FREDONIA, N.Y. -- Three Fredonia spring teams head into the final weekend of the conference schedule still having a chance to make their respective SUNYAC tournaments.

Let's start with the clearest-cut of the three: baseball. Currently in fifth place, the Blue Devils trail New Paltz by two games for the fourth and final playoff spot. The Hawks also own the head-to-head tiebreaker.

What needs to happen?: The Blue Devils must sweep a three-game home series from Plattsburgh this weekend (Friday single game at 3 p.m., Saturday doubleheader starting at noon) combined with three New Paltz home losses to Brockport. Any other combination and New Paltz claims the last spot.

Softball's path is slightly more complex. The Blue Devils trail two teams, Buffalo State and Oswego, by two games each for the sixth and last playoff spot. Each team has four games left, all on the road. Fredonia has doubleheaders Friday at Brockport and Saturday at Geneseo, Buffalo State has the same two opponents in reverse order, and Oswego faces both New Paltz and Oneonta.

What needs to happen?: The Blue Devils need to win enough games -- and have both Buffalo State and Oswego lose enough -- to move up into sixth place, either alone or tied. The head-to-head matchups in this case, would not break any ties -- each of the three teams split with the other two. So it would come to the next tiebreaker: records against other SUNYAC teams starting with the top of the standings and working down. That would get the Blue Devils into the bracket since they are the only one of the three contenders to defeat No. 1 seed Cortland.

Women's lacrosse is the most complex. Like the baseball and softball teams, the women laxers are currently on the outside, looking in. Yet that could change by mid-afternoon Saturday, after Fredonia travels to Potsdam for a 12:30 p.m. contest. The game time has been moved up a half-hour from the original.

What needs to happen?: If Fredonia defeat Potsdam and Oneonta defeats Geneseo, the Blue Devils are in. That would create a two-way tie between Fredonia and Potsdam for sixth place, which the Blue Devils would own by virture of winning Saturday.

Yet, if there's a three-way tie -- the result of a Fredonia win, a Potsdam loss, and an Oneonta loss -- a myriad of tiebreakers come into play. SUNYAC Commissioner Tom DiCamillo, in a memorandum to all the schools, broke down the scenario like this:

• If Fredonia beats Potsdam by 1 Goal
  • 5^th – Potsdam
  • 6^th - Oneonta
  • Out - Fredonia

Why: Fredonia has the worst goal-differential (minus-2) among the teams that are tied. They would be pulled from the tiebreaker and Potsdam and Oneonta would go back to a two-team tiebreaker, which Potsdam wins because of its victory over Oneonta

• If Fredonia beats Potsdam by 2 goals
  • 5^th – Oneonta
  • 6^th - Fredonia
  • Out - Potsdam

Why: Fredonia and Potsdam would be tied with the worst goal-differential (minus-1) among the teams that are tied. They would be pulled from the tiebreaker, leaving Oneonta alone in fifth. Fredonia and Potsdam would go back to a two-team tiebreaker, which Fredonia wins because of its victory over Potsdam.

• If Fredonia beats Potsdam by 3 goals or more
  • 5^th – Oneonta
  • 6^th - Fredonia
  • Out - Potsdam

Why: Potsdam would have the worst goal-differential among the three teams. They would be pulled from the tiebreaker. Fredonia and Oneonta would go back to a two-team tiebreaker, which Oneonta wins because of its victory over Fredonia.