Photo Courtesy of Mark Campbell

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - The University of Delaware baseball team will vie for the Liberty Bell Classic championship tomorrow at Citizens Bank Park when the Blue Hens square off with Villanova at 7 p.m.

Tickets for the event are $5 and can be purchased at the First Base Gate ticket window. Parking will be available in the Phillies ‘P’ lot, which is located on Darien Street near the intersection of Darien and Pattison Avenue.

The Blue Hens will be the home team and will occupy the first base dugout.

Delaware (23-15) enters the finals well rested after playing just two games during the past 16 days. Overall, Carlos Alonso leads the team with a .396 batting average, while Ryan Reed (at right) and Bill Merkler are tied for second at .387. Merkler also boasts team-highs with 15 home runs and 50 RBI.

As a team, the Hens are hitting .331 with 66 home runs and 326 RBI. The squad leads the CAA with a combined .424 on-base percentage, while it ranks second in batting average and slugging percentage (.550).

Villanova comes into play with a 19-24 mark. Three Wildcats have batting averages above .300, led by David Koczirka’s .361 mark. The squad also has four players with at least 10 steals, highlighted by Matt Szczur who has swiped 17 in 23 attempts.

The Liberty Bell Classic, which was founded in 1992, has been used to spotlight the top local Division I colleges and universities and allow them to compete against one another in a tournament format. Delaware, which was one of the eight founding members, has captured six championships during the event.

The Blue Hens took home four of the first six championships, including the inaugural event in 1992. The program’s last title came in 2002. Wednesday will be the first time Delaware has been in the championship game since the finals moved to Citizens Bank Park.