Madison regains top spot with Region IV DII title

CRYSTAL LAKE, ILL. - Madison College dominated the Region IV Division II Tournament upon first joining the region, winning six consecutive championships from 2010 to 2015. After a two-year hiatus from the throne, the WolfPack are once again on top after claiming the 2018 NJCAA Region IV Division II Tournament Championship with three impressive victories last weekend, the last of which a 10-3 victory over McHenry County College to clinch their eighth NJCAA Division II World Series appearance and 13th overall NJCAA World Series berth.

The third-seeded WolfPack opened with a 5-2 defeat of second-seeded Kankakee Community College (42-17), who were the defending NJCAA DII National Champs. Madison College reached the finals with a 4-2 decision over the top-seeded and host Scots. The two would play again in the championship series, but the 'Pack limited it to a single game with a resounding victory, scoring five runs over the first two innings to pull away early. Sophomore Nate Brown limited #7-ranked MCC (44-14) to three runs on six hits over seven innings in the title game, while the Madison College bats produced ten runs on ten hits, five walks, and three errors. Fellow sophomore and battery mate Logan Michaels was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player after batting .500 with at least one hit in every game and 27 innings behind the dish.

Madison College, which won three consecutive NJCAA Division III titles from 1995-1997, will return to Enid, Oklahoma, for the first time since 2015. The WolfPack will be the #6 seed and open play against #3-seeded Kirkwood Community College (IA) at 1pm on Saturday, May 26. The NJCAA Division II World Series runs through June 2.