DeLand, Fla. -- Last year, Stetson entered the Atlantic Sun Tournament knowing its only ticket to the NCAAs would come with a conference championship. The Hatters accomplished their mission as the no. 4 seed and won three straight elimination games en route to the title.
This year's squad faces a similar scenario, although seeded one slot higher at no. 3, Stetson finished the regular season with a 34-22 overall record and a 16-14 mark in the A-Sun.
"We realize that we are going to have to win the tournament to get in," Stetson coach Pete Dunn said. "It is hard to believe that 37 or 38 wins and an RPI in the 70s is going to get you in. But we were in the same boat last year."
Stetson enters the tournament playing its best baseball over the past two months. The Hatters are 22-8 in their last 30 games and 25-10 since Mar. 18. Stetson has also been playing well at home, having won 13 of their last 15 games at Melching Field.
"I believe we are playing pretty good baseball right now, with the exception of a hiccup at ETSU," Dunn said. "We have swung the bats well all year, but we need to be productive in scoring runs. That is going to be a big key for us. Sometimes guys try to do too much. Productivity is relative to the situation, and I think we have started to understand that."
The Hatters will be without starting pitcher Chris Ingoglia, who has been suspended indefinitely for a violation of team policy. Ingoglia was Stetson's no. 1 starter in all 15 regular season series this year.
"When you lose a player whether it is due to injury or a disciplinary reason it makes it difficult," Dunn said. "But we went through the same thing last year with another starter and we fought our way through it. Guys like Corey Kluber, Nathan Nery, Brett Murphy, and Will Romanowicz will need to step up."
Stetson will begin its title defense at 7 p.m. Wednesday night against a familiar conference tournament opponent, Florida Atlantic (29-26). The Hats and Owls have met every year in the postseason over the last seven years including three times in last year's tournament. The teams also met two weeks ago in DeLand with Stetson taking two of the three games.
The Hatters are likely to face sophomore right-hander Mickey Storey (7-8, 3.97 ERA) on Wednesday night.
"Playing FAU on Wednesday is going to be a challenge for us," Dunn said. "In my mind Mickey Storey is still one of the best pitchers in college baseball. He is a competitor and steps up when the game is on the line. And FAU has some confidence right now having swept ETSU in the final weekend."
The Hatters will have little margin for error if they wish to repeat as conference champions and qualify for their sixth NCAA Regional in the past seven years. But Dunn says the template is in place and the team is ready to make another run.
"We understand what we have to do to win, using last year as an example," Dunn said. "We were not the most talented team, but we played the best and that translated into a conference championship."
Notes: Pete Dunn needs two victories to earn his 1000th career win ... All-conference awards will be announced on Tuesday.
