1996 Atlantic 10 Conference
baseball tournament
Teams4
FormatFour-team double elimination
Finals site
ChampionsMassachusetts (3rd title)
Winning coachMike Stone (2nd title)
MVPNate Murphy (Massachusetts)

The 1996 Atlantic 10 Conference Baseball Championship was held at Bear Stadium in Boyertown, Pennsylvania from May 10 through 12. The double elimination tournament featured the top two regular-season finishers of each of the conference's six-team divisions. East Division top seed Massachusetts defeated Virginia Tech in the title game to win the tournament for the third time, earning the Atlantic 10's automatic bid to the 1996 NCAA tournament.[1]

Seeding and format

Each division's top teams, based on winning percentage in the 20-game regular season schedule, qualified for the field. In the opening round of the four-team double-elimination format, the East Division champion played the West Division runner-up, and vice versa.

TeamWLTPct.GBSeed
East Division
Massachusetts1550.750
–
1E
Temple1280.600
3
2E
St. Bonaventure10100.500
5
–
Fordham8111.425
6.5
–
Saint Joseph's8111.425
6.5
–
Rhode Island6140.300
9
–
West Division
Virginia Tech1640.800
–
1W
Xavier1180.579
4.5
2W
George Washington10100.500
6
–
Dayton8110.421
7.5
–
La Salle8120.400
8
–
Duquesne6140.300
10
–

Bracket

QuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinal
1EMassachusetts16
2WXavier3
1EMassachusetts1
1WVirginia Tech4
1WVirginia Tech4
2ETemple2
1WVirginia Tech
1EMassachusetts
Lower round 1Lower final
1EMassachusetts6
2WXavier62WXavier1
2ETemple3

All-Tournament Team

The following players were named to the All-Tournament Team. Massachusetts's Nate Murphy, one of five Minutemen selected, was named Most Outstanding Player.[2]

1996 was the first time the league named an All-Tournament Team. Previously, it had named only a Most Outstanding Player and Pitcher.

Pos.NameTeam
PDavid DartMassachusetts
PBrian FitzgeraldVirginia Tech
CMichael GancaszTemple
SSBrad GorrieMassachusetts
PJon HandVirginia Tech
C/DHJosh HermanVirginia Tech
CAndy KiahMassachusetts
3BBryan MazzaferroMassachusetts
OFNate MurphyMassachusetts
OFAustin RappeVirginia Tech
SSMarty SparksXavier

References

  1. ↑ "2014 Atlantic 10 Baseball Record Book" (PDF). Atlantic10.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 19, 2014. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
  2. ↑ "College Baseball". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. May 15, 1996. Archived from the original on February 22, 2017. Retrieved July 27, 2014.
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