COMPLETE COVERAGE OF TUESDAY NIGHT'S CHAMPIONSHIP GAME AGIANST DELAWARE
Game Coverage: Twitter | Live Stats
Tickets: Available for purchase ($5.00) at Home Plate Ticket Window (off Pattison Avenue)
Parking: Available for free in Phillies "P" lot, located off Darien Street

VILLANOVA, Pa. – For the first time since 2015, Villanova is set to play in the Liberty Bell Championship game, facing Delaware on Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park.

Tuesday night's game is set to begin at 7 p.m. and tickets can be purchased for $5 at the Home Plate Ticket Windows (off Pattison Avenue), with entrance to the ballpark through the Home Plate VIP/Suite Entrance. Fans can follow along with live updates on Twitter from @VUBaseball and by following live stats.

The Liberty Bell Classic was created in 1992 as a way for local Division I colleges to compete against each other in a tournament and have the opportunity to play on a major league field. Eight local teams make up the field with quarterfinal and semifinal contests being played at campus sites prior to the Philadelphia Phillies hosting the championship game.

This will be the 11^th time that Villanova (13-18-1) is playing for the title in the local tournament that started in 1992. The program has gone 4-6 in the championship game, falling in both of its last two trips since 2013. The last title for the Wildcats came back on April 27, 2011 when it defeated Delaware 7-6. They have won the title outright four times and were co-champions in 2006 with Delaware due to a rainout through 4.5 innings.

The path to this year's championship brought dominating showings for the Wildcats. They defeated Delaware State in the quarterfinals, 15-5, on March 29 before earning the first shutout of the season with a 4-0 blanking of Lafayette on April 5.

The Wildcats have met Delaware (20-13) eight times in the classic over the years, trailing by a 2-6 margin. Overall, the Wildcats and Blue Hens have gone to battle 74 times since 1893 with Villanova trailing 33-39-2, 2-7 in games played at neutral site venues. The last time these two sides went to battle was for a home-and-away tilt in 2021 where Villanova swept the games in close fashion, 6-5 and 11-10.

Outside of the BIG EAST: Villanova has built up a seven-game unbeaten streak in non-conference action since a series-ending draw at Tulane on March 20. In that time, the group has won six consecutive contests with the help of big performances at the plate. The Wildcats have scored 68 runs on 81 hits with 15 doubles, three triples and seven dingers and 46 walks for a .325 batting average in those games. On the mound in that stretch, the 'Cats have pieced together a 4.43 ERA, allowing 32 runs on 65 hits with 19 walks and sitting down 59 batters. Three of those games saw Villanova pitchers too double-digit strikeouts.

Getting On: While his 16-game hitting streak came to a close in the series-finale at Xavier, Joey Castellanos still holds onto a team-high 17 game reached-base streak, the second longest on the team this season. In that span, he has racket up 29 hits in 72 at-bats, getting walked five times.

The Chris Rotondo File: The senior outfielder put himself back as the team's leading batting average this week at .352, landing him seven in the BIG EAST. In four games, Rotondo batted .421 with an 8-for-19 showing at the dish, connecting on four doubles with two home runs and seven RBI. His slugging clip on the year is up to .648, good enough for sixth in the BIG EAST.

Scouting the Blue Hens: Delaware took down Saint Joseph's (8-7) and Rider (6-2) on its way to the Liberty Bell Championship game. Since defeating Rider in the semifinals, the Blue Hens have gone 4-3 in their last seven games, falling to Hofstra in Colonial Athletic Association action over the weekend. As a whole, Delaware is 21^st in the nation with a .304 batting average and leads the country with 20 triples. Bryce Greenly leads the team from the plate with a .403 batting average that is good enough for 28^th in the nation, starting in all 31 of his appearances with a team-high 34 runs scored on 50 hits. The group has had a three-head monster when it comes to runs batted in with Joseph Carpenter bringing in 34, Joey Loynd at 33 and JJ Freeman with 32. Carpenter's 16 doubles on the year are 10^th-most in the nation. Chris Ludman has been the leading man on the mound for Delaware with nine starts in nine appearances. He has struck out a team-high 51 batters in 58 1/3 innings pitched, holding a 3.39 ERA and 1.27 WHIP with a 4-3 record.