For eight graduating University of Delaware baseball student-athletes, Saturday, May 27, was a day they will always remember. 

While annual UD Commencement exercises were taking place for nearly 6,000 graduates at a packed Delaware Stadium, those eight Blue Hen baseball players were gathered among a somewhat smaller crowd of teammates, coaches and family members in Wilmington, North Carolina.

Those eight student-athletes took part in a graduation ceremony of their own Saturday morning at the team hotel. And later that afternoon, they joined their teammates in another big celebration as the Blue Hens knocked off the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) 10-3 to capture their first Colonial Athletic Association tournament title and earn a berth in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2001.

Now that's a full day.

Jeremy Ake, Burk FitzPatrick, Jordan Glover, Ron Marinaccio, Brian Mayer, Kevin Milley, Doug Trimble and Nick Tierno were each scheduled to walk and receive their degrees at UD's 2017 graduation. Instead, they were nearly 500 miles to the south, looking to make history and continue a dream.

The Blue Hens, who in dominating fashion won four games in four days to win the CAA tournament for the first time in program history for head coach Jim Sherman, were forced to miss the official Commencement activities in Newark.

But UD athletics administrators got creative and planned a graduation ceremony at the team hotel.

John Krimmel, associate athletic director for student services and sport administration, organized a 30-minute ceremony that featured athletes receiving their "diplomas," a Commencement address from FitzPatrick's father, Norman, video messages from Chrissi Rawak, UD director of athletics and recreation services, and academic counselor Bridget Burger, and much more.

“Saturday was certainly a special day for all of our student-athletes, but especially our eight seniors,” Krimmel said. “We know that it's a day that all of our athletes will remember for many years to come. In terms of putting together the ceremony, it was a complete team effort and would not have been possible without the help of Chrissi, Jenn Judy (senior associate athletic director, student services and sport administration), Dana Griskowitz (director of Olympic sports operations), media relations intern Andrew Stern, our equipment staff, the baseball coaching staff, Jennifer Galt (general manager of the Barnes and Noble UD Bookstore) and Jason Kramer (University Archives and Records Management).”

After the ceremony, the athletes, staff and family members in attendance gathered to sing the University of Delaware alma mater, just like what was happening back in Newark.

And while UD graduates  in Delaware were gathering and heading out for dinner and celebrations with loved ones after the ceremony, the Blue Hen baseball squad had other matters to attend to – locking in and preparing to win a conference championship.

After winning their first three games of the tournament, including victories over top seed Northeastern and No. 2 seed UNCW, the Blue Hens needed just one win to secure the title.

UD jumped out to a quick start, scoring nine first inning runs to put the game away for good. Sophomore Kyle Hinton was the hero on the mound, pitching the final seven innings of the ballgame to earn the victory.

The Blue Hens placed six members on the All-Tournament team, including CAA tournament MVP Ake and his fellow graduates Glover, Mayer and Marinaccio.

“Compared to the big Commencement and convocations, this felt a little more special because everyone who was there was there for you,” said Milley of the small graduation gathering in Wilmington. “There were only eight of us so it felt a little more personal. It was a great event. Graduating and winning the CAA title means everything to me, especially because it was with these guys. The majority of us came in at the same time and we've been together all four years. We've created a bond that is really special."

The Blue Hens have headed to Lubbock, Texas to take on host and No. 5 national seed Texas Tech in Friday's NCAA tournament opener at 3 p.m.