1972 NCAA College Division baseball tournament
U.S. Sports Tournament
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The 1972 NCAA College Division baseball tournament decided the champion of baseball at the NCAA College Division level for the 1972 season. This was the fifth such tournament for the College Division, having separated from the University Division in 1957. It was also the first held in Springfield, Illinois, having spent the first four years in Springfield, Missouri. The Florida Southern Moccasins won the championship by defeating the Valley State.[1]
| Season | 1972 |
|---|---|
| Teams | 21 |
| Finals site | |
| Champions | Florida Southern (2nd title) |
| Runner-up | Valley State (2nd CWS Appearance) |
| Winning coach | Hal Smeltzly (2nd title) |
| MOP | Jay Smith (Florida Southern) |
Format
Twenty-one teams were selected to participate, divided into four regions. Two regions consisted of six teams, another had five, and the Midwest had four. Each region completed a double-elimination round, with the winners advancing to the finals. The finals, made up of the four regional champions, also competed in a double-elimination format.
Regionals
East Regional
| Team | Wins | Losses |
|---|---|---|
| Florida Southern | 3 | 0 |
| New Haven | 3 | 2 |
| Montclair State | 2 | 2 |
| Adelphi | 1 | 2 |
| Old Dominion | 1 | 2 |
| Springfield | 0 | 2 |
Mideast Regional
| Team | Wins | Losses |
|---|---|---|
| SIU Edwardsville | 4 | 1 |
| Marietta | 3 | 2 |
| Valparaiso | 3 | 2 |
| Nicholls State | 1 | 2 |
| Tuskegee | 0 | 2 |
| Union (TN) | 0 | 2 |
Midwest Regional
| Team | Wins | Losses |
|---|---|---|
| UMSL | 4 | 1 |
| Northern Colorado | 2 | 2 |
| Northern Iowa | 1 | 2 |
| Missouri–Rolla | 0 | 2 |
West Regional
| Team | Wins | Losses |
|---|---|---|
| Valley State | 4 | 0 |
| Chapman | 2 | 2 |
| Puget Sound | 1 | 2 |
| UC Irvine | 1 | 2 |
| Cal State Hayward | 0 | 2 |
Finals
Participants
| School | Conference | Record (conference) | Head coach | Previous finals appearances | Best finals finish | Finals record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida Southern | Independent | 31–6 | Hal Smeltzly | 2 (last: 1971) | 1st | 5–3 |
| UMSL | Independent | 23–6 | Arnold Copeland | 0 (last: none) | none | 0–0 |
| Valley State | CCAA | 43–20 (20–4) | Bob Hiegert | 1 (last: 1971) | 1st | 4–1 |
| SIU Edwardsville | Independent | 31–15–2 | Roy Lee | 0 (last: none) | none | 0–0 |
Results
Bracket
| First round | Semi-finals | Finals | ||||||||||||
| Valley State | 7 | |||||||||||||
| SIU Edwardsville | 6 | |||||||||||||
| Valley State | 3 | |||||||||||||
| Florida Southern | 10 | |||||||||||||
| Florida Southern | 10 | |||||||||||||
| UMSL | 4 | |||||||||||||
| Florida Southern | 0 | 5 | ||||||||||||
| Valley State | 3 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| Lower round 1 | Lower final | |||||||||||||
| Valley State | 10 | |||||||||||||
| SIU Edwardsville | 4 | SIU Edwardsville | 0 | |||||||||||
| UMSL | 1 | |||||||||||||
Game results
| Game | Winner | Score | Loser | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | Valley State | 7–6 | SIU Edwardsville | |
| Game 2 | Florida Southern | 10–4 | UMSL | |
| Game 3 | SIU Edwardsville | 4–1 | UMSL | UMSL eliminated |
| Game 4 | Florida Southern | 10–3 | Valley State | |
| Game 5 | Valley State | 10–0 | SIU Edwardsville | SIU Edwardsville eliminated |
| Game 6 | Valley State | 3–0 | Florida Southern | |
| Game 7 | Florida Southern | 5–1 | Valley State | Florida Southern wins National Championship |