NAIA, May 2022

Series Leadoff BONAFIDE

The Warriors had to qualify for this year’s Series, and they did it dramatic fashion / 10

2022 NAIA WORLD SERIES BRACKET

photo at Harris Field. Lewis-Clark State entered the year not having automatic eligibility for the NAIA World Series for the first time since Lewiston became the venue. | Photo by AUGUST FRANK of the Tribune.

Warriors aim to defy the odds once again

Coach says lull midway through season helps Webber focus on task at hand, title endgame

By TEREN KOWATSCH SPORTS STAFF

Webber International is entering the Avista NAIA World Series hoping to do what it’s done all season: defy expectations.

In his third season as coach, Collin Martin led the Babson Park, Fla., Warriors to heights they haven’t reached in the history of the program — leading the team to its first appearance in the Series.

Martin comes from of a family with major league managerial experience, as the stepson of Charlie Manuel, former manager of the Philadelphia Phillies and Cleveland Indians (now Guardians).

Webber was one game away from earning a berth in the 2019 Series. Early this season, a berth looked like it might slip away again.

“Like most teams, we dealt with a rough stretch,” Martin said. “I believe we lost eight out of 10 (games) at one point. Our season, which was off to a great start, was hanging in the balance. These guys did a great job of collecting themselves, refocused, found a way to scratch a few mustwin games out — and a way to come together to play some

Webber senior outfielder Kenny Rodriguez (20), shown here receiving congratulations from his teammates, leads the Warriors in batting average (.372), runs (70), hits (81), doubles (16), home runs (16) and RBI (72) this season.

of our best baseball down the stretch.”

Part of the reason for Webber maintaining Series hopes was its stellar home record. The Warriors had one of the best home winning percentages in the Sun Conference at 28-8 with quality wins against ranked opponents.

The Warriors swept a threegame series against Faulkner (Ala.) (37-15), their first-round opponent at 3 p.m. today. Webber also won three out of five games against Warner (Fla.), which was No. 15 when Webber faced the team April 14.

WEBBER INTERNATIONAL STATS

All of this helped the Warriors earn a berth in the Opening Round. In the Miami Gardens (Fla.) bracket, Webber beat No. 18 McPherson 13-6. The Warriors then took two out of three games against No. 8 St. Thomas, 5-4 in 11 innings and 17-6 in a May 19 winner-takeall game, to advance here.

Webber had taken two out of three games against St. Thomas during the regular season, as well.

The key to victory for the

> Webber International

Location: Babson Park, Fla.

Nickname: Warriors

Coach: Collin Martin (third season)

Season record: 40-19

Rank in final NAIA poll: No. 24 How qualified: Won Miami Gardens (Fla.) Bracket

Number of appearances; best finish: first appearance

> Juice (out of five stars)

STARTERS: 

The top three starters in the rotation for the Warriors have combined for 211 strikeouts on the season. But the ERA ranges from as low as 3.73 to as high as

Warriors will be their offense. Senior outfiedler Kenny Rodriguez statistically is the most impressive batter for Webber. He led the team with 70 runs, 16 homers, 16 doubles, 72 RBI and an on-base percentage of .489. Rodriguez batted .372 with 218 at-bats, second-most on the team.

Rodriguez leads in most hitting categories, but the bats for the Warriors are consistent across the board and are a team strength. For players with more than 100 at-bats, the lowest batting average is .279. For players with more than 150 plate

6.16. The rotation needs to be efficient, otherwise Webber could find itself playing from behind.

RELIEVERS: ½

The top relievers for Webber have 158 strikeouts, six saves and 11 wins on the season with an ERA of 1.29.

FIELDING: 

The Warriors have a fielding percentage of .962, ranking last in the Sun Conference, and might be exploited by teams with high on-base percentages.

HITTING: 

The bats of Webber are the strongest point. The Warriors own a batting average of .303, an on-base percentage of .409 and a

appearances, the lowest is .295. This team gets hits, and opposing pitchers know it. Opposing pitchers had a 7.25 ERA against the Warriors. Keeping the pressure on will be important for Webber throughout the series. The pitching staff is front-loaded, and a scenario where they have to dig deep into the rotation could end up being their undoing.

The Warriors had a 4.66 ERA, which ranks ninth among teams here this week. Despite this, the Warriors have quality starting pitchers. Right-hander Dawson Young has made 26 appearances and held opposing batters to a .191 batting average.

Kowatsch may be contacted at sports@lmtribune.com, (208) 8482268 or on Twitter @tkseahawk13.

slugging percentage of .450.

SPEED: 

The team has 62 stolen bases on 75 attempts on the season. It is efficient when it comes to getting extra bases, which will do the team good should there be in a situation where it needs to get extra runs in a hurry.

INTANGIBLES: ½

The Warriors have defied expectations all year. They’ve beaten top-10 teams and have been competitive against ranked teams the entire season. They are resourceful and can and have won games against teams that look better on paper.

Webber International Athletics

Martin Rodriguez

Webber International Freshman left-hander Dylan Martin has a 10-3 record with a 3.73 earned-run average.

Pioneers look to capitalize on their depth

MidAmerica Nazarene wins its first Series berth thanks to efforts of starters and subs alike

By RANDY ISBELLE SPORTS STAFF

MidAmerica Nazarene is hoping to turn its ruby slippers in for Cinderella glass footwear this week as the Pioneers will make their first appearance in the Avista NAIA World Series. What a way to celebrate your 50th anniversary as a public institution.

The Pioneers earned their bid with backto-back victories against third-ranked Oklahoma City in the Oklahoma City bracket, including a 9-5 decision in the championship game. The team out of Olathe, Kan., went 3-0 in the Opening Round and have won four of their past five games, all against ranked opponents.

MidAmerica Nazarene, led by 16th-year coach Ryan Thompson, finished as the regular-season champion in the Heart of America Athletic Conference, but fell to Central Methodist in the conference’s tournament title game.

Depth is the key word for the Pioneers (39-16) offensively. They have eight players with 50 or more hits on the season, each of them

> MidAmerica Nazarene

Location: Olathe, Kan.

Nickname: Pioneers

Coach: Ryan Thompson (16th season)

Season record: 39-16

Rank in final NAIA poll: Receiving votes

How qualified: Won Oklahoma City Bracket

Number of appearances: first appearance

> Juice (out of five stars)

STARTERS: 

With a team ERA of 4.85 and a batting

average against of .278, the pitching will not scare teams. Zach Trevino leads the team with a 10-3 record with seven complete games.

RELIEVERS: 

The depth is lacking, but Nathan Torres has put up all-American numbers. The senior touts a 0.74 ERA and has only allowed six hits in 24 innings. He did not give up an earned run until the Opening Round.

FIELDING: ½

The team has a decent .958 fielding percentage that ranks just inside the top third nationally. But they are the eighth-best fielding team here.

HITTING: 

With all eight players who started at least 30 games averaging above .300, there is no easy out. The Pioneers rank in the top 20 in average, slugging percentage and home runs.

SPEED: 

The Pioneers have six players with more than 10 doubles on the year and are tied for 27th in the country with 116. Ryan Leo is the only Pioneer with double-digit stolen bases on the season with 23.

INTANGIBLES: 

Making their debut here and drawing the defending champions will be no easy task. But the Pioneers are 4-1 in their past five games against ranked teams, so they are ready for the stiff competition.

MidAmerica Nazarene Athletics

Senior outfielder Josh Torrance is hitting a team-best .370 to go with seven home runs and 40 RBI heading into the Series. His slugging percentage is .568.

Thompson Torrance

averaging above .300. The depth helped guide the team to a top-15 batting average nationally.

Senior outfielder Josh Torrance leads the team with a .379 average, junior shortstop Brycen Sherwood has 68 runs scored, junior third baseman Dionathan Cornett has knocked in the most runs with 52, senior catcher Joshuan Sandoval has hit 15 home runs and senior outfielder Ryan Leo has stolen 23 bases. Six players have 10 or

more doubles on the season and six have five or more home runs. There might not be a standout player to avoid, but everyone in the lineup can contribute.

Pitching does not have the same luxury of depth, as they have only used 10 different arms this season. Four of them have started more than two games.

Junior right-hander Zach Trevino leads the way with a 10-3 record and a 3.88 ERA. Trevino has thrown

MIDAMERICA NAZARENE STATS

seven complete games on the season and has struck out 108 in 92ž innings.

The Pioneers will look to shorten games with two stud pitchers out of the bullpen. Senior right-hander Nathan Torres did not allow an earned run this season until the Opening Round and has a 0.74 ERA in 24

innings with 43 strikeouts.

Then there is junior right-hander Reece Helland who struggled in the middle of the year, allowing 10 earned runs in a span of four appearances. But the junior has been almost unhittable since, allowing just four hits in 9ž innings across his past seven appearances, not

allowing an earned run. The Pioneers have a tough opener here, as they take on defending national champion Georgia Gwinnett (45-14) in the first round at 8:30 a.m. today.

Isbelle can be reached at sports@ lmtribune.com, (208) 848-2268 or on Twitter @RandyIsbelle.

Om ... Grizzlies know how to find their center

Georgia Gwinnett, defending national champion, employs meditation — and thunder at the dish — to return to Series

By COLTON CLARK FOR THE TRIBUNE

Take an early morning stroll around Lewis-Clark State’s campus today, and you might stumble upon a tranquil scene: the Georgia Gwinnett Grizzlies, all sprawled out on the grass, eyes closed and sharing silence.

A rest before their first-round game at the Avista NAIA World Series? No — an important ritual that helped propel the Grizzlies to their first national championship a year ago and a return trip in 2022.

“We meditate as a team every day – before every game and every practice,” third-year GGC coach Jeremy Sheetinger said.

“You’ll find us hours before our game (Friday at 8:30 a.m. versus MidAmerica Nazarene) laying in the middle of L-C’s campus as a group for 20 minutes, meditating.

“It’s something I believe in, something we’ve done since I got here. I think our players will tell you that they won’t take batting practice without it; they won’t play without it.”

Mental fortitude is key during tourney time in the valley, and Sheetinger thinks GGC’s emphasis on psychological balance led to the team’s breakthrough in 2021 after back-to-back fourth-place finishes at the Series.

“I felt like the program was knocking on the door and the last rung on the ladder was to win that last game, and I thought (meditation) was something that could take us over the edge,” he said.

“To some coaches, we’re the ‘grass people.’ Then to some other coaches across the country, it’s like, ‘Wow, I watched this group finish fourth two years in a row, to blitzing through

> Georgia Gwinnett

Location: Lawrenceville, Ga.

Nickname: Grizzlies

Coach: Jeremy Sheetinger (third season)

Season record: 45-14

Rank in final NAIA poll: No. 10

How qualified: Won Lawrenceville Bracket

Number of appearances; best finish: fifth, NAIA national champion in 2021

> Juice (out of five stars)

STARTERS: 

GGC’s top two arms both boast sub-2.00

ERAs and have combined for an 11-1 record across 119 innings. The Grizzlies, who own the nation’s second-best ERA (3.01), can almost always expect quality starts from the back of their rotation too.

RELIEVERS: 

A stellar starting rotation has taken much of the pressure off GGC’s bullpen, which enjoys sufficient depth and a couple of ultradependable relief staffers, but endures

occasional spells of inconsistency.

FIELDING: 

The Grizzlies have committed more errors this season than all but one Series qualifier, and their .955 fielding percentage ranks 88th in the NAIA and lowest among Series entrants.

HITTING: ½

It’s not the super-slugging lineup that overwhelmed opposing pitchers at the ’21 Series, but don’t overlook the Grizzly batters, who enter this Series on a hot streak – GGC is

ABOVE: Senior Livingston Morris rounds the bases after slugging his 17th home run of the season during a victory over William Carey (Miss.) on May 16. Morris has hit 18 home runs and driven in 65 runs for the Grizzlies this season.

LEFT: Austin Bates started every game for GGC this season, hitting .377, and was named the Continental Athletic Conference MVP.

averaging more than 11 hits and nine runs per game since the start of May.

SPEED: 

Shortstop Jake Defries, who missed last year’s postseason run with an injury, ranks third nationally with 56 stolen bases – a GGC program record – for a Grizzly team that leads the NAIA with 205 bags swiped.

INTANGIBLES: 

Defending national champions and regulars at the NAIA World Series, the Grizzlies won’t be dazed by the rigors of this tournament.

Georgia Gwinnett/ Athletics

Sheetinger

the tournament last year.’

“What changed? Our every day approach to mental training and helping our players be prepared, helping them to manage moments and emotions and expectations and adversity, and having something they can go back to that we invest in. It’s a staple of what we do. There’s not a practice or a game where we won’t meditate before.”

Last year, the fifth-seeded Grizzlies were unshakable throughout a five-game sweep of Series competition. They outscored opponents 52-30 and breezed past Central Methodist (Mo.) 8-4 in the title game.

This season, eighth-seeded GGC (45-14) isn’t as powerpacked on offense. The Grizzlies topped the NAIA in five hitting stat categories in 2021, but lost a few sluggers to graduation. Their sharedproduction lineup, paced by All-American outfielder Livingston Morris, enters this Series with the fifthbest batting average (.331) among qualifiers. It should be noted GGC’s offensive output has seen an uptick in the past month and “I don’t feel like we have an easy out anywhere in the lineup right now,” Sheetinger added.

“It was probably one of

the most prolific offenses in NAIA history (in 2021).

This group is better on the mound,” he said. “Some of the same characters are back, but it’s also a host of new faces. There are new personalities, but it’s the same philosophy for us in terms of what we know and what will help us have success here.”

The Grizzlies’ pitching numbers are stellar. Their star-studded rotation is arguably the best in the NAIA, and the same can be said of their catcher, senior Austin Bates, the

Continental Athletic Conference MVP who has started every game this year.

GGC dealt with injuries and stumbled somewhat in the middle portion of the season, Sheetinger said, but the team has “grown by leaps and bounds” since late March and will take Harris Field with a healthy roster, physically and mentally.

“There’s a comfort level to what we’re doing and a routine around it, and we haven’t missed a beat since we got here,” Sheetinger said.

GEORGIA GWINNETT STATS

Series nuggets

By DENNY GRUBB FOR THE TRIBUNE

 MIDAMERICA NAZARENE’s mascot is the Pioneers. The team from Olathe, Kan., becomes the sixth team with the Pioneer nickname to play in the Series. They join PATERSON STATE, MALONE COLLEGE, POINT PARK, LEWIS & CLARK COLLEGE and ANTELOPE VALLEY. The most common Series mascot is the Eagles. Twelve different schools have flown into the Series with that nickname, including this year’s participant FAULKNER. JOHN BROWN UNIVERSITY could also be added to the list. The Golden Eagles played in the 1980 and 1981 Series.

 Series teams have recorded 24 or more hits in a game five times, and BELLEVUE holds the record with 25. The Bruins mashed their record number of hits in a 16-8 defeat of ST. THOMAS in 1998 at Tulsa, Okla. The most hits in a game hosted by Lewiston is 24. In 1987, both LEWIS-CLARK STATE and GRAND CANYON amassed the total in early round games. LCSC defeated SOUTHERN ARKANSAS in its 24-hit game, and also left a seriesrecord 23 men on base, on its way to a 23-3 victory.

 In 1987, Southern Arkansas defeated Grand Canyon 23-22. The 45 combined runs are the most in any Series game. Southern Arkansas jumped out to an 8-0 lead in the first inning, and led 18-3 before the Antelopes managed to tie the game at 18 in the seventh. In the bottom of the ninth, with two runners on base, Southern Arkansas induced a game-ending ground out, ending the four-hour, 15-minute contest, the longest nine-inning game in Series history.

 There have been 90 games in Series history that have been won in the home team’s last at-bat, or “walk-off” fashion. Three walk-offs have come on squeeze bunts. Perhaps the most exciting walk-off happened in a 1971 game between DAVID LIPSCOMB COLLEGE and APPALACHIAN STATE. In an elimination game, David Lipscomb, batting in the bottom of the ninth, trailed 13-10 with two outs, and the bases empty. But, thanks to a walk, two errors and three hits, Lipscomb pulled off the improbable to win the game 14-13.

Veteran Eagles had to dig out of early hole

Faulkner

2-7,

started

then gathered

composure to make it back to the Series

By TROY WARZOCHA FOR THE TRIBUNE

Despite being one of the most dominant teams of the past decade, the Faulkner Eagles found out this year that making it back to the Avista NAIA World Series isn’t always so straightforward.

After starting the season with losses in seven of their first nine games, the Eagles rebounded in a big way, winning every series in conference play for the first time in program history and securing their ninth consecutive trip here after topping Reinhardt University to win the Opening Round tournament in Montgomery, Ala.

Faulkner (Ala.), which is the No. 7 seed, opens the tournament against 10th-seeded Webber International (Fla.)

(41-20) at 3 p.m. today at Harris Field.

In February, it was the Warriors who put Faulkner (37-15) firmly in that 2-7 hole by sweeping the Eagles at their home in Montgomery — outscoring the Series regular 19-5 in three games.

This appearance will be Faulkner’s 10th overall. The Eagles will be looking to reach the title round for the first time since 2017 after bursting onto the scene with a title in 2013 and two runner-up finishes in that span.

Despite all those accolades, it took falling out of the NAIA top 25 coaches’ poll for the first time in 90 polls, then winning 35 of their next 43 games, to put the Eagles back on a plane ride here.

While this edition of the Eagles might not be as scary on paper as previous ones, they are an opportunistic and resilient bunch that already has dealt with more adversity than many of their Series predecessors.

As a group, the Eagles batted .291 this season with 52 home runs and 86 doubles.

Leading the charge offensively is senior infielder Shawn Ross, who batted .339,

knocked in 69 runs and hit 18 home runs this season. Ross was named the Southern States Athletic Conference player of the year before the Opening Round.

On the hill, senior righthander July Sosa is the Eagles’ dominant ace. So far

this season, Sosa has posted an earned-run average of 1.69, good for seventh nationally, and averaged 12.6 strikeouts per nine innings. In 14 appearances, Sosa, who was named conference pitcher of the year, has a record of 11-1

ABOVE: Senior Shawn Ross is hitting .389 with 18 home runs and 69 RBI heading into this year’s Avista NAIA World Series.

Tribune

LEFT: Faulkner senior righthander July Sosa is 11-1 with a 1.69 ERA and 119 strikeouts heading into this year’s Series.

August Frank/Tribune

with four complete games.

On the back end of Faulkner’s pitching staff is Brayan Garcia. The senior right-hander appeared in a team-high 27 games and racked up eight saves and 46 strikeouts in 45 innings.

While they might not

boast the same firepower as in years past, the Eagles have shown remarkable consistency this season in the field, where they had one of the top fielding percentages in the NAIA and turned 39 double plays, committing only 55 errors.

McCarthy

> Faulkner

Location: Montgomery, Ala.

Nickname: Eagles

Coach: Patrick McCarthy (13th season)

Season record: 37-15

Rank in final NAIA poll: No. 15

How qualified: Won Montgomery Bracket.

Number of appearances; best finish: 10, NAIA champions in 2013 > Juice (out of five stars)

STARTERS: 

July Sosa is one of the best starters in the NAIA and can go toe-to-toe with anyone. Beyond that is anyone’s guess.

RELIEVERS: 

The bullpen is strengthened on the back end by Brayan Garcia, who had eight saves this year. How they bridge the gap to Garcia is another question.

FIELDING: 

A top-25 defense, fielding is a clear strength for the Eagles as Faulkner doesn’t commit many errors and makes sure to complete its double plays.

HITTING: ½

Lacking the same pop as years past, Faulkner will have to manufacture runs against some of the top pitching staffs in the NAIA.

SPEED: ½

A bit conservative on the basepaths, Faulkner notched 101 stolen bases while being caught only 17 times this season.

INTANGIBLES: 

Arguably one of the most successful teams of the past decade at the Series, the Eagles might not blow teams away this time around. However, they’ve won a lot of close games this season. That can come in handy in a tournament setting.

FAULKNER STATS

Ross Sosa Garcia

Justice De La Cruz

These Warriors have been making a slow build

Westmont might be a Series rookie (its coach is not), but it’ll still field a competitive group

By MADISON GUERNSEY FOR THE TRIBUNE

The Westmont Warriors never have played in the Avista NAIA World Series. There still will be plenty of familiarity awaiting them here.

Westmont (45-11), of Santa Barbara, Calif., opens its inaugural run against the venerable host, Lewis-Clark State (54-5), in a rematch of the teams’ Jan. 27 season opener — a 5-3 LCSC road win.

Plus, Westmont coach Robert Ruiz has Series experience. He was an assistant at Azusa Pacific during the team’s World Series appearances in 2007-09.

So the preparation, travel and whirlwind

week won’t be totally foreign to the first-timers.

“Those were the Beau Mills years,” Ruiz said, referring to LCSC’s former star slugger and eventual first-round MLB draft pick who was the MVP of the ’07 Series.

“So I remember Lewiston fondly.”

It’s been a long road to Harris Field for Ruiz and the California Warriors (45-11). Their Series bid-clinching victory in the Opening Round marked a crescendo more than a decade in the making and set a program standard.

Westmont went 82-314-1 (.207 winning percentage) in the nine seasons before Ruiz was hired. In the 13 years since, the Warriors are 397-261-1 (.602) with two

Westmont Athletics

Coach Robert Ruiz has guided the Warriors to the school’s first NAIA World Series appearance, but he himself has been here before, as an assistant with Azusa Pacific from 2007-09. In his 13 seasons at Westmont, he’s compiled a winning percentage of .602 and a record for wins in a season (45) this year.

Westmont Athletics

Westmont junior right-hander Eric Oseguera is 10-2 with a 2.59 ERA heading into this year’s Avista NAIA World Series.

Ruiz

regular-season conference championship and one conference tournament title, plus Opening Round appearances in 2014-16, 2018-19, 2021 and this year. This year’s 45 wins set a school record.

But the turnaround didn’t happen at once. Westmont posted sub-.500 records in Ruiz’s first three years.

“We felt like the only roadmap to sustained success at Westmont College baseball was going to be a slow, steady build,” Ruiz said. “We really felt like every year for the past 10 years, the goal was to get into the national tournament … and now we need to shift the focus. The goal needs to not be to get in, but to get out of the Opening Round.”

A well-rounded team got them here.

The Warriors earned all-conference honors at pitcher, catcher and in-

field, also boasting top-50 national marks in multiple offensive, defensive and pitching categories. A 3.92 earned-run average, good for 11th nationally, highlights Westmont’s statistics.

“I think this is one of the more balanced teams that we’ve had,” Ruiz said. “We don’t have your prototypi-

WESTMONT STATS

cal All-American arm that’s got 150 strikeouts, but we have a whole slew of guys that have kind of pitched in and done their part, bought into their roles.”

Among them is junior catcher Simon Reid, whose .391 average ranked second

> Westmont

Location: Santa Barbara, Calif.

Nickname: Warriors

Coach: Robert Ruiz (13th season)

Season record: 45-11

Rank in final NAIA poll: No. 9

How qualified: Won Santa Barbara Bracket

Number of appearances: first appearance.

> Juice (out of five stars)

STARTERS: 

Westmont’s starters boast low ERAs, low WHIPs and sparkling strikeout-to-walk ratios.

Freshman Bryan Peck leads the team in innings pitched (81) and adds a team-best 0.87 WHIP.

in the Golden State Athletic Conference. He also made the league’s Gold Glove team for his work behind the plate. Fellow junior Brady Renck brings speed, power and a golden glove to second base, and junior righthander Eric Oseguera led

RELIEVERS: 

Zach Yates carries a 1.25 ERA and 0.97 WHIP, but shaky numbers elsewhere don’t bode well for the bullpen.

FIELDING: 

Westmont’s .965 fielding percentage ranks 22nd nationally, bolstered by a catcher that only allowed 22 stolen bases and 12 passed balls.

HITTING: 

Westmont’s steady lineup averages 7.4 runs per game and brings a good balance of contact and power. Simon Reid leads the

Westmont junior catcher

Simon Reid is hitting a teambest .391 with 20 doubles, 12 home runs and 56 RBI heading into this year’s Avista NAIA World Series. Westmont Athletics

the GSAC with a 2.59 ERA.

“We’ve been able to play pretty clean defense, especially in the postseason, we’ve thrown a lot of strikes and we’ve been fairly consistent across our lineup,” Ruiz said.

If Westmont’s season opener is an indication, the Series opener against LCSC should be a good one. The teams were scoreless through five innings in the season opener. LCSC is 3-0 against Westmont at Harris Field and is 7-3 overall vs. the Warriors.

“There’s a little bit of a known entity; they’ve seen us, we’ve seen them,” Ruiz said. “We have a high level of respect for their coaches and their program. And we know what kind of players they are. We know their record is real.”

team in average, slugging, OPS, hits and doubles.

SPEED: 

Brady Renck is Westmont’s best base-stealer, swiping 24 bags in 25 attempts. Other guys can run too, but it’s not a big part of the game plan.

INTANGIBLES: 

Few of Westmont’s team or individual numbers pop off the stat sheet. But the Warriors made it to the big show anyway. And they’re hot; they outscored their three opponents in the Opening Round by a cumulative score of 27-3.

Reid Oseguera

ABOVE: Warriors Luke White, upper left, Riley Way, upper right, Aidan Nagle, from bottom left, Trent Sellers, Dawson Day and A.J. Davis pose for a photo at Harris Field on Tuesday.

RIGHT: L-C’s Nick Seamons (7) cheers after making a sliding catch to end an inning against British Columbia in an Opening Round game on May 18.

FAR RIGHT: L-C pitcher Trent Sellers (9) is surrounded by teammates as they celebrate their 6-3 victory over UBC in the qualifying game of the Opening Round.

August Frank/Tribune

Ticket earned

By DONN WALDEN SPORTS STAFF

In the bottom of the seventh inning of a May 19 NAIA Opening Round winnertake-all game against British Columbia, a team it played eight previous times during the 2022 season, you could cut the tension with a knife around Harris Field. Everyone in the stands, everyone in the first-base dugout, everyone affiliated with the Lewis-Clark State program knew what this meant.

With the fifth-ranked Warriors up 5-3 and Thunderbirds on every base with two outs, all eyes in the park were trained on LCSC senior left-hander Dawson Day on the mound and British Columbia outfielder Brandon Hupe at the plate. A hit, and the Thunderbirds would be back in it. An out, and it might spell the beginning of the end of UBC’s season.

With one big heave on a 3-2 count, Day let go of a fastball he wasn’t sure was going to make it to the plate.

“I’m just thinking I’m throwing a heater and I’m going to throw it as hard as I can and hopefully it ends up over the plate,” Day said after the game.

It did, Hupe flailed, it ended up in the glove of senior catcher Justin Mazzone, and with that, you could feel the crowd let out a big exhale.

It was in that moment that all the noise the players and the coaches heard from the outside world was put to rest ... Lewis-Clark State earned its way to the Avista NAIA World Series. The Warriors added an insurance run in the eighth, and cruised from there, finally vanquishing the Thunderbirds and punching their ticket to the 65th annual event, which begins today.

“We knew from the beginning that this is where we were supposed to be,” said senior second baseman A.J. Davis, a former Clarkston standout and part of a dynamic double-play combination with senior shortstop Riley Way.

When asked after the game, athletic director Brooke Henze let out an emphatic, “Yes!” when asked if the weight of the world had been lifted off her shoulders.

That’s because for the previous 22 years, as host of the annual event, LCSC basically was given a free pass into the Series. Many of those pundits outside of the valley took great offense to that.

So it’s been one of the mantras all season long for this Warrior team that it’s not just a three-step process, but a four-step deal, making sure they could prove all the naysay-

ers wrong, that, indeed, they were deserving of a spot and go after national title No. 20.

“There was a little bit more weight on our shoulders this year,” said senior first baseman Luke White, who led the Warriors with 19 home runs and 73 RBI. “We kind of had to come out and prove that we were a team that should be here for the World Series, and we did that.”

For the program, it is the 11th time it has qualified to play in the World Series, but the first time the Warriors have had to do it as the host of the event. That was because in September 2021, the NAIA and the college renegotiated a contract to host the event. In the deal, the NAIA stipulated LCSC could host an Opening Round event, presented by Avista, but had to play their way into the 10-team Series.

All of those outside of the program felt vindicated that finally, the Warriors were going to be proven as a team not worthy of a spot on the national stage.

Inside the program, the noise was just ignored.

“We throw all the stuff that’s said about us to the side,” White said. “We just do what we’re supposed to and

come out and compete every day.”

It began on Day 1 of fall camp, continued into the winter, then as the spring began. LCSC lost just one game on a season-opening, eight-game trip to California and Arizona, beating Westmont (Calif.) (a team that is here this week) in the Jan. 27 opener, then their next three opponents — Vanguard (Calif.) and Hope International (Calif.) twice — that all were involved in Opening Round tournaments. The only blemish was a 10-9 loss Feb. 3 at Arizona Christian, but that might have only angered this team. What happened next no one could have seen coming.

The Warriors reeled off a program-record 28 consecutive victories. Included in that was a come-from-behind, six-run, ninth-inning rally March 25 in their first meeting against the Thunderbirds, a 9-8 victory. A day later, freshman Charlie Updegrave had a historic, three-homer, 10-RBI day (a single-game program record) in a 19-6 victory in the second game of a doubleheader.

A pair of one-run losses at Corban the weekend of April 1-3 could have set this team back, but it didn’t. Instead, LCSC won 18 of its next 19 games to set up a showdown with UBC for the Opening Round title May 18.

Just when you thought the Warriors were cruising along, adversity struck again. The Thunderbirds put up a five-run eighth inning in that game to win 7-4 and force an if-necessary game the next day.

Then to add to the tension, UBC came out and scored three runs in the first inning of said game to put all the pressure on LCSC.

“A lot of ballgame left,” fourthyear coach Jake Taylor said.

Like Nostradamus, he was correct. The Warriors scored five runs in a three-inning stretch midway through, then Day had his lightning-in-a-bottle moment.

“We just went hard all year,” said Way, a Lewiston High School graduate and LCSC mainstay who was third on the team with a .349 batting average, adding eight home runs and 52 RBI. “Our attitude and effort, we just didn’t feel any pressure. We had responsibilities as teammates for each other and we just played for each other.”

Now that the pressure is off, the stage is set and its all about going out and winning No. 20.

“We think we needed those last couple of games to get down early and have to battle back through some adversity,” Taylor said.

“We’re battle-tested and we’ll be ready to go.”

Walden may be reached at (208) 848-2258, dwalden@ lmtribune.com, or on Twitter @waldo9939.

And the Warriors did, winning their Opening Round tournament in dramatic fashion. Now they say they’re battle-tested and ready to chase after the school’s 20th NAIA title

August Frank/Tribune Riley Way, right, celebrates with his LewisClark State teammates as he comes into the dugout following a home run against Doane in the Opening Round on May 17.

Defense is the hallmark of these Bruins

> Bellevue

Location: Bellevue, Neb.

Nickname: Bruins

Coach: Duane Monlux (12th season)

Season record: 48-11

Rank in final NAIA poll: No. 6

How qualified: Won Bellevue Bracket

Number of appearances; best finish: 15th, NAIA champions in 1995

> Juice (out of five stars)

STARTERS: 

The Bruins are well-served with conference pitcher of the year Elijah Johnson at the mound.

RELIEVERS: 

There is a significant dropoff from Johnson to the rest of Bellevue’s pitching staff.

FIELDING: 

The Bruins lead the nation in fielding percentage and are currently in line for the all-time NAIA season record.

HITTING: 

With power hitters like Alec Ackerman, Brenton Davis and Conner Barnett, as well as the supremely reliable Kanta Kobayashi, Bellevue has a deep and well-rounded offense.

SPEED: 

Bellevue ranks 101st of 194 teams in stolen bases this season.

INTANGIBLES: 

The Bruins will have a special source of moral support in the stands from teammate Payton Higgins, who is making the long trip up to watch them compete in spite of his Stage 4 cancer diagnosis.

By CODY WENDT SPORTS STAFF

North Star Athletic Association champion Bellevue (Neb.) enters the final week of its season gunning not only for the Avista NAIA World Series title, but for an all-time NAIA record in fielding percentage.

“We hit the ball well, get a lot of home runs, do a pretty good job offensively, but our defense has really played well the whole year,” Bellevue coach Duane Monlux said.

The sixth-ranked Bruins (48-11) currently are fielding at a .981 clip for the season, the tiniest sliver

above the standing record of .980 set by the 2018 Jamestown (N.D.) Jimmies.

To book the 15th Series berth in program history, they rebounded from a 16-2 thrashing at the hands of Concordia (Neb.) to turn the tables with a 5-2 victory May 19 in a winner-take-all game of the Opening Round tournament in Bellevue.

Bellevue, the No. 5 seed, begins its quest for the title at 11:30 a.m. Friday against fourthseeded LSU Shreveport.

Monlux, the 12th-year coach of the Bruins, called the Pilots a “wellbalanced team” with two “dynamite pitchers” and the capacity to “hit like

Bellevue is on the cusp of setting a record for fielding percentage — and angling for its 2nd national title to boot

Bellevue Athletics/Steven Branscombe

Junior shortstop Alec Ackerman leads the team with 18 home runs, is batting .380, and was named North Star Athletic Association player of the year.

Monlux

crazy.” Bellevue’s best Series finish in his tenure so far was third place in 2016, and he hopes to put his team on a path to top that in what he sees as a challenging opener.

“It’s going to be a great matchup,” Monlux said. “I’m really looking forward to it, to see how we play. It’s going to be a dogfight for sure.”

For leadership in that dogfight, he will look to the likes of junior shortstop Alec Ackerman, who leads the team with 18 home runs, has a batting average of .380, and was named conference player of the year. Outfielder Kanta Kobayashi has a team-high .449 average and leads the nation in hits with 105.

Bruins senior Elijah Johnson won North Star pitcher of the year honors, and has totaled 147 strikeouts this season in going 11-2.

Apart from its strictly competitive endeavors, Bellevue saw a compelling human interest story play out earlier this season when outfielder Payton Higgins, who had been diagnosed

with Stage 4 lung cancer, nevertheless took to the field and competed in four games during senior weekend, resulting in his being recognized as NAIA national player of the week.

“Kudos to the NAIA,” Monlux said of the recognition for Higgins.

Higgins currently is not on the active roster, but is driving with his wife from Salt Lake City — where he has been staying for treatment — to attend the Series and lend moral support.

Wendt may be contacted at (208) 848-2268, or cwendt@lmtribune.com.

BELLEVUE STATS

Outfielder Kanta

Kobiyashi leads the Bruins in hitting with a .449 average and leads all NAIA players with 105 hits.

Bellevue Athletics

Series nuggets

By DENNY GRUBB FOR THE TRIBUNE

 The BELLEVUE Bruins are making their first Series appearance since 2019, but their 15th overall trip to the tournament. OKLAHOMA CITY has played in the Series 16 times, the most by any school that has not served as host.

 FAULKNER has now qualified for a record ninth consecutive year, and 10th time overall.

LEE UNIVERSITY held the record for consecutive appearances by a nonhost with seven. The Flames run was from 2007-13, before making the transition to NCAA II. Lee was runner-up twice at the Series.

 The team making the most Series appearances without winning a title is EMBRY-RIDDLE of Florida. The Eagles made it 13 times, advancing to the title game once. In 2005 they lost to the Stars of Oklahoma City. The Eagles are now members of the NCAA II.

 Only two teams are undefeated all-time in the Series. In 1958, SAN DIEGO STATE went 3-0 in its only appearance. KENNESAW STATE, in its only showing, went 5-0 in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1994. It joined the NCAA the following year.

Ackerman

Johnson

Stephanie

Michael Ward, PT, OCS

Kyle Knigge, DPT

Hewett, DPT

Experience a year ago fueled Pilots to make return

By RANDY ISBELLE SPORTS STAFF

LSU Shreveport coach

Brad Neffendorf hopes the experience this year at the Avista NAIA World Series is more enjoyable than last year, and that has nothing to do with what happens on the field.

The Pilots came here in 2021 and had to compete with the middle of their lineup rocked by a COVID-19 positive test. Neffendorf knew one more could result in forfeits for the team, so the LSUS players had to confine themselves their rooms between games.

“This year, we get to go eat where we want and do what we want,” Neffendorf said. “As exciting as it is to be here, we have to remember we are not here on vacation … I want them to enjoy it though.”

LSUS won its opening game last year before losing to Southeastern (Fla.) and Lewis-Clark State, two teams each in the field this year. The experience the Pilots (48-6) had last season has helped push them to a return trip to Harris Field.

“Us being here last year (plays) a decent part in why we are back,” Neffendorf said. “Good group of guys who return from that team.”

> LSU Shreveport

Location: Shreveport, La.

Nickname: Pilots

Coach: Brad Neffendorf (third season)

Season record: 48-6

Rank in final NAIA poll: No. 4

How qualified: Won Shreveport Bracket

Number of appearances; best finish: fifth, third in 2012

> Juice (out of five stars)

STARTERS: 

32 of the 54 starts for the Pilots were made by two pitchers. Kevin Miranda and Bobby Vath combined for a 24-1 record. Not a lot of depth, but with either of those two on the mound,

Leading the way is junior infielder Austin McNicholas, who leads the Pilots with 71 hits, 24 doubles and 81 runs and has a .399 average.

“Conference player of the year, definition of a baseball player, high IQ, understands who he is in the box,” Neffendorf said of McNicholas.

McNicholas leads a team that hit .360 and has outscored the opposition 603-204. LSUS has won 37 games by five or more runs, including 71-13 in a threegame sweep April 22-23 at Huston-Tillotson (Texas).

every game is winnable.

RELIEVERS: 

The low number of saves (six) might fool outside observers. The thing is you can’t earn a save when your team is winning by so much. The Pilots have a 3.60 team ERA and allow a little more than a run per game in the final three innings.

FIELDING: 

With a .972 fielding percentage, the Pilots finished in the top five in the NAIA and only are behind Bellevue for the tournament top spot. Only 22 double plays is a bit low for a solid defensive group.

The Pilots rolled through their regular-season schedule, winning 23 consecutive games at one stage and going 38-1 from Feb. 19 to the end of the regular season. However, the Red River Athletic Conference tournament gave them a good punch in the mouth as they lost their two games.

A third straight loss came in the first game of the Opening Round to Loyola (La.). LSUS was able to bounce back and win four in a row to return, including a two-run, walk-off home run by Jaylin

HITTING: 

Finished top-two in the NAIA in runs, triples, walks, average and on-base percentage. The Pilots hit double figures in runs in 31 times and topped 20 in four of them.

SPEED: 

Seven different players stole 11 or more bases on a team that finished with 190 total. Only Georgia Gwinnett had more. The 31 triples are tied for most in the NAIA.

INTANGIBLES: 

It took a walk-off home run to get the Pilots back here. LSUS scored at least six runs in their three games in the World Series in 2021 and have two stud pitchers this year.

Turner to beat the Wolfpack 9-7 in 10 innings in the May 19 winner-take-all final of the Shreveport bracket . Neffendorf said, in retrospect, those losses can only help his team.

“We have experienced everything now,” he said. “We experienced some adversary and something clicked.”

Senior Kevin Miranda and sophomore Bobby Vath anchor a starting rotation that dealt with several losses to start the season. Miranda, the RRAC pitcher of the year, is 12-1 with a 2.37

ABOVE: Bobby Vath is 12-0 with a 2.23 ERA and 117 strikeouts.

LEFT: Austin McNicholas is hitting .399, four home runs and 48 RBI as well as a team-high 24 doubles.

LSU Shreveport Athletics

earned-run average, striking out 140. Vath was named the RRAC newcomer of the year and is 12-0 with a 2.23 ERA and 117 strikeouts.

“They have ate up a lot of innings for us,” Neffendorf said. “Every time they start, they give us a chance.”

The Pilots open at 11 a.m. today against Bellevue (Neb.) (48-11) in a matchup that could feature two of the best arms in the NAIA. The only pitcher to have more strikeouts than Miranda this season is the Bruins’ Elijah Johnson, who has 147.

LSU SHREVEPORT STATS

LSUS has balance on offense, on the mound

Nettendorf

LEFT: Lewis-Clark State shortstop Riley Way (1) runs forward to snare a ground ball against British Columbia in the final game of the NAIA Opening Round May 18 in Lewiston.

BELOW: LCSC second baseman A.J. Davis (25) leaps up as British Columbia Mike Fitzsimmons slides into second base in the same game.

August Frank/Tribune

Cast as ‘villains,’ Warriors insist they’re unfazed by outside noise

LCSC

By STEPHAN WIEBE SPORTS STAFF

For the first-time in 23 years, Lewis-Clark State wasn’t guaranteed a spot in this year’s Avista NAIA World Series. But these veteran-laden Warriors didn’t want it any other way.

LCSC earned its berth via an Opening Round run that saw it trailing in an if-necessary game against British Columbia only for the Warriors to rally back and seal the deal with a 6-3 victory May 19 at Harris Field.

Step 1 complete.

“We’re kinda like the villain,” said LCSC pitcher Dawson Day, who earned the victory on the mound. “Everyone is out to get us, so we take that as a chip on our shoulder and we’re just out there to play hard and kinda see what happens.

“Obviously, the goal is to win the World Series and we’ll just take it one game at a time from there.”

LCSC coach Jake Taylor

> See LCSC, Page 18

> Lewis-Clark State

Location: Lewiston

Nickname: Warriors

Coach: Jake Taylor (fourth season)

Season record: 54-5

Rank in final NAIA poll: No. 5

How qualified: Won Lewiston bracket

Number of appearances; best finish: 40; NAIA champions in 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2015, 2016, 2017

> Juice (out of five stars)

STARTERS: «««½

Chavarria (8-1, 2.43 ERA) has developed into the veteran, No. 1 option, while Washington State transfer Sellers and Holmes have been solid — more or less — in their first full Warrior seasons. Otherwise, there isn’t much big-game experience here. The back end of the rotation has been a question mark all year.

RELIEVERS: «««

Parker and Blackman probably are LCSC’s hardest throwers, and they’ll be called on first in tricky situations and crunch time. They’ve combined for 67 strikeouts in 65 innings. Thomason has started seven

games, but he’ll help out the bullpen too. Seven other relievers have been in-and-out and hit-and-miss.

FIELDING: «««««

LCSC ranks third in the country in fielding percentage at .978. Davis tops the NAIA with a perfect percentage. The Warriors have turned 63 more double plays (99) than errors committed. Taylor said his team’s defense has been an underrated key to success.

HITTING: «««««

A much less underrated key to success, the Warriors’ potent bats have produced crooked numbers like clock-

work. Their offense ranks top three in the NAIA in each major per-game category, and eight in the lineup hit above .300.

SPEED: «««½

Way often gets the nod to steal, and he often thrives in that respect (26-for-30). Johnson is 11-for-13, but no one else has swiped more than five bags. Athleticism in the outfield also has been a plus.

INTANGIBLES: ««½

The numbers are glowing, but how much of it is fool’s gold? The Cascade Conference was notably weak this season, and LCSC hasn’t played against an opponent with a winning record since February.

is veteran-laden and having earned their ticket in are out to prove haters wrong

>Continued from PAGE 17

echoed Day’s sentiment.

“As we know, our goal the entire season up to this point is not just to make it,” Taylor said. “We’re going (there) to win the thing.”

With qualification out of the way for fifth-ranked LCSC (54-5), the team turns its attention to its first-round opponent, which happens to be a familiar face.

The third-seeded Warriors will face sixth-seeded Westmont (Calif.) at 7 p.m. today at Harris Field — the same team they opened the season against Jan. 27 in Santa Barbara, Calif. The Warriors won that one 5-3.

“We played them so we’re somewhat familiar, however, each team has played 50-plus games since that point, so both teams will be completely different,” Taylor said.

For the local Warriors, everything begins with its veteran leadership. Of the team’s nine players with the most starts in the lineup, seven of them are seniors.

It all starts with local middle infielders Riley

senior left-hander Day (10-0, 2.21) are among the deadliest in the NAIA.

Several other Warriors have had to play out of position this season as the team worked to find its best lineup, including catchers Zach Threlfall and Matt James in the outfield, first baseman Coy Stout at third base and second baseman Pu’ukani De Sa at third base. But

none of them complained, Taylor said.

“This team is not interested in their own stats, they’re not interested in anything other than team success at the end of the game,” Taylor said. “I think that’s where we’ve probably grown the most.”

Wiebe may be contacted at (208) 848-2260, swiebe@lmtribune.com or on Twitter @StephanSports.

LEWIS-CLARK STATE STATS

August Frank/Tribune

Lewis-Clark State pitcher Dawson Day (35) throws a pitch against Doane on May 17 in an Opening Round contest. Day sports a 10-0 record for the Warriors this season with an earned-run average of 2.21.

Way at shortstop and A.J. Davis at second base. Way is a Lewiston High School graduate and Davis a Clarkston High School product, and the duo has a knack for connecting on double plays. The two have been in the program for five years.

“The team has kinda taken on their characteristics, their leadership and work ethic,” Taylor said.

Statistically, speedy senior center fielder Sam Linscott is tops on the team in average (.396), games started and played (57), runs scored (77) and stolen bases (25), while senior first baseman and former Bengal Luke White is the top power hitter with 19 home runs and 73 RBI.

On the mound, the duo of junior right-hander Trent Sellers (12-0, 2.00 ERA) and

2022 NAIA WORLD SERIES PREVIEW / LEWISTON TRIBUNEFRIDAY, MAY 27, 2022

Keeping it simple: Bulldogs achieve their goal

By TREVAN PIXLEY FOR THE TRIBUNE

The Tennessee Wesleyan baseball team has anxiously been waiting for its return to Harris Field for another chance to be crowned Avista NAIA World Series champions.

“It was super disappointing not being here last year,” Tennessee Wesleyan baseball coach Billy Berry said. “It’s great to get this group back here after feeling like we deserved to be here last year.”

The Bulldogs (54-6) were ranked No. 1 in the country for most of 2021, but ultimately fell to Indiana University Southeast in the semifinal of the Kingsport (Tenn.) Opening Round bracket

“Our goal was simple this year, make it back to Lewiston,” said Berry, whose team is returning for the first time since winning the title in 2019.

ABOVE: Livan Reinoso not only rakes at the plate — he leads to team in batting average (.422), hits (94), home runs (30) and runs batted in (93) — but is also a reliever on the Bulldogs pitching staff.

RIGHT: A preseason All-American, senior lefty Kobe Foster is 13-0 record with a 1.13 ERA and 132 strikeouts this season.

Tennessee Wesleyan Athletics

> Tennessee Wesleyan

Location: Athens, Tenn.

Nickname: Bulldogs

Coach: Billy Berry (fifth season in second stint, 15th year overall at school)

Season record: 54-6

Rank in final NAIA poll: No. 2

How qualified: Won Kingsport (Tenn.) Bracket

Number of appearances; best finish: sixth, NAIA national champion in 2012 and 2019.

> Juice (out of five stars)

STARTERS: 

The Bulldogs have two extremely solid starting pitchers in Kobe Foster and Robert Gonzalez, and the two can go the distance and win games.

RELIEVERS: 

When Gonzalez or Foster leave the mound, the Bulldogs will have more than capable replacements. Pitching will be the highlight of the Tennessee

Wesleyan baseball team.

FIELDING: 

The Bulldogs have one of the best outfields in the country, highlighted by center fielder Jarmayne Ward. He comes into the World Series with a .956 fielding percentage. As a whole, the Bulldogs have a .965 fielding percentage.

HITTING: 

The Bulldogs never are out of a game with Livan Reinoso in the line-

The Bulldogs entered the Opening Round on an 11-game winning streak, including sweeping through the Appalachian Athletic Conference tournament. Tennessee Wesleyan averaged nine runs per game during that span.

“The biggest difference about our offense this year is we’re not a onetrick pony,” Berry said. “Last year we led the country in home runs, but this year we were way more dynamic.”

Tennessee Wesleyan still was effective in hitting the ball over the fence, notching 105 home runs, but it added 148 doubles, and stole more than 110 bases.

“(We) have the ability to score runs in a variety of ways,” Berry said. “We’ve been able to start innings with the short game, whether that’s laying down a bunt or stealing a base.”

The pitching staff for the Bulldogs is highlighted by preseason All American Kobe Foster. The senior left-hander is 13-0 record with a 1.13

up. He’s hitting .422 with 30 home runs and 93 RBI. A sleeper might be Carson Ford, who despite just hitting .266 from the leadoff spot is dangerous.

SPEED: 

Speed is one of the biggest strengths for the Bulldogs. They’ve racked up 148 doubles and 112 stolen bases.

INTANGIBLES: ½

The Bulldogs seem suited to make a deep run. They have talent in the bullpen and at the dish. They’ve also won nine out of their past 10.

After missing out in 2021, Tennessee Wesleyan hopes dynamic offense busts out

Berry

ERA and 132 strikeouts.

“The numbers really speak for themselves,” Berry said. “It’s nice to have a guy like that on the mound for your team. It gives everyone confidence.”

Robert Gonzalez is the other starting pitcher the Bulldogs have turned to. Another senior left-hander, he is 9-3 with a 3.31 ERA and 87 strikeouts with 11 walks.

“He’s a really good mixup guy,” Berry said. “When he’s on with his changeup, it makes it really hard for the other team.”

The Bulldogs’ relievers aren’t strikeout pitchers in comparison to the starting staff, but they make up for it in speed.

Tennessee Wesleyan’s bullpen is highlighted by senior Livan Reinoso and sophomore right-hander Liam Dollan.

“They both have great fastballs,” Berry said. “They can get it up to 9596 miles per hour.”

In the final game of the Opening Round, Dollan pitched the final 3ž innings to close out it out and pick up his ninth save of the season.

“He was able to come in and do his job,” Berry said. “(Liam) and (Livan) both have the ability to go late in games and throw

heat to close it out.”

Reinoso also is a stud offensively, hitting .422 with 94 hits, 30 home runs and 93 RBI, which ranks second nationally.

Sophomore Carson Ford

is another hitter to keep an eye on, according to Berry.

“He won the freshman of the year award last year,” Berry said. “He might not have had the start that he wanted this year, but he’s due for a breakout game.”

Ford currently is hitting .266 with 53 hits and 13 home runs.

TWU got a first-round bye and will take on the winner of today’s Faulkner (Ala.)-Webber International (Fla.) game at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Harris Field.

TENNESSEE WESLEYAN STATS

World Series nuggets

By DENNY GRUBB FOR THE TRIBUNE

 Three teams are making their initial appearance in the NAIA World Series this year: MIDAMERICA NAZARENE, WESTMONT and WEBBER INTERNATIONAL bring the total number of different institutions to play in the tournament to 201 in its 65 years. Since the first Series in 1957 there is only one year, 2019, in which a new team did not participate in the Series. A total of 32% — 63 of the 198 teams — making their first appearance in the series have gone 0-2. There are currently 204 NAIA schools that have baseball programs.

 Thirteen of the previous 198 schools won the championship in their first NAIA World Series appearance. The last team to do it was this year’s participant, Southeastern, which went undefeated in 2018 to claim the crown. Two teams have lost their Series debut and come back to win the title. In 1964, WEST LIBERTY STATE lost its first game in 16 innings to WARTBURG COLLEGE. The Hilltoppers then won five consecutive games, including two against GRAMBLING on championship day, to claim their only crown. BELLEVUE did the same in 1995. After losing their Series maiden voyage on a walk-off two-run home run, the

Bruins fought back for five straight victories, all by three runs or less, for their only Series title.

 For the third time in the Series history, the state of Florida has sent two teams to the series, SOUTHEASTERN and Webber. The first series to include two teams from the same state was in 1983, when Texas was represented by LUBBOCK CHRISTIAN and SOUTHWESTERN. The record for most teams from one state in a series is three. In 2010 Tennessee was represented by CUMBERLAND, LEE UNIVERSITY and TENNESSEE WESLEYAN. Cumberland defeated Lee in the finals, the second time in series history teams from the same state met in the championship game. The other time was 1999, when LEWIS-CLARK STATE defeated ALBERTSON (now COLLEGE OF IDAHO) in the title game at Jupiter, Fla., just over 2,900 miles from the Idaho state border.

 LCSC is Series host for the 30th time, including the current streak of 22 consecutive events. Of the total Series games played since 1957, 51% (541 of 1,068) have been played at Harris Field. The Warriors have played in 150 games on their home field, just less than 28% of all Series games in Lewiston, and have a record of 114-36 at Lewiston. Overall the Warriors are 148-52 in the Series, and will be playing in their 201st Series game today.

Gonzalez

The game has changed for Southeastern

For Floridians, expectations are not to just get to Series, but to bring back the title

By TROY WARZOCHA FOR THE TRIBUNE

In all fairness to Southeastern, if you had asked someone a decade ago about a team from Florida landing at the Avista NAIA World Series in 2022 with a chance to win a second title in four years, there’s at least two other schools that likely would make that claim to fame.

That duo probably would be EmbryRiddle Aeronautical University and St. Thomas — both of which made multiple trips to Lewiston before SEU’s maiden voyage in 2018.

But unlike those teams, it is the Fire who not only managed to break through and claim their first title by running the table in 2018, but return as the top seed in this year’s tournament as well.

Southeastern Athletics

Brian Fuentes is the offensive spark plug for the Fire, hitting .421 with 15 doubles, 20 homers and 82 runs batted in.

Dinkel

“I think expectations have changed,” said Southeastern coach Adrian Dinkel, who is in his sixth year at the helm. “I think expectations have risen. I think the expectation now is to get there and to win national titles.

“When I first took over, it was hoping to get there and see what happens. Now the expectation is that we need to make it to the World Series, and when we get there, we need to make a run at it.”

The Fire (54-3) secured the top seed in the Series after sweeping through the Upland (Ind.) bracket, and in the process, ran their Opening Round win streak to 12 games. While the tournament itself starts Friday, Southeastern’s first game will be at 3 p.m. Saturday against the winner of No. 8 seed Georgia Gwinnett and No. 9 seed MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.).

Should Georgia Gwinnett (45-14) prevail in the first round, it would set up a juicy rematch between the teams. Last year, Southeastern, which also was the No. 1 seed, was upended by the Grizzlies as Georgia Gwinnett went unbeaten to secure its first title.

> Southeastern

Location: Lakeland, Fla.

Nickname: Fire

Coach: Adrian Dinkel (sixth season)

Season record: 54-3

Rank in final NAIA poll: No. 1

How qualified: Won Upland (Ind.) Bracket

Number of appearances; best finish: four; NAIA champions in 2018.

> Juice (out of five stars)

STARTERS: ½

Starters Robb Adams and Drew Gillespie were a combined 24-1 this season and were major reasons the Fire were tied for the top earned-run average in the NAIA.

RELIEVERS: 

The bullpen is deep and efficient — led by Alex Munroe, Eston Stull and Washington State graduate transfer Bryce Moyle.

FIELDING: ½

Technically, this will be SEU’s fourth consecutive appearance in the Series — not counting 2020 when the tournament was cancelled because of the pandemic. Despite failing to follow up on their title from 2018, the Fire tend to run deep in the tournament, lasting until after Memorial Day in each of their three previous appearances.

As a team, the Fire feature the ability to make contact and to punish pitching mistakes with the long ball. Through 57 games, SEU leads the NAIA in batting average at .365 and launched 108 home runs — good for third nationally. Overall, the Fire were one of only two teams to rack up 700plus hits this season.

On the hill, Southeastern was as dominant, posting the best earnedrun average (3.01, tied with LewisClark State and Georgia Gwinnett) and the second-best strikeouts per nine innings in the NAIA.

Leading the way offensively is senior infielder Brian Fuentes, who became the second player in program history to reach 20 home runs in a season. A well-rounded hitter,

With a fielding percentage of .956 and 89 errors on the season, the Fire lag behind many of their peers in this year’s Series and this area might be the team’s only glaring weakness.

HITTING: ½

Southeastern boasts the top batting average and the third-most home runs in the NAIA this season. Overall, the Fire were one of only two teams to tally 700plus hits this season.

SPEED: ½

Not the most fleet-footed team in the Series, the Fire were able to steal 102 bases this season while being caught 30 times.

INTANGIBLES: 

The coaching staff knows what it takes to win a title, and the program typically makes deep runs in this tournament. There’s good reason to believe the 2022 version won’t be much different than in years past.

SOUTHEASTERN STATS

Fuentes batted .421 this season, tallying 15 doubles and 82 RBI.

Fuentes is flanked by senior utility man and program leader in home runs Abdel Guadalupe as well as junior catcher/first baseman Gary Lora. The two players hit just south of .400 this season, unloading 18 home runs each.

Toeing the rubber will be junior left-hander Robb Adams, who was named Sun Conference pitcher of the year after notching a 14-1 record in 16 starts, posting an

ERA of 1.58 and 119 strikeouts.

Bryce Moyle, a graduate transfer from Washington State, has been reliable in 13 appearances — including earning the win in the conference title game and the Opening Round title game.

“We just look for good kids and good players that play hard,” Dinkel said. “I think for us, it just hasn’t been one guy. We feel like we’ve had multiple guys step up and do good things.”

Southeastern Athletics

Senior left-hander Bryce Moyle is 3-0 with a 2.32 ERA. He transferred from Washington State before this season.

Guadalupe