The list of program accomplishments is undeniable: 18 all-time national tournament appearances, including 13 trips to the NJCAA Division II Baseball World Series since 2005, and twice setting a NJCAA record with six consecutive appearance between 2010-2015 and again from 2018-2024. What's still missing is the ultimate prize of a national championship, and Madison College will once again take aim at the school's fourth banner and first since a Division III three-peat in the 1990s when they begin play Saturday night at Enid, Oklahoma's David Allen Memorial Ballpark. The #6-seeded WolfPack will take on #11-seed Montgomery College in a First Round game at 7:00 p.m., with the winner advancing to Sunday's Second Round against #3-seed East Central Community College.

Under head coach Mike Davenport, who is in his 20th season, the WolfPack have finished just about everywhere in what used to be a ten-team field. New in 2024 is a pair of at-large teams to create a 12-team, double-elimination format with byes through the opening round for the top four seeds.

2024 NJCAA Division II World Series Information | Tournament Website | Tournament Bracket | Tournament Results Page

The 2024 edition of the WolfPack rebounded from a 3-6 spring break trip to Arizona to win five straight games. Following a loss against Highland Community College, the Pack racked up ten consecutive victories. Madison College, which played their first 21 games of the season away from home, produced another nine-game win streak that included five in a row in postseason play before dropping the first of two Region 4 Tournament championship games against Kankakee Community College. They recovered to beat the Cavaliers 11-2 in the second title game and clinch another late-May trip to Enid.

The brightest spotlight so far this season has been the play of ace pitcher Michael Carpenter. The team's lone lefthander leads all of Division II with an earned run average of 0.98 and owns a team-best 9-2 record with one save. The native of Hartland, Wisconsin, struck out 103 batters to break the program's single season record. The rest of the starting rotation has seen valuable efforts from fellow second year arms Liam Stumpf (5-4, 3.39), Grant Ross (3-2, 5.81), Eli Hoyt (2-1, 0.44), and Ryan Karst (1-0, 1.88). Ross, Hoyt, and Karst have also been intricate members of a bullpen that also includes Eamonn Mulhern, Noah Musolf, Camden Broske, Allen Leitner, Evan Iwinski, and Sam Steuber.

Behind those arms is a defense that has posted a .965 fielding percentage that ties for the second best in a season in team history. Shortstop Jalen Gellings has led the charge en route to winning Region 4 Tournament MVP honors. He and the rest of the Pack have turned in 20 double plays this season, along with a bevy of highlight-worthy plays in the infield and outfield.

Madison College has averaged 7.7 runs per game and outscoring their opponents by more than four runs a game. Freshman Charlie Schau currently leads the team with a .370 batting average and is one of three players with more than 50 hits on the year. Sophomore Charlie Marion is tops with 58 base knocks, and also paces the Pack with 54 runs batted in and 48 runs scored. Payton Frehner also has 48 runs scored, and Will Johannes is even with Marion for the team lead in home runs with ten.

This year's tournament field features eight teams ranked in the final NJCAA Division II Poll, including four of the top five. There are six teams returning from the 2023 world series, led by defending national champion Heartland Community College and national runner-up Southeastern Community College. And six teams have 40 or more wins on the season, led by a pair of 50-plus win teams in top-seeded LSU Eunice and #3-seed East Central Community College. Saturday's meeting with the Raptors of Montgomery College will mark the first game played between the two schools.

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