NAMPA, Idaho - With the regular season coming to a close after the cancelation of this weekend's games, Northwest Nazarene baseball has claimed the GNAC Regular Season title.

This is the first time in NNU's Division II history that they have claimed a solo regular season baseball championship. In 2016, the Nighthawks earned a share of the regular season crown after tying with Montana State Billings in the final standings, and NNU took the tiebreaker over MSUB for the top seed in the GNAC postseason tournament.

The Nighthawks have a staggering record of 21-3 in conference play (29-7 overall), followed by Western Oregon at 19-5. NNU is also ranked eighth in the country in the latest NCBWA poll. Central Washington will finish in third and earn the final bid to the GNAC Championships, currently at 11-9 with four games remaining on their schedule. MSUB and Saint Martin's, who NNU went a combined 16-0 against during the season, finished at the bottom of the standings.

Already set to host via the predetermined championship sites procedure, NNU will enter next weekend's conference tournament as the top seed. The championships are set to take place at Elmore Vail Field on Thursday and Friday, May 20-21. NNU's first game is set to be at 2:00 p.m. against Central Washington. The format for the championships and full schedule are below.


CHAMPIONSHIPS FORMAT
The three participating teams will play a round-robin on the first day of the tournament. Following the round-robin, if teams are 2-0, 1-1 and 0-2, the 0-2 team would be eliminated and the other two teams would compete on day two for the championship (one or two games for double elimination).

Following the round-robin, if teams are in a three-way tie of 1-1, the No. 1 seed would get an automatic bid to the championship game. The other two teams would compete on day two in a loser-out game. The winner would advance to the championship game vs. the No. 1 seed.

SCHEDULE
Thursday, May 20
Game 1: No. 2 Western Oregon vs. No. 3 Central Washington, 10 a.m.
Game 2: No. 1 Northwest Nazarene vs. No. 3 Central Washington, 2 p.m.
Game 3: No. 1 Northwest Nazarene vs. No. 2 Western Oregon, 6 p.m.

Friday, May 21
If Three Teams Remain After Day One
Game 4: No. 2 Seed vs. No. 3 Seed, Noon
Game 5: No. 1 Seed vs. Winner Game 4, 4 p.m.

If Two Teams Remain After Day One
Game 4: 2-0 Team vs. 1-1 Team, Noon
Game 5: Same Two Teams As Game 4 (If Necessary), 30 Minutes Following Game 4
 

NO SPECTATORS: To protect the health and safety of student-athletes, coaches and other staff during the COVID-19 pandemic, spectators are not allowed at athletic events hosted by GNAC institutions this spring. Fans are encouraged to visit GNACSports.com for links to live stats and video for conference games.