Tigerville, S.C. – The No. 14 University of North Georgia (UNG) baseball team makes its final preparations before its opening round matchup with No. 15 Francis Marion in the NCAA Division II Baseball Southeast Regional Tournament. 

First pitch is scheduled for Thursday, May 14 at 2 p.m. at Ray & Bea Dillard Field, home of the No. 1 seed North Greenville. 

The Nighthawks (41-14, 26-4 PBC) are back in the NCAA Tournament for the second-consecutive season, marking the first time in program history North Georgia has appeared in the tournament in back-to-back years. Last season, the Nighthawks finished as runners-up in the 2025 Southeast Regional. 

This season marks the fifth time North Georgia has punched its ticket to the NCAA Tournament (2008, 2015, 2017, 2025).  

North Georgia has earned the No. 4 seed after securing the program's third outright Peach Belt Conference Regular Season Title and finishing as the runner up in the PBC Tournament Championship to Lander. 

The Nighthawks dominated the PBC all-conference awards with nine selections, tying a program record for the most in a single season (2017). Ben Hamacher, Kyle Robitzsch and Matthew Heard were named to the First Team, while Cam Hodge, JD Coleman, Jake Streeter, Brady Skipper, Andrew Duval and Kevin Cox all earned Second-Team nods. 

In addition to the all-conference honors, Nolan Belcher was named the PBC Coach of the Year and has guided the Nighthawks to the Southeast Regional in his first season at the helm of the UNG baseball program. 

North Georgia brings momentum into the tournament with their impressive numbers in the win and loss columns. The Nighthawks' 41 wins are the seventh most since 2000, and the four conference losses are tied for the fewest in the NCAA era. 

The all-time series between North Georgia and Francis Marion has been relatively even, with the Nighthawks holding a 22-20 record over the Patriots dating back to 2006. Thursday's game will serve as the first meeting between these two teams since February 2021. 

The Nighthawks will begin their quest tomorrow for an appearance in the College World Series for the first time since 2017 and the program's first National Championship.