your computer. Follow the championship website links.

Softball
Top-seeded Ursinus looks for an unprecedented sixth Centennial title when the Bears welcome Gettysburg, Swarthmore and Dickinson to Collegeville for the double-elimination tournament. The Bullets are looking for their fourth title, while the Garnet and Red Devils are trying to win their first Centennial championship. Action begins Saturday at 10 a.m. with the first of four games. Sunday's play begins at 10 a.m. as well. Championship Website

Men's Tennis
The 10th ranked team in Division III - Johns Hopkins - looks for its fourth consecutive Centennial title this weekend. The Blue Jays host fourth-seeded Washington College on Saturday at 3 p.m. Swarthmore plays host to Franklin & Marshall at 3 p.m. in the other semifinal. The winners will square off in Baltimore on Sunday at 3 p.m. for the championship. Championship Website

Women's Tennis
The 15th ranked team in Division III - Johns Hopkins - goes for its fourth Conference championship in a row this weekend. The Blue Jays take on fourth-seeded Haverford in the semifinals on Saturday at 11 a.m. in Baltimore, whle second-seeded Swarthmore entertains Dickinson at the same hour. The semifinal winners meet at Hopkins on Sunday at 11 a.m. for the Centennial championship. Championship Website

Weekend Preview

The second full weekend of spring sets up the first full weekend of Centennial Conference competition. Big games are on tap on the diamond, the turf and the courts, while the golf and track teams are also involved in big events.

Ursinus at Johns Hopkins (Baseball)
The series between the Bears (1-0 CC, 9-5-1) and the Blue Jays (1-0, 8-7) is renewed for the 56th year with Hopkins holding a 65-21 all-time lead with victories in the last six contests. The doubleheader pits the two winningest coaches in Conference games in Centennial history - Ursinus' Brian Thomas (180-91 entering Friday) and Hopkins' Bob Babb (218-51-1 entering Friday). Something has to give in this one, as the Jays lead the Conference with a .399 team batting average, while the Bears top the loop in team ERA (3.44).

McDaniel Spring Invitational (Men's Golf)
It's the unofficial tuneup for the Conference championship at The Bridges GC in Abbottstown, Pa. Franklin & Marshall posted the lowest team stroke average during the fall (305.4), while Muhlenberg (311.9) and defending champion McDaniel (314.9) were second and third. Medalist honors could come down to a battle between Dickinson's Joey Goldstein (75.5 fall avg), F&M's Andrew Woods (75.7), McDaniel's Paul Kovalcheck (76.4) and Muhlenberg's Zachary Oyer (77.0).

Haverford at Washington (Men's Lacrosse)
The #14 Black Squirrels (2-0, 6-2) and the #8 Shoremen (3-0, 8-1) meet for the 20th time since 1990 with Haverford looking for its first-ever victory in the series. In the last meeting in Chestertown in 2007, Washington needed four overtimes to dispatch the scrappy Fords - the closest margin in the series history. Two of the CC's top attackmen will be on display in Haverford's Max Hjelm (22-2-24) and Washington's Jimmy Kielek (17-19-36).

Dickinson at Haverford (Women's Lacrosse)
The 20th ranked Red Devils (2-0, 6-2) travel to the Main Line to take on the surprising Fords (1-1, 7-1). Dickinson has won five straight in the series to take an 8-7 advantage since 1994. Haverford's last triumph was a 17-6 victory at home in 2003. Keep an eye on this matchup - the Fords' Josie Ferri (33-5-38) versus the Devils' Ana Sokol (3rd in CC with 13 caused turnovers).

Haverford at Gettysburg (Softball)
The Fords (2-0, 9-3) and the Bullets (1-1, 15-5) meet in a battle between two of the CC's top teams. Gettysburg holds a 20-4 lead in the series, but Haverford swept the 2008 twinbill, 7-2 and 4-2. The Fords (.305) and Bullets (.296) are 2-3 in the Conference in team batting average, while none of the likely starting pitchers - Becky Garibotto (1-1, 1.77) and Lisa Karmel (2-2, 1.79) from Haverford nor Beth McCullough (8-1, 1.75) and Kristy Rubino (6-4, 1.79) of Gettysburg - have an ERA above 1.80.

Important Games Welcome Spring

Spring began at 7:44 a.m. on Friday morning and I can think of no better way to welcome in the new season than with nice weather ... and important games. Conference play begins in men's lacrosse and softball, while undefeateds clash in women's lacrosse.

Washington at McDaniel (Men's Lacrosse)
The ninth-ranked Shoremen (0-0 CC, 6-1) travel to Westminster to take on the Green Terror (0-0, 5-1) in what promises to be one of the games of the day in D-III. Washington has won eight in a row in the series since a 15-14 overtime loss in Chestertown in 2002 and holds an overall 33-4 lead. McDaniel's last win at Bair Stadium came the previous year (2001) - also by a 15-14 count. The two teams are ranked 1-2 in the Conference in scoring offense, defense and faceoff percentage. The game could come down to the play of the goalkeepers - Washington's Gordon Cohen (69.2 save pct.) and McDaniel's Kenny McHugh (59.3).

Gettysburg at Swarthmore (Women's Lacrosse)
It's an early-season clash of unbeatens as the Bullets (1-0, 5-0) visit Clothier Field to take on the Garnet (0-0, 5-0). Gettysburg is ranked sixth nationally and has won 14 in a row against Swarthmore. The Garnet's last win vs. the Bullets came in 1994 (12-7) at the Battlefield. Two of the CC's top scorers will be on display in Gettysburg's Hollis Stahl and Swat's Amy Vachal who each have 20 goals on the season.

Haverford at Muhlenberg (Women's Lacrosse)
Strange to say on the first day of spring ... but this one could have playoff implications come next month. The Fords (0-0, 6-0) are off to one of their best starts in program history, while the Mules (0-1, 3-1) made their first-ever appearance in the CC playoffs a year ago. Haverford holds a 9-6 series lead since the inception of the Conference in 1994 but 'Berg has won the last three contests. The Fords' Josie Ferri has ha an impressive start to her collegiate career (19-2-21), while Muhlenberg's Amanda McGovern (14-8-22) is one of the CC's top scorers.

Trophy Time

It's the final weekend of competition for the 2006-07 Centennial Conference season with titles up for grabs in baseball, softball, men's lacrosse and men's and women's outdoor track and field.

Baseball
Two-time defending champion Franklin & Marshall welcomes the "final four" to Caplan Field after a pair of first-round games in Lancaster and Baltimore. The Diplomats face CC Pitcher of the Year Chris Liegel and his Gettysburg teammates this afternoon, while Johns Hopkins and CC Player of the Year Rob Sanzillo entertain Ursinus. The double-elimination tournament continues Saturday and Sunday at F&M.

Softball
There will be a new champion this spring, as defending titlist Haverford did not make the "final four." Ursinus plays host to Swarthmore, Gettysburg and Dickinson this weekend, looking for its fifth championship. The Bullets have two titles to their credit, while the Garnet and the Red Devils look to make program history this weekend.

Men's Lacrosse
The toughest Conference in Division III showcases its four best teams today in Gettysburg. The top-seeded Bullets take on No. 4 seed Haverford, looking to avenge their only regular-season CC loss in the last three seasons. Dickinson and Washington meet in the nightcap with the Shoremen looking to make it three in a row over the Devils in the CC semifinals at Musselman Stadium. The title game is set for 1 p.m. on Sunday.

Track and Field
It's tough not to pick Haverford when you talk about the favorites to win the Centennial track title. The Ford men have won 13 consecutive CC championships, while the Haverford women won last year's outdoor title and this season's indoor crown. And the meet will be held at Haverford's Walton Field.