Schedule for the first two days of the 57^th NAIA Baseball National Championship, Friday-Saturday, May 24-25, Harris Field, Lewiston, ID (all times PDT):

9 AM: #8 seed Sterling (48-12) vs. #9 Missouri Baptist (35-12)

Sterling (Sterling, KS) is making their first appearance at the Baseball National Championship.
Nickname: Warriors
Rankings: #15 in coaches' poll, #31 in ISR. Strength of schedule: #105
Quality wins: Oklahoma City, Science and Arts of Oklahoma, 1-1 vs. York
Top position players: IF Joe Battaglia (.422, 10 HR, 63 RBI), IF Joe Williams (.395), OF Jared Forbush (.391)
Top pitchers: RHP Steven Cazares (9-1, 0.86 ERA), RHP Daniel Cloteaux (10-3, 2.81 ERA, 70 K). Cazare's ERA is second-lowest in the NAIA.
Coach: Adrian Dinkel, second season
Outlook: Happy to be here.

Missouri Baptist (Saint Louis) is making their first appearance at the Baseball National Championship.
Nickname: Spartans
Rankings: #20 in coaches' poll, #23 in ISR. SoS: #56
Quality wins: 2-1 vs. Tennessee Wesleyan, including a 19-inning win in the final of the Kingsport bracket. 1-1 vs. Cumberland, 1-1 vs. Lindsey Wilson
Top position players: IF Patrick Johnson (.387), OF Ryan Gunhouse (.373, 7 HR, 40 RBI), IF Pier Olivier-Dostaler (.322, 34 RBI), IF Joseph Taylor (.241, 9 HR, 43 RBI). Olivier-Dostaler is one of six Canadians on the Spartans' roster, and they also have two Puerto Ricans.
Top pitchers: RHP Ethan Gibbons (10-0, 2.09 ERA, 85 K), RHP Julien Soucy (5-2, 1.90 ERA)
Coach: Eddy Uschold, 14th season
Outlook: The Spartans will go home with a win.

The Rieleros de Aguascalientes (“Railroaders”) split a Mexican League double-header at home against the Saraperos de Saltillo (“Serape Makers”) on May 15. The Rieleros won the first game 7-3, and lost the second game 10-4. A double-header (two seven-inning games) was played because of a rainout the previous night.

First game: The starters were Fredy Quintero for the Rieleros, and Victor Garate for the Saraperos. Quintero was in the Dodgers organization in 2008 and 2009. Garate, a Venezuelan left-hander, made four appearances for the Nationals in 2009. He was in the Astros, Dodgers, and Brewers organizations from 2005 to 2012.

Neither of the starters lasted very long. The Saraperos opened the scoring with a sacrifice fly by CF Jesus Cota in the top of the first. The Rieleros answered with an RBI single by CF Rene Reyes and a two-RBI double by 1B Willis Otanez. (Otanez played three games for the Orioles in 1998, and split the 1999 season between the Orioles and Blue Jays; he hit seven home runs in 1999.)

In the top of the third inning, Rufino Candelario reached first on an error with one out. He was forced out at second when 3B Henry Mateo hit a ground ball, and Mateo reached on a fielder's choice. (Mateo is a Dominican Republican who played six seasons with the Expos/Nationals.) The Saraperos then executed a perfect hit-and-run. Daniel Castro hit a slash bunt toward the shortstop, and Mateo had a good enough head start so that there was no play. A walk loaded the bases, but a fly out ended the inning with the bases loaded.

Missouri Baptist will be making their first-ever trip to the National Championship tournament. They defeated defending champion Tennessee Wesleyan 4-3 (19 innings) in the “if necessary” game of the Kingsport bracket. The Spartans led 3-1 going into the bottom of the ninth inning, and starter Ethan Gibbons held the Bulldogs to seven hits over the first eight innings; the only run he allowed was on a wild pitch. The Spartans got a run in the fourth on an RBI single by C Garrett Vail, and two runs in the seventh on a home run by DH Joe Stropp. Gibbons got two quick outs in the bottom of the ninth, but the next two batters got base hits. The next batter hit a ground ball to second that should have ended the game, but it was bobbled, and a run scored. The Bulldogs sent it into extra innings with an RBI single by CF Travis Burnside.

The Bulldogs left the winning run on third in the bottom of the tenth and 15th. The Spartans left the bases loaded in the top of the 12th, and left runers on second in the tenth, 13th, 14th, and 16th innings. The Spartans got the winning run when SS Patrick Johnson opened the 19th with a single, went to second on a walk, and was bunted to third. He scored on a sacrifice fly by Vail.

Seven of the nine Opening Round brackets were decided today, and two “if necessary” games will be played on Monday, May 13.

Sterling was the first team to qualify for this year's National Championship tournament. They won the Oklahoma City bracket by defeating Oklahoma City 1-0 in the final. Steven Cazares pitched a three-hit shutout for the Warriors. The only run of the game came on an RBI single by C Ian Josh in the second inning.

The Warriors got to the final by defeating Science and Arts of Oklahoma 8-5, and Jamestown 13-3. DH Andrew Clark hit a grand slam home run against USAO; Daniel Cloteaux got the win, despite allowing 13 hits and walking four in six inning of work (story). The Warriors got six runs in the first inning against Jamestown, led by a bases-loaded triple by 3B Anthony Feliciano. Feliciano, from Bayamon, Puerto Rico, had a total of six RBI for the game. The Warriors used four pitchers, gave up 14 hits (story).

This will be Sterling's first-ever appearance in the National Championship tournament. The school is located in Sterling, KS. It has 674 students, and supports 16 varsity sports.

Watch this site for updates on sites for each bracket and live video. Click here for the NAIA's schedule and results page.

The NAIA Coaches' poll for May 5, with Boyd Nation's ISR ranking. Recap below.

The NAIA Coaches' poll for April 30, with Boyd Nation's ISR ranking. Recap below the fold.

The NAIA has announced that the agreement with Lewis-Clark State for hosting the Baseball National Championship has been extended for three more years, and the championship tournament will be held at Harris Field in Lewiston, ID through 2016. The dates have already been set: May 23–30, 2014, May 22–29, 2015, and May 27–June 3, 2016. The field will continue to be ten teams, and Lewis-Clark State will continue to get an automatic bid.

Click here to read the NAIA's press release.

The NAIA Coaches' poll for April 23, with Boyd Nation's ISR ranking. Recap below.

The NAIA Coaches' poll for April 16, with Boyd Nation's ISR ranking. Recap below the fold.