1981 NCAA Division II baseball tournament

1981 NCAA Division II
baseball tournament
Season1981
Finals site
ChampionsFlorida Southern (5th title)
Runner-upEastern Illinois (1st CWS Appearance)
Winning coachJoe Arnold (2nd title)
MOPJoe Sickles (OF) (Florida Southern)
Attendance10,644

The 1981 NCAA Division II baseball tournament was the postseason tournament hosted by the NCAA to determine the national champion of baseball among its Division II colleges and universities at the end of the 1981 NCAA Division II baseball season.[1] For the second consecutive year, the final tournament was played at the Riverside Sports Complex in Riverside, California.

Florida Southern defeated Eastern Illinois, 9–0, in the championship game of the double-elimination tournament, capturing the Moccasins' fifth national title and first since 1978. Florida Southern was coached by Joe Arnold.

Regionals

The regionals consisted 18 teams in six groupings. Four regionals consisted of a 4-team bracket while the remaining two played a best of five series. All brackets were double elimination format. The top team in each bracket advanced to the 1981 Division II College World Series.[2]

Northeast Regional

TeamWinsLosses
Le Moyne30
Adelphi22
UMass Lowell12
New Haven02

South Regional

TeamWinsLosses
Florida Southern31
Eckerd13

Midwest Regional

TeamWinsLosses
Eastern Illinois41
Omaha22
Lewis12
Central Missouri02

South Atlantic Regional

TeamWinsLosses
Cal State Northridge41
Valdosta State22
Columbus State12
Shippensburg02

Central Regional

TeamWinsLosses
Troy State30
Delta State22
Northern Kentucky12
Indianapolis02

West Regional

TeamWinsLosses
UC Riverside31
San Francisco State13

Finals

Participants

SchoolConferenceRecord (conference)Head coachPrevious finals appearancesBest finals finishFinals record
Cal State Northridge CCAA38–29 (17–13)Bob Hiegert3
(last: 1975)		1st6–5
Eastern Illinois Independent36–14Tom McDevitt2
(last: 1978)		2nd3–4
Florida Southern Sunshine State55–8 (10–5)Joe Arnold9
(last: 1980)		1st20–14
Le Moyne Independent27–6Dick Rockwell2
(last: 1979)		2nd3–4
Troy State Gulf South37–10 (12–0)Chase Riddle1
(last: 1980)		3rd1–2
UC Riverside CCAA39–23 (17–13)Jack Smitheran1
(last: 1977)		1st5–1

Results

Bracket

First RoundSecond RoundSemifinalsChampionshipFinal
Cal State Northridge10
Le Moyne5UC Riverside12
Cal State Northridge14
Eastern Illinois3Cal State Northridge1
Troy State12Florida Southern6
Troy State1Florida Southern9
Florida Southern5Eastern Illinois0
UC Riverside4Cal State Northridge2
Florida Southern6Troy State3Eastern Illinois3
Le Moyne5Eastern Illinois8
Eastern Illinois7


Game results

DateGameWinnerScoreLoserNotes
May 23Game 1Cal State Northridge10–5Le Moyne
Game 2Troy State12–3Eastern Illinois
Game 3Florida Southern6–4UC Riverside
May 24Game 4Eastern Illinois7–5Le MoyneLe Moyne eliminated
Game 5Cal State Northridge14–12UC RiversideUC Riverside eliminated
Game 6Florida Southern5–1Troy State
May 25Game 7Eastern Illinois8–3Troy StateTroy State eliminated
Game 8Florida Southern6–1Cal State Northridge
Game 9Eastern Illinois3–2Cal State NorthridgeCal State Northridge eliminated
May 27Game 10Florida Southern0–9Eastern IllinoisFlorida Southern wins National Championship

See also

References

  1. ↑ "DIVISION II BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS RECORDS BOOK" (PDF). NCAA.org. NCAA. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Division II Baseball Championships Record Book" (PDF). NCAA. p. 13. Retrieved January 11, 2026.
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