Mansfield Celebrates 20th Anniversary of Greatest Athletic Accomplishment with Reunion of 1992 NCAA Division II National Baseball

MANSFIELD – Mansfield University will celebrate the greatest athletic team accomplishment in school history when members of the 1992 baseball team that played in the NCAA Division II National Championship game at the College World Series return to campus.

Team members will have a float in the Homecoming Parade Saturday morning where they will be honored with commemorative hats and windbreakers. The will also be introduced between the first and second quarters at Saturday's football game against Post University before heading down to participate in the annual Baseball Alumni game starting at 2 p.m. at Shaute Field.

Following the Alumni Game, members of the 1992 team and their families will be special guest of honor at a reception at Gregory's Restaurant in downtown Mansfield.

2102 marks the 20th anniversary of a Mountaineer team that captured the PSAC and North Atlantic Region Championship.

That regional title propelled Mansfield into the NCAA Division II World Series for the first time in school history. The Mountaineers won their opening game at the World Series with a 4-1 victory over Livingston behind a complete-game by Brad Crills. The Mountaineers then faced No. 1 CAL-POLY SLO and stunned the baseball world with an 11-8 win over the tournament favorites behind Andy McNab's grand-slam home run.

In a scheduling quirk, Mansfield played CAL-POLY SLO again two days later, this time dropping a 9-3 decision. A rubber-game followed the next day between the two programs and this time Mansfield came out with a 3-2 win behind the strong pitching performance of Steve Micknich to earn a berth in the 1992 NCAA Division II Championship game against the University of Tampa.

In the title game, the Mountaineers got off to a quick 4-0 lead with four runs in the top of the 1st inning at Paterson Field in Montgomery, Alabama that evening of May 30, 1992. But Tampa came right back scoring three runs in their half of the inning and took an 11-8 lead into the top of the ninth inning. In the ninth inning,

Mansfield's Brian Shuler led off the inning with a single to center. McNab followed with a single to put runners on first and second with no outs. The next two hitters flied out before head coach Harry Hillson called on freshman Tom McCauley to pinch-hit for Matt Butler. McCauley brought the crowd of 2,500 to its feet with a long drive to the deepest part of the field before the Tampa centerfield caught the ball against the wall ending the game.

Mansfield finished the season with a 40-12 overall record and was the first northern team to play in the NCAA Division II National Championship game.

Catcher Alan Probst, outfielder Tim Fausnaught, second baseman Tony Galucy and third baseman Tim Fenton were all named to All-American honors that season.