Field set for NEC Tournament, top-seeded Bulldogs face Sacred Heart on Thursday at noon

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The field is set for the 2017 Northeast Conference Baseball Championships and the top-seeded Bryant University baseball team will face fourth-seeded Sacred Heart on Thursday, May 25 at 12:00 p.m. at Dodd Stadium in Norwich, Conn.

In addition to the Bulldogs and Pioneers, Central Connecticut and Wagner also qualified for the four-team double-elimination tournament. The Blue Devils will serve as the No. 2 seed, while the Seahawks wrapped up the No. 3 seed with a series victory over Mount St. Mary's. Sacred Heart also secured its spot this weekend, winning the final three games against LIU Brooklyn. The Pioneers have now made the NEC Tournament nine-straight years.

Bryant will be making its fifth-straight appearance in the NEC Tournament, and its fifth consecutive as the top seed. The Bulldogs wrapped up their sixth-straight NEC Regular-Season title last weekend and will be in search of their fourth tournament title in five years.

Last season, the Black and Gold went 3-0 to claim their third NEC title. Bryant opened with an 8-1 win over Central Connecticut, defeated Sacred Heart 5-1 and then beat Fairleigh Dickinson 8-3 in the championship game. The Bulldogs have also won titles in 2013 and 2014.