HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. — The Northern Kentucky University Norse baseball team just won its first ever Division 1 conference baseball tournament. Now the Norse are heading to an NCAA regional for the first time.

What You Need To Know

  • For the first time since going Division 1, Northern Kentucky University is headed to the NCAA baseball tournament

  • The first stop is Knoxville, Tennessee to play the Tennessee Volunteers, who are the tournament’s top overall seed

  • While this is the team’s first time competing on this stage at the Division 1 level, head coach Dizzy Peyton said they’re ready for the moment

  • The game between the Norse and the Volunteers is at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 31. It will be broadcast on the SEC Network

It’s been a special season for the Norse, which Horizon League player of the year Liam McFadden-Ackman said has a lot to do with the team’s motto.

“Mudita,” he said. “Celebrating and finding joy in other people’s success. If you come watch us play, I think you’ll feel that. You’ll see it on the dugout, you’ll see it on the field.”

For the first time since going Division 1, NKU is headed to the NCAA baseball tournament. The first stop is Knoxville, Tennessee to play the Tennessee Volunteers, who are the tournament’s top overall seed.

Treyvin Moss, a sixth-year senior right fielder for the Norse, has watched the program come a long way during his time.

“The dugout is on fire right now. Everyone’s accepting their role and playing their role, and that’s what makes a good team successful,” Moss said. “It means everything to me. Just to see the growth in the community. To kind of put NKU on the map has been a big goal of mine ever since I got here.”

While this is the team’s first time competing on this stage at the Division 1 level, head coach Dizzy Peyton said they’re ready for the moment, and so is he. He’s been the head coach for the last three years, but has been with the team since 2005.

“The opportunity is unbelievable. It’s unbelievable for our community, for our university and our friends and family, everyone that’s supported us. And for all these guys that have worked their tails off to put us in this situation,” Peyton said. “I played at this university, I graduated from the university, I met my wife at this university. I spent my entire adult life at Northern Kentucky University. So it means everything to be able to represent the state and our university in a positive light.”

Taking down the Volunteers and advancing in the tournament will be no small task, but the Norse do have the player of the year, and the power of Mudita on their side.

“It doesn’t matter who it is, it’s the same game. We’re gonna play our game. Nothing really changes. And we’re gonna roll out there and see what we can do,” McFadden-Ackman said.

The game between the Norse and the Volunteers is set to start at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 31. It will be broadcast on the SEC Network.

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