The 57^th NAIA baseball season is already under way, and the Golden State Athletic Conference is already playing conference matchups. The season gets going in earnest this weekend. Defending champion Tennessee Wesleyan visits #9 Faulkner, #2 LSU-Shreveport visits William Carey, Northwestern Ohio visits #3 Lee, #23 Doane visits #4 Oklahoma City, #5 Rogers State visits Arlington Baptist, #20 Georgetown College (KY) visits #7 Embry-Riddle, and #10 Oklahoma Baptist visits Southwestern Oklahoma.

Here is an evaluation of the top 10 teams according to the pre-season coaches' poll:

#1 – Tennessee Wesleyan: Pre-season All-American OF Jake Stone (.407, 13 home runs) is back. He had a great summer, led the Coastal Plain League in hitting with a .375 average. Other returnees are OF-DH Drew Levi (.326, 12 HR), OF Travis Burnside (.284), RHP Corey Rhoney (10-0, 2.31 ERA, 64 K), and LHP Josh Coller (10-2, 3.02 ERA, 99 K). The Bulldogs also have a prize recruit, OF Kendall Radcliffe, selected in the 25th round of the 2013 MLB Draft. Games to watch: at Faulkner Feb. 2, at Auburn-Montgomery Feb. 3, Lee Feb. 12, Lindsey Wilson Feb. 20, Georgetown C. March 19, Lee March 27, Cumberland March 29-30, at Georgetown C. April 3, at Lee April 9

#2 – LSU-Shreveport: OF Kyle Pearson (.353, 14 HR, 66 RBI, 13 stolen bases, 1.000 fielding percentage) is a pre-season All-American. Other returnees are 1B Greg Friesen (.391, 15 HR, 68 RBI), OF Kade Billeaudeaux (.380), RHP Jason Mouton (1-0, 3.60 ERA), RHP Ben Suit (2-0, 2.25 ERA), LHP Jake Byrd (0-0, 0.00 ERA), and LHP Caleb Olsen (0-0, 0.00 ERA). C Jared Vial is a newcomer with the Pilots. Games to watch: Houston-Victoria Feb. 8-9, at Houston-Victoria Feb. 12, Southern Arkansas Feb. 19, Texas-Tyler March 19, at Southern Arkansas April 2, at Centenary April 17, Centenary April 23

Six NAIA schools with baseball teams will the playing their final NAIA season this spring.

The most prominent departure is Lee. Their record for the past six seasons under Head Coach Mark Brew has been astonishing: 326-771-1, a trip to the Baseball National Championship every season, and they came within one out of winning the championship in 2008.

Lee also has successful in women's basketball and soccer, and volleyball. However, until recently, they had some difficulty attracting press attention in southeastern Tennessee, and the "NCAA brand" was a factor in their decision. Also a factor was the loss of traditional opponents, Union U. (TN), Berry, and Shorter to Division II.

Lee will become a member of the Gulf South Conference.

Lubbock Christian has a well-funded baseball program. They won the National Championship in 1983 and 2009, and were runners-up in 2011. They will be competing in the Heartland Conference.

The Tennessee Wesleyan Bulldogs got five RBI from 3B Taylor Oldham and five unearned runs to defeat Rogers State 10-6 in the final. It was the fourth time in the tournament that the Bulldogs scored in double figures.

RF Jordan Guida hit a home run, and his seven home runs for the tournament is a record. (He hit only five home runs during the regular season.) The Bulldogs trailed 6-5 after seven innings, but they put up five runs in the bottom of the eighth. Three of them came from a home run by Oldham, but the winning run came on a two-RBI single by 1B Jake Stone.

Corey Rhoney and Corey Collins held the Hillcats scoreless over the last six innings. Collins got the win, Rhoney recorded five strikeouts.

Attendance: 3,075

Story from NAIA site: Tennessee Wesleyan Wins 2012 Avista-NAIA World Series
Box score and play-by-play

Guida was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. Kade Billeaudeaux of LSU-Shreveport won the Charles Berry Hustle Award.

Brandon Bargas recorded 18 strikeouts for Rogers State in a 2-1 upset of the #1 seed LSU-Shreveport. Bargas went the distance, allowed four hits, threw 128 pitches.
Story from NAIA site: Rogers State Out Duels LSU Shreveport, 2-1
Box score and play-by-play

Embry-Riddle and College of Idaho went two-and-out.

Schedule for Monday, May 28 (all times PDT):

9 AM: South Carolina-Beaaufort vs. Point Park
noon: Lewis-Clark State vs. LSU-Shreveport
3 PM: Tennessee Wesleyan vs. Rogers State
6:30 PM: Oklahoma City vs. Lee

All games are webcast by KOZE Radio (audio and free) and nmnathletics.com (video and $39.95 for the series, or $9.95 for a day). Live stats are available for all games by clicking here.

Schedule for the first two days of the 56^th NAIA Baseball National Championship, Friday, May 25, Harris Field, Lewiston, ID (all times PDT):

9 AM: #7 seed Point Park (51-9) vs. #10 College of Idaho (41-19)

Point Park (Pittsburgh) is making their first appearance at the Baseball National Championship since 1998.
Nickname: Pioneers
Rankings: #12 in coaches' poll, #17 in ISR. Strength of schedule: #160
Significant wins: Campbellsville
Top position players: OF Tom Pasinski (.351), IF Tom Birko (.343)
Top pitchers: RHP Derek Peluso (9-1, 2.23 ERA, 73 K), RHP Manny Perdomo (7-0, 1.47 ERA), LHP Nathan Spohn (8-0, 2.29 ERA), RHP Sean Clark (7-0, 2.55 ERA)
Coach: Loren Torres, third season
Outlook: The Pioneers are happy to be here.

College of Idaho (Caldwell, ID) is making their first trip to the Baseball National Championship since 2002. They won the championship in 1998.
Nickname: Coyotes
Rankings: Unranked in coaches' poll, #28 in ISR. SoS: #31
Significant wins: 1-1 vs. Azusa Pacific, 3-1 vs. British Columbia, 2-3 vs. Lewis-Clark State
Top position players: LF Izaac Garsez (.396, 8 home runs, 52 RBI), Jarel Lewis (.374, 6 home runs, 56 RBI), Tanner Hodges (.373, 66 RBI), 3B/RHP Todd Griffiths (.258), DH Jesse Dodd (.369).
Top pitchers: RHP Taylor Nicholson (9-2, 2.47 ERA, 63 K), LHP Zachary Fabricius (5-4, 4.04 ERA, 39 K), RHP Chad Yeggy (8-3, 3.71 ERA), LHP Joshua Orr (7-4, 4.09 ERA), RHP Todd Griffiths (4-1, 2.58 ERA).
Coach: Shawn Humberger, 12th season
Outlook: The Coyotes played well all season in a good conference, and got a win at Azusa Pacific to get here. They should get a couple of wins in this tournament.

LSU-Shreveport, Tennessee Wesleyan, Embry-Riddle, Point Park, and Rogers State have qualified for the Baseball National Championship tournament. Results from the third day of the NAIA Baseball Opening round:

At Paducah, KY:

LSU-Shreveport 5, Lindsey Wilson 1: Logan Norris pitched a three-hitter for the Pilots, struck out six, walked three. RF Kade Billeaudeaux hit a sacrifice fly for the winning run. Billeaudeaux went 2-for-3 with two RBI.

At Kingsport, TN:

Tennessee Wesleyan 14, Saint Francis (IL) 4: The Bulldogs got all the runs they needed in the third inning, on RBI singles by 1B Jake Stone and 3B Taylor Oldham, and a three-RBI double by DH Drew Levi. Levi went 3-for-5 with four RBI. Jeremy Fitzgerald got the win. Saint Francis used eight pitchers.

Results from the second day of the NAIA Baseball Opening round:

At Hardeeville, SC:

South Carolina-Beaufort 7, Faulkner 3: The #5-ranked Eagles went two-and-out, and the Sand Sharks gave Corey Black his second loss of the season. The Sand Sharks scored five runs in the last two innings, and the winning run came on a pinch-hit RBI single by Blake Cilwick. Miles Galvin got the win for the Sand Sharks, struck out eleven. The Sand Sharks play Union U. (TN) on Saturday, and the winner plays Saint Thomas.

Saint Thomas (FL) 6, Union U. (TN) 3: The Bobcats go to 2-0 in the tournament. Pinch-hitter Oscar Romero hit a two-RBI single for the winning run.

At Paducah, KY:

LSU-Shreveport 1, Lindsey Wilson 0: Lindsey Wilson starter Darren Travers gave up a run in the first inning on an RBI single by 1B Greg Friesen, and held the Pilots scoreless the rest of the way. The Pilots needed a shutout from Jared Mortensen, and got one. Mortensen held the Blue Raiders to four hits, struck out ten, and walked only one. The Pilots will face the Peru State-Lindsey Wilson winner tomorrow for the championship.

The NAIA Coaches' poll for April 10, 2012, with Boyd Nation's Iterative Strength Rating (ISR):

First place votes: LSU-Shreveport 17, Oklahoma City 1, Azusa Pacific 1

Azusa Pacific is #1 in Strength of Schedule

LSU-Shreveport (17-3 RRAC) swept Houston-Victoria 9-0, 3-1, and 8-0. Matt Lackie pitched a three-hit shutout in the first game, and Jared Mortensen pitched a seven-inning three-hit shutout in the third game, struck out eleven. Logan Norris nearly got a third shutout, but the Jaguars scored a run in the last inning. SS Manny Estrada hit a two-RBI triple. A scheduled game at Division II Southern Arkansas was rained out. Mortensen has an ERA of 1.09, third-best in the NAIA. The Pilots host Texas-Brownsville April 13-14. The Pilots have won 14 straight, and lead the Red River Athletic Conference; Texas-Brownsville is second with a with a 15-6 conference record.

Lee (21-3 SSAC) defeated Cumberland 6-3, and swept three games against Southern Polytechnic, 9-7, 6-5, and 7-0. 1B Roberto Reyes hit a grand slam home run with two out in the bottom of the ninth to win the first game against Southern Polytechnic. LF Mike Moore hit a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh of a seven-inning game for the winning run in the second game. Vince Spilker, Kyle Briner, and Andy Hillis combined for the shutout in the third game; 2B Blake Barber batted in three runs. The Flames host Tennessee Wesleyan April 11, and Auburn-Montgomery April 13-14. The Flames and #4 Faulkner continue to be tied for the Southern States Athletic Conference lead.

Oklahoma City (18-3 SAC) won two of three games against Rogers State, 5-3, 1-3, and 6-5 (eight innings, scheduled for seven). SS Chris Muñoz scored the winning run in the first game on a sacrifice fly by RF Dane Phillips; Muñoz went 3-for-4 with a home run. Brandon Bargas went the distance for the Hillcats in the second game, held the Stars to five hits, struck out ten. All three of the Hillcats' runs came on a home run by 2B Hector Rivera in the third inning, and Bargas had a shutout going into the seventh. 1B Miguel Beltran batted in the winning run with a fielder's choice in the third game; Patrick Goelz, who held the Hillcats scoreless over the last 2 2/3 innings, got the win in relief. The Stars host Oklahoma Christian April 12 and 14, and visit Oklahoma Christian April 13. The Stars lead the Sooner Athletic Conference; #x Oklahoma Baptist is in second place with a 13-5 record.

Oklahoma City (15-4, 6-1 SAC) defeated Oklahoma Wesleyan 12-4, and swept Northwestern Oklahoma State, 10-5, 3-0, and 10-2. 2B Brian Fisher went 2-for-2 with a home run and three RBI against Oklahoma Wesleyan. C Chad Carman hit a solo home run for the winning run in the first game against Northwestern Oklahoma State. Rich Hawkins pitched the shutout in the second game, allowed four hits. C/RF Dane Phillips hit a three-run home run in the third game, and got another RBI on a ground out. The Stars visit Southern Nazarene March 6, host Mid-America Christian March 8 and 10, and visit Mid-America Christian March 9.

Concordia-Irvine (13-5, 7-1 GSAC) swept four games against Vanguard, 9-7 , 20-6, 10-9, and 14-4. Pinch-hitter Matt Taylor hit a two RBI double in the top of the ninth to win the first game. 1B Tony Harkey, Jr. hit two home runs and went 3-for-4 with three RBI and four runs scored in the second game. LF Kyle Konicek when 4-for-5 with a double and two RBI in the third game, and 3B Ryan DiMascio went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in the fourth game. The Eagles visit non-conference Cal State-San Marcos March 9, and visit Cal State-San Marcos March 10. The Eagles lead the Golden State Athletic Conference; The Master's is second with a 6-2 record.

Lee (21-2, 9-0 SSAC) swept Milligan 10-1 and 13-0. SS Edmanuel Rivera and 1B Roberto Reyes hit home runs in the first game. Dustin Lawson, Kyle Briner, and Joe Fabre combined for a two-hit shutout in the second game. The Flames then swept three games against Truett McConnell, 8-1, 3-2, and 14-4. Kris Hall went seven innings in the first game, allowed one run on three hits, struck out 12. The Flames were out-hit 5-4 in the second game, but 2B Blake Barber singled in a run in the bottom of the seventh to win it. LF Mike Moore went 3-for-4 with a home run in the third game. The Flames visit Bryan March 7 and Tennessee Temple March 8, then host Loyola-New Orleans March 9-10. Barber is batting .507 for the Flames.

Sophomore RHP Tyler Brown of the Rogers State Hillcats was killed in an automobile accident west of Claremore, OK.

From the Rogers State site: "Brown was an integral part of the Hillcats’ run to the Sooner Athletic Conference Championship in 2011. As a freshman he pitched in 14 games and posted a perfect 6-0 record on the hill. Before coming to RSU, Brown was a two-sport standout at Berryhill High School. He led the Chiefs to state championship appearances in baseball and football." Click here to read the rest of the story.

Story from NewsOn6: Rogers State Baseball Player Killed In Single-Car Wreck