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2023 NEC Baseball Championship coming to The Dutch

Six-team, double-elimination tournament to be held at Dutchess Stadium from May 24-28
The Northeast Conference Baseball Championship will be held at Dutchess Stadium for the first time ever in 2023.
January 13, 2023

Wappingers Falls, N.Y. (Jan. 13, 2023) – The Northeast Conference (NEC) and the Hudson Valley Renegades, the High-A affiliate of the New York Yankees, have announced today that the 2023 NEC Baseball Championship will be held at Dutchess Stadium from May 24 through 28. The winner of the six-team, double-elimination

Wappingers Falls, N.Y. (Jan. 13, 2023) – The Northeast Conference (NEC) and the Hudson Valley Renegades, the High-A affiliate of the New York Yankees, have announced today that the 2023 NEC Baseball Championship will be held at Dutchess Stadium from May 24 through 28. The winner of the six-team, double-elimination tournament will receive the NEC’s automatic bid to the 2023 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament.

"We're thrilled to partner with the Hudson Valley Renegades organization and bring the NEC Baseball Championship to Dutchess Stadium," said NEC Commissioner Noreen Morris. “Located at the center of our geographic footprint in a picturesque setting, we look forward to providing a memorable experience for our student-athletes and fans in a first-class facility."

The event marks the first NCAA Division I conference tournament held at Dutchess Stadium since 2016. Games are slated to begin on Wednesday, May 24 and conclude with the crowning of a champion on Saturday, May 27. Sunday, May 28 is reserved as a rain date, if necessary. The Championship will feature a double-elimination format, playing three games on Wednesday and Thursday, and two on Friday and Saturday. The top two seeds will receive byes to Thursday. NEC Tournament games will be streamed for free on the NEC Front Row platform.

The NEC Baseball Championship is expected to bring in excess of 500 student-athletes, coaches, school officials, conference officials, umpires and fans from outside of Dutchess County to the area. The estimated economic impact of the event on the county is in excess of $100,000 factoring in hotel nights, food and drink, and wages paid to workers.

“We are thrilled to partner with the NEC to bring this great event to the Hudson Valley,” said Tyson Jeffers, General Manager of the Renegades. “As we continue to work to make Dutchess Stadium the premier entertainment venue in the area, being able to host events like the NEC Tournament will help to showcase our beautiful region to visitors from around the country.”

The Northeast Conference is comprised of 11 baseball playing member-institutions stretching across seven states in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, representing Connecticut (Central Connecticut State and Sacred Heart), Delaware (Delaware State), Maryland (Coppin State and University of Maryland-Eastern Shore), Massachusetts (Merrimack and Stonehill), New Jersey (Fairleigh Dickinson), New York (LIU and Wagner) and Virginia (Norfolk State).

The 2023 season marks the 30th NEC Baseball Tournament, and the first time that it has been held at Dutchess Stadium. For the first time since the inception of the NEC Baseball Tournament in 1993, the field will include the top six finishers in the league standings at the conclusion of the conference’s regular season schedule. LIU is the defending NEC champion, having won its second championship in four seasons in 2022.

With the NEC’s new policy in place, which permits reclassifying institutions to participate in the NEC postseason championships in years three and four of the four-year process, Merrimack becomes postseason eligible this season, while Stonehill will be eligible to compete in the 2025 tournament.

The tournament champion will receive the NEC’s automatic berth into the NCAA Championship Field of 64. If Merrimack was to win the NEC Tournament, the runner-up will advance to the NCAA Tournament as the NEC’s automatic qualifier.

More information on tickets will be released closer to the event, though Renegades Season Ticket Members will receive a free pass to attend the games.

ABOUT THE HUDSON VALLEY RENEGADES

The Hudson Valley Renegades are the High-A affiliate of the New York Yankees in the South Atlantic League. The Renegades begin their 2023 season at home on Friday, April 7 with a three-game series against the Greensboro Grasshoppers. For more information, please visit hvrenegades.com or call 845-838-0094.

ABOUT DIAMOND BASEBALL HOLDINGS

Diamond Baseball Holdings (DBH) was formed in 2021 to support, promote and enhance Minor League Baseball Clubs affiliated with Major League Baseball through professional management, best practices, innovation and investment (DiamondBaseballHoldings.com).