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Players from NAIA schools taken in the 2024 Major League Baseball draft:

Position Player School Round Overall MLB team Story
RHP Ramsey David Southeastern 10 313 Astros  
RHP Sean Heppner British Columbia 12 355 Guardians story
RHP Drake George Lewis-Clark State 13 388 Giants story
RHP Cohen Achen Lindsey Wilson 14 429 Orioles story
RHP Ryan Mathiesen The Master's 14 433 Astros story
RHP Colby Martin Southeastern 16 487 Blue Jays  
RHP Vicarte Domingo British Columbia 19 570 Padres  

 

 

Result from the championship game of the NAIA Baseball National Championship in Lewiston, ID.

Hope International 14, Tennessee Wesleyan 6. The Royals won their first national championship in convincing fashion. The Bulldogs led 6-4 after three innings, but they didn’t score again the rest of the way.

The Bulldogs opened the scoring in the top of the first when Evan Magill hit a line drive that bounced off the leg of Royal starter Trey Seeley, and Braxton Turner came home. The next batter , Cayle Webster, hit a sacrifice fly. In the bottom of the first, J.J. Cruz hit a three-run home run, his fifth of the tournament. The next batter, Alec Arnone, hit a home run, and the Royals led 4-2. The Bulldogs took a 5-4 lead in the second with a three-run home run by Jack Stevens. They added a home run by Kruise Newman in the top of the third, and led 6-4.

Alex Moreno hit a two-RBI double in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game. The next batter was Cruz, and he hit a double that scored Moreno and the winning run. The top of the fifth started with a walk, but Magill hit into a double play and Webster struck out to end the inning. The Royals added a run in the bottom of the fifth when Ryan Lamastra got an RBI on a Texas league single. The sixth inning started with a single by Kruise Newman. Justin Drury was brought in to relieve Seeley, and he got a strikeout, a popup, and a ground out to end the inning.

Results from the semifinal of the NAIA Baseball National Championship in Lewiston, ID.

Tennessee Wesleyan 3, Reinhardt 2 (11 innings) – Reinhardt eliminated. A brilliant pitching effort by Eagle starter Andrew Herbert came to an end with one out in the bottom of the eleventh inning. The inning started with Evan Magill drawing a walk. He was bunted over to second by Cayle Webster. The next batter, Kruise Newman, hit a single to left field to score Magill and end it.

The Eagles nearly won this in regulation, with only three hits. They got a home run by Lance Dockery in the top of the third inning. The Bulldogs tied it in the bottom of the fourth; Magill hit a double that bounced off the center field fence, and scored on a single by Webster. The Eagles got their second run on their second hit in the top of the seventh, with an RBI double by Matty Maurer. They missed a chance to add an insurance run in the eighth when a bunt by Lance Dockery was misplayed by pitcher Blake Peyton, giving them runners on first and second. Peyton was relieved by Carter Gannaway, who struck out Nash Crowell. Tucker Zdunich then hit a line drive to second base that resulted in an inning-ending double play.

The Eagles missed another chance to get insurance runs in the top of the ninth. They loaded the bases with one out. The Eagles sent in Richard Castro to pinch-hit, and the Bulldogs sent in Jake Sergent to pitch to him. Sergent struck him out on three pitches. The next batter, Jarrett Burney, hit a ground ball to the mound, and Sergent threw to home for the out to end the inning.

So, it was 2-1 for the Eagles going into the bottom of the ninth. Magill opened it with a double. Herbert struck out the next two batters, and the Bulldogs were down to their final out. Daniel Stewart hit a single to score Magill and tie it. The next batter, Dante Leach, hit a single to right field, but Blake Hubble, the courtesy runner for Leach, tried to go to third base, and was out by 15 feet on a good throw from Zdunich.

Results from the fifth day of the NAIA Baseball National Championship in Lewiston, ID.

Hope International 15, Georgia Gwinnett 11 (Georgia Gwinnett eliminated). The was two different ball games. The Grizzlies totally dominated the first five innings. They scored in every inning except the fourth, and the first two Royals pitchers, David Rudd-Grow and Josh Landry, were unable to keep the Grizzlies off the base paths. The Grizzlies got five runs in the bottom of the second, capped with a two-RBI double by Henry Daniels. They added two runs in the third with a home run by Joe Quelch and a sacrifice fly by Braxton Meguiar. They got three runs in the fifth on RBI singles by Meguiar and Daniels, and an RBI on a fielder’s choice by Jackson Cobb. However, the Royals brought in Chandler De Jong to relieve Landry after the single by Meguiar. He got out of the inning with the Grizzlies leading 11-5, but the Grizzlies didn’t score again. De Jong got two ground outs and a strikeout for a clean sixth inning, and turned the ball over to submariner Steven Ordorica, who went the rest of the way, allowed one hit, and didn’t walk a batter.

It was still 11-5 going into the eighth inning, but the Royals got some breaks. The eighth inning started with a home run by Derek Sims. Ryan Maciel followed with a single, but he was caught off first base after a popup, and there were two outs. Amari Bartee got the two-out rally started with a double, then scored on a double by David Rivera. The Grizzlies brought in Jeremiah Locklear to pitch. He walked the first batter he faced, Alex Moreno. The next batter, J.J. Cruz, hit a fly ball down the left field line that was touched by a fielder, and initially ruled a foul ball. After a long video review, the call was reversed; Cruz was awarded second base, Moreno third base, and Rivera a run. After Locklear got behind 3-0 to the next batter, Austin Testerman was brought in to pitch. He threw a wild pitch, and Moreno scored. The inning ended with the Royals trailing by only 11-9.

Results from the fourth day of the NAIA Baseball National Championship in Lewiston, ID.

Hope International 8, Arizona Christian 1 (Arizona Christian eliminated). The Royals, behind the pitching of Justin Drury, dominated this all-Golden State Athletic Conference matchup. Drury pitched eight innings, allowed four hits, struck out three, threw 113 pitches, and didn’t allow a run until the seventh inning.

The Royals got all the runs they needed in the top of the first inning, with a two-RBI double by J.J. Cruz. In the top of the fourth, Amari Bartee hit a single, and Alex Moreno hit a double. The next batter was Cruz, and with two out, runners on second and third, and Cruz being dangerous throughout the tournament, the Firestorm intentionally walked him. Not a bad idea. Problem was, Firestorm pitcher Eli Elliott walked the next batter, giving the Royals their third run. Elliott then made a pickoff attempt to third base, but the throw ended up in left field foul territory, almost to the fence. All three baserunners scored, and the Royals led 6-0 after 3 1/2 innings.

The Firestorm missed a good chance to get on the board in the bottom of the fourth. With two out and a runner on second, Matthew Beckworth hit a hard line drive that appeared to be going into center field. However, Cruz, at second base, made a great catch to end the inning. The Firestorm finally ended the shutout in the bottom of the seventh, when Deshon Thomas came home from third base on a ground out. The Royals completed the scoring with Ryan Maciel scoring on a wild pitch in the eighth inning, and David Rivera hitting an RBI double in the ninth.

Elliott got the loss, pitched four innings, allowed three earned runs on six hits, struck out five. Drury is now 10-0. Rivera and Moreno both finished 2-for-4. Beckworth had three of the Firestorm’s five hits, one of them a double. Box score

Results from the third day of the NAIA Baseball National Championship in Lewiston, ID.

Southeastern 12, U. of the Cumberlands 5 (U. of the Cumberlands eliminated). The Fire led all the way, but it was close – 7-5 after six innings – until the Fire put it away with five runs in the bottom of the eighth, including two-RBI singles by Alfonso Villalobos and Chayce Bryant. Tommy Davis went 3-for-4 with two doubles for the Fire. Charlie Muñiz and Ben Snapp hit home runs for the Patriots. Starter Robb Adams got the win, pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowed four runs on five hits, struck out three. Jake Cohen, who allowed one hit over the final three innings, got a save. Starter Kailen Hamson got the loss. Box score

Hope International 12, Indiana Southeast 1 (Indiana Southeast eliminated). J.J. Cruz reached base every time he came to bat; 4-for-4 with two home runs, and a walk. David Rivera also hit two home runs, and Alex Moreno hit a home run. Trey Seeley pitched eight innings, allowed zero runs on three hits, struck out 11, threw 119 pitches. Box score

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 CruzArizona 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 Klaunis (.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.

Jantzen Lucas - Photo by Bob BroughtonAt Vancouver, BC. This game had an obvious turning point. The Warriors took a 5-2 lead with four runs in the top of the fifth inning on a run walked in, an RBI on a ground out by Charlie Updegrave, and a two-RBI single by Brandon Cabrera. In the bottom of the fifth, the Warriors brought in Jantzen Lucas to relieve starter Hiroyuki Yamada. He was greeted with three straight singles by Aaron Marsh, Trent Lenihan, and Jonny McGill, and the Thunderbirds had the bases loaded with nobody out. The bases were still loaded at the end of the inning, because Lucas struck out the next three batters. He pitched two more innings, recorded three more strikeouts, and allowed only one more hit. The only time the Thunderbirds threatened to score during the rest of the game was when they got a runner to third in the eighth inning; the Thunderbirds hit the ball hard a couple of times in that inning, but they went directly to Warrior fielders.

Shane Spencer - photo by Bob BroughtonAt Vancouver, BC. First game: Lewis-Clark State 3, British Columbia 1. All three Warriors runs were from solo home runs; Dominic Signorelli and Charlie Updegrave in the top of the fourth, and Jake Gish in the top of the sixth. The Thunderbirds missed two good chances to score during the first eight innings. The bottom of the sixth ended when Ardan Berg hit a single to left field, and Aaron Marsh tried to score from second. He was out at the plate, the result of a perfect throw from left fielder Nick Seamons. In the bottom of the eighth, the Thunderbirds had runners at first and second with two out. Berg hit a sharp ground ball in the direction of second baseman Magnum Hofstetter, and Hofstetter made a great play to keep the ball from getting into the outfield, and threw to first to get the out and end the threat.

Both starters were still in the game in the ninth inning. Warrior starter Shane Spencer came as close as a pitcher could get to a complete game shutout without actually getting one. He struck out Kaden Zarowny for what should have been the final out of the game, but the ball got away from the catcher, and Zarowny got to first base to keep the Thunderbirds alive. Zarowny then stole second, then scored to end the shutout on a single by Jonny McGill. The Thunderbirds then had Trent Lenihan at the plate representing the tying run. The Warriors brought in their closer, Cameron Smith, who has not had a blown save this season. Lenihan worked the count to 3-and-2, and fouled off two pitches, but struck out swinging at a changeup.

Spencer’s numbers were 8 2/3 innings pitched, one run on seven hits, eight strikeouts. Thunderbird starter Daniel Orfaly pitched 8 1/3 innings, allowed three runs on seven hits, struck out three. Gish and Brandon Cabrera each had two hits for the Warriors. McGill finished 3-for-5 with two doubles. Box score and play-by-play

Drake George – photo by Alisha Alexander

Drake George, who pitched seven shutout innings a week ago, went the distance in this one, threw 110 pitches, allowed eight hits, only two earned runs, and struck out nine.

Thunderbird starter Ryan Beitel was able to keep it close for four innings. The Thunderbirds got a break in the bottom of the first inning when a high ground ball hit by Jonny McGill bounced off the glove of Warrior shortstop Dominic Signorelli. The next batter, Mitchell Middlemiss, hit an RBI single. However, the Thunderbirds did no further damage in that inning, because Warriors center fielder Carter Booth made a good catch of a line drive hit by Daniel Draayers. The Warriors got a run in the third inning on a sacrifice fly by Magnum Hofstetter, then got all the runs they needed in the fifth inning. It started when Hofstetter hit a popup that was lost in the sun. Two batters later, Nick Seamons got an RBI by reaching on a fielder’s choice. He was followed by Signorelli, who hit a three-run home run to give the Warriors a 5-2 lead. Brandon Cabrera hit a two-run home run in the seventh inning, and another two-run home run in the eighth inning. The Thunderbirds didn’t score again until the bottom of the ninth.

Beitel got the loss. Cabrera finished 3-for-5 with four RBI. Middlemiss, Draayers, and Kyle Anderson each had two hits for the Thunderbirds. Box score and play-by-play recap

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