Monmouth Bringing MAAC Baseball to FirstEnergy Park

Now that Monmouth University has made the jump from the Northeast Conference to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) the Hawks are bringing their new home’s baseball tournament to the Jersey Shore.

MAAc Commissioner Richard Ensor announced on Thursday that the 2014 MAAC Baseball Championship will be held at FirstEnergy Park from May 21-25. “It is a top-notch facility, and that’s something we always strive for when holding our championship events,” he said. “We want our institutions and their student-athletes to be able to experience and enjoy a memorable setting such as this.

This is not the first time the MAAC championship will be played in New Jersey. The tournament has been held several times at Arm & Hammer Park, the home of the Trenton Thunder when the event was sponsored by Rider University. Monmouth  Director of Athletics Marilyn McNeil said she was glad to bring the tournament to the eastern part of the state. “We are delighted that FirstEnergy Park in Lakewood was chosen as the 2014 site,” she said. “It is a wonderful facility and will serve the MAAC schools well.”

As the Hawks work to make the tournament field for the first time McNeil said she was glad to make the location “a great commute for our fans and a terrific place to spend an afternoon in May.”

The 2014 tournament will be the first time the top six teams in the tournament will make the field. It will be a double elimination tournament with the championship game tentatively scheduled for May 25.