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ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – Bethel University's baseball team will play in the postseason for the first time since 2000, as the Royals are part of the four-team MIAC Playoffs held at Veterans Field in Minnetonka, Minn. this weekend. BU, who was tied with three other teams going into the final day of play, was awarded the No. 3 seed after a sweep over Concordia College, which resulted in a regular season record of 11-9 in conference play. Other teams included are St. Thomas (No. 1), Saint John's (No. 2), and Saint Mary's (No. 4).
 
The double-elimination tournament is scheduled to run from Friday through Sunday, where St. Thomas will face Saint Mary's at 3 p.m. Friday, followed by the Bethel versus Saint John's matchup at 7 p.m. For aditional information about how to get there, or game times for the rest of the weekend click on the MIAC Playoff page.
 
Resources for this weekend: Live Stats | Live Webcasts | Live Tweets | Photo Gallery
 
Below are several game notes to be aware of heading into the weekend.
 
Royal rumble: Bethel University has been through a grueling last few weeks. After starting the MIAC season 5-1 in the opening week of play, the Royals had to win six of its last ten conference games to snag the No. 3 seed. Four of the last six games went into extra innings, including both contests against Carleton College, which went a combined 21 frames.
 
Friday's competition: The Royals face Saint John's University Friday night, who acquired the No. 2 seed with a 14-6 record within conference play. The Johnnies have seen incredibly success on the pitching mound in 2012, as they lead the league in ERA (2.87), opposing bat average (.224), batters struck out (247), hits allowed (230), and saves (11). SJU has two of its premier starters in the MIAC Top Five for lowest ERA all season long (1.52 and 1.86).
 
By a sliver: Bethel's baseball team finished 20-18 overall and 11-9 within conference play throughout the 2012 season. Of the nine MIAC games lost, less than two runs decided all but one contest. Additionally, six of the nine competitions were one-run decisions.
 
Playoff competition: The other four teams included in the 2012 MIAC Playoffs include: St. Thomas, Saint John's, and Saint Mary's. When facing those three teams throughout the regular season, Bethel finished 3-3 (all on the road). Of the three losses, Bethel was just a combined four runs short.
 
Bethel batting: The Royals have been incredibly aggressive at the plate all season long and have been leading the way in several categories throughout the MIAC. Both Bethel's .439 slugging percentage and .402 on-base percentage are No. 1 among all conference competitors. Furthermore, the Royals have the second most hits, second most runs batted in, third highest batting average, and third most runs scored. It's .313 batting average is third highest, however, St. Thomas leads the league with an average of .315.
 
The reign of Rowley: Matt Rowley has been domination station all season long. A forced to be reckoned with in the middle of the Royals lineup, Rowley has been a top contender for the triple-crown. The center fielder leads the league in batting average (.434), hits (59), total bases (89), and on-base percentage (.500). Additionally, Rowley ranks second in runs batted in (36) and slugging percentage (.654), while having the third most home runs (4) and doubles (14). Moreover, the Minnetonka, Minn. native has been lights out on the pitching mound as well, with a 7-4 record and MIAC fourth-best ERA of 2.10.
 
Buddy System: Buddy Flaherty was moved from infielder/pitcher hybrid to strictly a relief role this season and has made a monster impact. Flaherty leads the league in ERA (1.02) with a 4-1 overall record and six saves. Flaherty has allowed just four runs in 35.1 innings of work, while holding opposing batters to .222 average.
 
Slick Willie: Bethel University's catcher Jay Slick has not only been the only player to catch all season long, but he's been incredibly good at it too. Slick is third in runs batted in (32) and walks (24), as well as fifth among all players at the plate in on-base percentage (.484). The River Falls, Wis. native has also been electric behind the plate, recording 156 put-outs and 27 assists, in addition to the 11 runners attempting to steal that he's thrown out.