Schedule for the first two days of the 67th NAIA Baseball National Championship, Friday-Saturday, May 24-31, Harris Field, Lewiston, ID (all times PDT):
Friday, 8:35 AM: #8 seed Kansas Wesleyan (48-10) vs. #9 Arizona Christian (36-19)
Kansas Wesleyan (Salina) is making their first trip to the Baseball National Championship. They won the regular season championship of the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference by a four-game margin. Twitter: @KWUBaseball
Nickname: Coyotes
Rankings: #20 in coaches’ poll
Quality wins: 3-0 vs. Tabor, Concordia-Nebraska, LSU-Shreveport
Top position players: SS Jarrett Gable (.386, 19 HR, 76 RBI), C Tyler Favretto (Montreal; .358, 17 HR, 57 RBI), OF Kendall Foster (.353, 23 HR, 61 RBI), OF Jacob Williamson (.323, 17 HR, 58 RBI), 3B Reece Bishop (.315, 13 HR, 56 RBI)
Top pitchers: RHP Jarrett Brannen (11-1, 3.94 ERA, 77 K), RHP Brett Maddock (9-2, 5.35 ERA, 75 K), RHP K.T. Gearlds (2-0, 0.99 ERA, 40 K), RHP Ritter Steinmann (2-1, 1.99 ERA, 49 K)
Coach: Bill Neale, tenth season
Outlook: Will be fortunate to get a win. And if they get by Arizona Christian, their next game will be against Southeastern.
Adrian Santa Cruz – photo by Tucker House
Arizona Christian (Glendale) is making their first trip to the Baseball National Championship. They finished third in the Golden State Athletic Conference. Twitter: @ACUBaseball1
Nickname: Firestorm
Rankings: Unranked in coaches’ poll
Quality wins: Tennessee Wesleyan, Oklahoma City, Lewis-Clark State, British Columbia
Top position players: OF Marques Titialii (.384, 24 HR, 83 RBI), OF Andrew Ivy (.344, 8 HR, 43 RBI), 1B/LHP Trey Tarver (.343, 12 HR, 44 RBI, and 0-6, 5.18 ERA, 43 K on the mound), OF/IF Kane Kiaunis (.330, 12 HR, 54 RBI), OF/1B Jared Anderson (.326, 5 HR, 41 RBI). Titialii’s 24 home runs are eighth-best in the NAIA.
Top pitchers: RHP Adrian Santa Cruz (9-4, 4.09 ERA, 100 K), RHP Eli Elliott (7-4, 3.20 ERA, 99 K), RHP Chay Esqueda (2-0, 3.86 ERA, 47 K), RHP Jackson Hohensee (4-2, 6.04 ERA, 73 K in 44 IP). Santa Cruz pitched a complete game shutout vs. Lewis-Clark State in the Opening Round.
Coach: Joe McDonald, sixth season
Outlook: After an OK season in a strong conference, the Firestorm got here by winning the strongest opening round bracket. They could do some damage.
11:35 AM: #4 Hope International (40-15) vs. #5 Reinhardt (41-16)
Hope International (Fullerton, CA) is making their second appearance in the Baseball National Championship. The first one was in 2017. They won the Golden State Athletic Conference regular season championship. Twitter: @HIURoyals
Nickname: Royals
Rankings: #10 in coaches’ poll
Quality wins: 7-0 vs. Ottawa-Arizona, 1-1 vs. Westmont, 2-1 vs. Arizona Christian, 3-3 vs. Jessup, Central Methodist
Top position players: IF J.J. Cruz (.408, 12 HR, 70 RBI), IF David Rivera (.389, 12 HR, 53 RBI), IF Alex Moreno (.387, 6 HR, 43 RBI), OF Dean Tolgo (.353, 12 HR, 44 RBI)
Top pitchers: RHP Justin Drury (9-0, 3.41 ERA, 61 K), RHP Trey Seeley (9-3, 3.95 ERA, 116 K), RHP Steven Ordorica (2-1, 2.88 ERA, 40 K), RHP Boom Ward (0-0, 2.60 ERA, 29 K)
Coach: Larry Mahoney, third season
Outlook: The Royals are the champions of a strong conference, and had the best strength of schedule coming into the opening round. They are a contender.
Reinhardt (Waleska, GA) is making their second appearance in the Baseball National Championship. The first one was in 2018. They won the regular season championship of the Appalachian Athletic Conference. Twitter: @RUBaseballAAC
The Eagles won a close race for this season’s United Nations Award. They have three players from Panama, two from Canada, one from Australia, and one from Venezuela.
Nickname: Eagles
Rankings: #9 in coaches’ poll
Quality wins: Taylor, 3-0 vs. Tennessee Wesleyan, 2-2 vs. Southeastern, 2-0 vs. Keiser
Top position players: OF Dylan Lewis (.431, 21 HR, 69 RBI), IF Jarrett Burney (.372, 8 HR, 49 RBI), 1B Nash Crowell (Yarmouth, Nova Scotia; .359, 23 HR, 69 RBI), OF Tucker Zdunich (High River, Alberta; .352, 16 HR, 56 RBI)
Top pitchers: RHP Andrew Herbert (10-1, 1.81 ERA, 80 K), RHP Brett Allen (5-1, 2-61 ERA, 75 K), RHP Ben Medley (7-4, 5.94 ERA, 52 K), RHP Alex Galvez (Panama City, Panama; 4-2, 3.68 ERA, 32 K). Herbert and Darien Smith of Southeastern are tied for the fourth-lowest ERA in the NAIA.
Coach: Jonathan Burton, sixth season
Outlook: The Eagles should finish in the middle of the pack.
3:05 PM: #3 U. of the Cumberlands (51-6) vs. #6 Tennessee Wesleyan (40-16)
University of the Cumberlands (Williamsburg, KY) is making their second consecutive appearance in the Baseball National Championship. They finished 0-2 last year. They won the regular season and tournament championships of the Mid-South Conference. Twitter: @PatsBaseballUC
Nickname: Patriots
Rankings: #3 in coaches’ poll
Quality wins: Reinhardt, Taylor, Indiana Southeast, Concordia-Nebraska, Loyola-New Orleans
Top position players: C Charlie Muñiz (Naranjito, Dominican Republic; .429, 34 HR, 96 RBI), OF Evan St. Claire (.420, 19 HR, 95 RBI), OF Christian Thompson (.397, 39 RBI), IF Alec Gonzalez (.383, 9 HR, 49 RBI), IF Caden Petrey (.372, 25 HR, 74 RBI), IF Max Harper (.369, 21 HR, 70 RBI). Muñiz leads the NAIA in home runs and RBI. St. Claire is second in RBI. Petrey’s 25 home runs are tied for sixth.
Top pitchers: RHP Cesar Avila (12-0, 2.66 ERA, 114 K), RHP Knicko Billings (9-0, 3.21 ERA, 99 K), LHP Kailem Hamson (Gold Coast, Australia; 6-0, 5.47 ERA, 73 K), LHP Wesley Culley (4-1, 5.36 ERA, 49 K), LHP Cooper Morgan (Canberra, Australia; 4-0, 3.48 ERA, 47 K), RHP Dustin Sprong (5-2, 5.97 ERA, 45 K), RHP Chipper Korbacher (0-1, 2.11 ERA, 31 K, 11 saves). Avila and Darien Smith of Southeastern are tied for most wins. Korbacher is fourth in saves.
Coach: Brad Shelton, 23th season
Outlook: The Patriots went two-and-out last year, but look much better this year. They could be a contender.
Tennessee Wesleyan (Athens, TN) is making their seventh appearance in the Baseball National Championship. They won the championship in 2012 and 2019. They won the Appalachian Athletic Conference tournament. Twitter: @TWU_Baseball
Nickname: Bulldogs
Rankings: #13 in coaches’ poll
Quality wins: Hope International, U. of the Cumberlands, Reinhardt, Webber International
Top position players: IF/C Evan Magill (Ajax, Ontario; .377, 9 HR, 41 RBI), OF Jack Stevens (.356, 11 HR, 53 RBI), OF Kruise Newman (.355, 14 HR, 44 RBI), OF Braxton Turner (.342, 17 HR, 42 RBI), IF Marco Martinez (.339, 13 HR, 55 RBI)
Top pitchers: LHP Blake Peyton (9-1, 2.03 ERA, 126 K), RHP Sam Rochard (7-2, 4.06 ERA, 68 K), RHP Daniel Davila (7-3, 4.28 ERA, 67 K), RHP Jake Sergent (4-2, 5.47 ERA, 57 K), RHP Gage Vailes (3-2, 3.45 ERA, 56 K). Peyton is tied with Darien Smith of Southeastern for second-most strikeouts in the NAIA.
Coach: Billy Berry, 17th season
Outlook: The Bulldogs should get a win.
7:05 PM: #7 William Carey (37-14) vs. #10 Indiana Southeast (36-18)
William Carey (Hattiesburg, MS) is making their fifth appearance at the Baseball National Championship. They went 2-2 last year. They won the championship in 1969. They won the Southern States Athletic Conference tournament. Twitter: @CareyAthletics
Nickname: Crusaders
Rankings: #15 in coaches’ poll
Quality wins: 1-1 vs. Missouri Baptist, Georgia Gwinnett, 3-0 vs. Loyola-New Orleans, 2-2 vs. Blue Mountain Christian
Top position players: OF R.J. Stinson (.403, 8 HR, 50 RBI), IF Jake Lycette (.293, 7 HR, 60 RBI), IF Bridley Thomas (.296, 4 HR, 30 RBI), OF Bailee Hendon (.289, 10 HR, 58 RBI)
Top pitchers: RHP Andrew Shirah (8-4, 5.15 ERA, 51 K), LHP Dario Herrera (6-1, 4.73 ERA, 87 K), RHP Luke Lycette (7-1, 1.41 ERA, 45 K), RHP John Snyder (0-1, 1.23 ERA, 43 K, 13 saves). Snyder has the second-most saves in the NAIA.
Coach: Bobby Halford, 39th season
Outlook: The Crusaders should finish in the middle of the pack.
Indiana Southeast (New Albany) is making their second appearance at the Baseball National Championship. The previous appearance was in 2021, and they went 2-2. Twitter: @GrenadierDugout
Nickname: Grenadiers
Rankings: Unranked in coaches’ poll
Quality wins: 2-0 vs. Missouri Baptist, Taylor
Top position players: UTIL Mason White (.423, 17 HR, 73 RBI), OF Colin Long (.372, 37 RBI), OF/LHP Luke Powell (.313, 5 HR, 41 RBI, and 0-1, 2.61 ERA, 17 K on the mound), 3B/1B Max Flock (.270, 6 HR, 41 RBI)
Top pitchers: RHP Luke Schafer (9-3, 2.51 ERA, 112 K), RHP Tyler Yotkewich (8-5, 5.58 ERA, 62 K), RHP Garrett Hill (3-0, 2.27 ERA, 45 K), RHP Connor Sims (4-2, 3.23 ERA, 63 K)
Coach: Brett Neffendorf, first season
Outlook: Happy to be here.
Saturday, 3:05 PM: #1 Southeastern (51-6) vs. Kansas Wesleyan-Arizona Christian winner
Southeastern (Lakeland, FL) is making their sixth straight appearance at the Baseball National Championship. They were semifinalists last year, with a 3-2 record. They won the championship in 2018 and 2022. They won the regular season (with a four-game margin) and tournament championships of The Sun Conference. Twitter: @SEUFireBaseball
Nickname: Fire
Rankings: #1 in coaches’ poll
Quality wins: Hope International, Lewis-Clark State, 2-1 vs. Taylor, Bellevue, 5-0 vs. Webber International, 4-1 vs. Keiser, 2-0 vs. Science and Arts of Oklahoma
Top position players: IF Isaac Nunez (.340, 14 HR, 57 RBI), C/1B Gary Lora (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; .306, 12 HR, 45 RBI), OF Josh Pigozzo (.337, 12 HR, 40 RBI), C David Castillo (Chiriqui, Panama; .353, 27 RBI), IF Tommy Davis (.336, 37 RBI)
Top pitchers: RHP Darien Smith (12-0, 1.81 ERA, 126 K), RHP Reese Wissinger (1-0, 4.11 ERA, 23 K in 13 1/3 IP), LHP Robb Adams (8-2, 2.20 ERA, 83 K), RHP Ramsey David (6-1, 2.56 ERA, 84 K), LHP Cobe Reeves (5-1, 2.41 ERA, 63 K). Smith and Andrew Herbert of Reinhardt are tied for the fourth-lowest ERA in the NAIA. Smith and Cesar Avila of U. of the Cumberlands are tied for most wins. Smith is tied with Blake Peyton of Tennessee Wesleyan for second-most strikeouts in the NAIA.
Coach: Adrian Dinkel, eighth season
Outlook: The Fire are again the team to beat. They were ranked #1 during the entire season.
6:35 PM: #2 Georgia Gwinnett (51-7) vs. William Carey-Indiana Southeast winner
Georgia Gwinnett (Lawrenceville) is making their seventh trip to Lewiston. They went 0-2 last year. They won the championship in 2021. They won the Continental Athletic Conference regular season and tournament championships. Twitter: @GGC_Baseball
Nickname: Grizzlies
Rankings: #2 in coaches’ poll
Quality wins: Missouri Baptist, 1-1 vs. Loyola-New Orleans, 3-1 vs. Tennessee Wesleyan, 2-1 vs. Faulkner
Top position players: IF Braxton Megular (.385, 60 RBI), OF Ajay Sczepkowski (.424, 19 HR, 90 RBI), OF Blaze O’Saben (.454, 14 HR, 82 RBI), IF Jackson Cobb (.403, 61 RBI), OF Henry Daniels (.392, 20 HR, 70 RBI), IF Paul Winland Jr. (.363, 14 HR, 85 RBI). O’Saben’s batting average is the sixth best in the NAIA. Sczepkowski is fourth best in the NAIA in RBI. O’Saben has 50 stolen bases, and Sczepkowski has 49; third and fourth best in the NAIA.
Top pitchers: RHP Gage Williams (11-1, 4.81 ERA, 123 K), RHP Ben Harris (10-1, 2.52 ERA, 94 K), LHP Tyler Clayton (8-0, 3.06 ERA, 93 K), Kaleb Hill (10-1, 2.01 ERA, 92 K), RHP Tyler Martin (5-0, 1.82 ERA, 40 K). Williams has the fourth-most strikeouts in the NAIA.
Coach: Jeremy Sheetinger, fifth season
Outlook: As was the case last year, they got in with a weak schedule, but they did win the second-strongest Opening Round bracket. They should finish in the middle of the pack.
Predicted order of finish:
Southeastern
U. Of the Cumberlands
Hope International
Arizona Christian
Georgia Gwinnett
Reinhardt
William Carey
Tennessee Wesleyan
Kansas Wesleyan
Indiana Southeast
If the top four seeds all win their first games, Monday’s matchups will be Southeastern vs. Hope International (3:05 PM) and Georgia Gwinnett vs. U. of the Cumberlands (6:35 PM). Tournament bracket Schedule and Results News Releases
In a long-standing Lewiston tradition, all games are audio webcast by KOZE Radio, free of charge. Video webcasts for the first 15 games of the tournament are by HUDL. It’s $14.95 per day, or $39.95 for all 19 games. Live stats are available for all games by clicking here. The semifinal and final games will also be streamed live by ESPN 3.