Heavy storms led to an unexpected finish at the ASUN Conference baseball tournament, with both Stetson and Florida Gulf Coast ending up as co-champions in DeLand, Florida.
Without any weather backup plan in place, things fell apart in the final rounds. FGCU won the first championship game, but dangerous storms stopped play, eliminating any chance of playing a second decisive game.
The Hatters got the NCAA Tournament automatic spot based on conference rules - tough luck for the Eagles who couldn't fight for the position on the field.
Weather caused problems all weekend. The Eagles battled their way out of the losers bracket, leading to what was supposed to be a two-game matchup with the unbeaten Hatters.
In a wild regular season ending, three teams - including Austin Peay in their first ASUN season - ended up tied at 20-10 for first place.
Teams were grouped into pools based on RPI rankings for the tournament. ESPN+ showed every game until the weather took over.
DeLand's Melching Field hosted the tournament for the second year running, keeping up its history of hosting big matchups.
The storms didn't just ruin the final - they messed up the whole tournament. Teams rushed to play whenever the weather cleared while officials tried to keep the schedule on track.
Beginning on Tuesday left no wiggle room for delays. This tight timeline fell apart when thunderstorms hit during championship weekend.
Both final teams had amazing seasons. The defending champion Hatters wanted another title, while the determined Eagles kept fighting despite being on the brink of elimination.
This shared title makes for a unique moment in ASUN baseball history - an ending we've never seen before in the tournament.
