EDWARDSVILLE -- An automatic berth in the NCAA Division III National Tournament will be up for grabs when Wilkes University serves as host of the 2016 MAC Freedom Championship Tournament Saturday and Sunday at the Ralston Athletic Complex.
 
The double elimination tournament begins Saturday at 11:00 a.m. when top-seeded Manhattanville College faces fourth seeded King's College. Second-seeded Misericordia University will then matchup with third-seeded FDU-Florham in the next game at 1:00 p.m. The two first-round winners will the play in the third game of the day at 3:00 p.m. with the victor advancing to Saturday's championship round. The two loser play an elimination game at 5:00 p.m. to conclude day one of the tournament.
 
The tournament continues Sunday at 11:00 a.m. with an elimination game. The title game will then be played at 1:00 pm. The winner of the tournament will receive an NCAA national tournament bid.
 
LiveStats will be provided for all tournament games.
 
Per-day tickets are set for $6 for adults, $5 for seniors, and $3 for students.
 
The MAC Freedom Championship Tournament web site can be found here, Tournament Central.
 
Tournament Preview:
Manhattanville College (34-1, 13-1 MAC Freedom) enters as the top seed in the MAC Freedom Tournament as the Valiants posted a 13-1 conference record only falling once at Misericordia throughout league play this season. The team is making its sixth postseason appearance and first since 2014 after missing the field last year. The Valiants have reached the MAC Freedom championship once, capturing the title in 2014. Manhattanville is paced by Desiree Buboi who leads the team in batting with a .509 average, 11 doubles, 12 home runs and 43 runs batted in. In the circle, Alycia Feeney stands 18-2 with a 1.31 earned run average and 103 strikeouts.
 
Misericordia (26-12, 11-3 MAC Freedom) is the second seed in the tournament this season, handing the top seed Manhattanville its only loss in conference play this year. The Cougars are making their seventh appearance in the tournament after earning the third seed last year falling in the championship game against DeSales. Misericordia captured its lone title in 2012. Melanie Quintanilla leads the Cougars at the plate batting .358 with five doubles, 33 runs scored and 20 runs batted in. Bailee Schies owns a 13-6 mark in the circle pitching 124.2 innings with a 1.80 earned run average and 65 strikeouts.
 
FDU-Florham (17-13, 9-5 MAC Freedom) earned the third seed in the tournament finishing one game ahead of fourth seed King's in the standings. The Devils are making their tenth appearance in the tournament looking for their first school title after earning a spot in the championship game in 2013. Nikki Caruso tops the Devils offensively batting .521 with eight doubles, nine home runs and 37 runs batted in. Sydney Worek leads the pitching staff in the circle owning a 12-4 record through 106 innings pitched and a 3.30 earned run average with 118 strikeouts.
 
King's College (22-16, 8-6 MAC Freedom) earned a spot in the MAC Freedom Tournament as the fourth seed. King's is making its 17th appearance in the MAC Freedom Tournament capturing a conference-best 10 titles over the past 16 years. King's ran off six straight titles from 2000-2005, then three straight from 2009-2011. Rachael DeTore leads the Lady Monarchs at the plate batting .355 with 11 doubles, three home runs and 32 runs batted in. Samantha Bloom owns a 10-4 record in the circle pitching 84.2 innings with a 3.72 earned run average and 72 strikeouts.
 
The tournament schedule is as follows:
 
Saturday, May 7, 2016
Game 1:            11:00 a.m.        #1 Manhattanville vs. #4 King's   
Game 2:              1:00 p.m.        #2 Misericordia vs. #3 FDU-Florham   
Game 3:              3:00 p.m.        Winner Game #1 vs. Winner Game #2 
Game 4:              5:00 p.m.        Loser Game #1 vs. Loser Game #2  
 
Sunday, May 8, 2016
Game 5:            11:00 a.m.       Loser Game #3 vs. Winner Game #4     
Game 6:            1:00 p.m.         Winner game #3 vs. Winner Game #5    
Game 7:            3:00 p.m.         If necessary game