ConcordiaIrvine

The 2012 NAIA Baseball Coaches' Preseason Top 25 Poll, released November 15:

First place votes: Concordia-Irvine 10, Oklahoma City 4, Embry-Riddle 2, Lee 1, LSU-Shreveport 1

The biggest surprise in this was that Concordia ended up ranked second, despite getting the most first-place votes. CourtesyRunner.com's pre-season preview will be published in mid-January.

The 56^th NAIA baseball season starts today, with defending champion Concordia-Irvine hosting Simpson, Palm Beach State at Saint Thomas (FL), and Point Loma Nazarene playing an exhibition game at UC San Diego. Simpson visits Point Loma on Jan. 25, and The Master's on Jan. 27. On January 26, Doane visits Texas-Brownsville. On January 27-29, Auburn-Montgomery hosts a four-team tournament with Embry-Riddle, Tennessee Wesleyan, and Southern Polytechnic. Also on the 27^th, Belhaven hosts Blue Mountain, Brewton-Parker hosts South Carolina-Beaufort, and at least nine more games are scheduled. On January 28, Montreat visits Thomas (GA) and Warner visits Webber International.

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

#1 – Oklahoma City:The Stars are led by All-American C Chad Carman (.323), IF Miguel Beltran (.346), and LHP Rich Hawkins (10-5, 2.04 ERA). They've loaded up on talent with C Dane Phillips (transfer from Oklahoma State, batted .337 in 2010), RHP Blake Schwartz (transfer from Minnesota State-Mankato, 10-2, 2.11 ERA, 79 K), RHP Patrick Goelz (transfer from Bethune-Cookman, 8-3, 3.09 ERA, 75 K), IF Chris Munoz (transfer from Eastern Oklahoma State JC), OF Cody Ferrell (transfer from Seminole State JC, .367, 8 home runs), and LHP Ryan Gibson (transfer from Oklahoma, 48^th round draft pick in 2009). Games to watch: Missouri Baptist Feb. 11-12, at Oklahoma Baptist March 22, 24, Oklahoma Baptist March 23, Rogers State April 5, at Rogers State April 7, at Lubbock Christian April 20-21.

#2 – Concordia-Irvine:The defending champions lost Matt Ivanoff to graduation, and John Hill and Bryan Nicholson to pro ball. They still have OF Kyle Konicek (.391), RHP Blake Harrison (8-1, 2.74 ERA), and LHP Josh White (2-1, 2.20 ERA). They've added a high-profile JUCO transfer, P/OF Ty Holm (Everett CC), and two Division I transfers, LHP/OF Aaron Gates (Pepperdine, 4-5, team-best 3.15 ERA) and IF Dave Peterson (Hawaii, .283). Games to watch: at Cal State-San Marcos March 9, Cal State-San Marcos March 10, at Point Loma Nazarene March 16, Point Loma Nazarene March 17, at Biola March 29-30, Biola March 31, at Cal Baptist April 5-6.

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

Sterlingwas 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 Oklahoma8-5, and Jamestown13-3. 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.

The 58^th NAIA baseball season is already under way, and six games were played in California last weekend. The Golden State Athletic Conference is already playing conference matchups, with #9 Concordia-Irvine at Arizona Christian, Biola at The Master's, and San Diego Christian at Westmont. Ave Maria and Southeastern play Edward Waters and Calumet College of Saint Joseph in Lakeland, FL, Bryan hosts Lindenwood, Cal State San Marcos visits Vanguard, Doane visits Houston-Victoria, and Warner visits Webber International.

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

#1 – Faulkner:The defending champions will have returning position players OF Michael Cruz (.355, 13 HR, 68 RBI; he led the Eagles in all three categories, and is a Pre-season All-American), C/IF Sergio Sanchez (.363, 65 RBI), IF Luis Sanchez (.344) and IF Dauris Holguin (.291). Their returning pitchers are RHP Julian Esquibel (11-2, 2.71 ERA), LHP Labradford Griffis (5-0, 2.11 ERA), and RHP Jeremy Holcombe (4-0, 3.19 ERA). They will have three key transfers; OF Willie Allen (Western Oklahoma State), C T.C. Mark (Arizona), RHP Kurt Lipscomb (Jacksonville State), and OF Omar Gomez (New Mexico Junior College). Games to watch: Missouri Baptist Feb. 7-8, Lindsey Wilson Feb. 7, Cumberland Feb. 8, at Tennessee Wesleyan March 5 Live Video

#2 – Lewis-Clark State:The Warriors have Cody Lavalli (.373, 10 HR), who was drafted in 37th round by the Rangers, and is a Pre-season All-American. Other returnees are OF/C Jake Shirley (.340), RHP Michael Noteware (missed most of 2013 with a medical redshirt), RHP Steve Thompson (5-5, 2.49 ERA), and RHP Dave Murillo (5-0, 3.02 ERA, 38 K). Their most impressive recruit is IF Michael Sexton, a freshman drafted in the 38th round by the Mariners. They also have RHP Gunnar Swanson (transfer from Everett CC; he was 9-2, 1.63 ERA with 8 complete games and 88 K there) and OF Raymond Pedrina. Games to watch: British Columbia Feb. 7, Concordia-Portland Feb. 8 and April 4-6, Western Oregon Feb. 21-23, at British Columbia March 7-9, at Western Oregon May 2, 4, at Linfield (Division III champion) May 3 Live Audio

2015 NAIA Baseball All-America First Team

2015 Rawlings-NAIA Baseball Gold Glove Team

Patten RHP Issac Duran was able to keep the Lions in this one for 6 2/3 innings. However, CF Steven McMichael reached on an error, and the unearned run scored by 3B Ryan DiMascio became the winning run. The Eagles got another run in the seventh on an RBI single by LF Kyle Konicek. The two relievers who replaced Duran in the eighth were ineffective, turning a pretty good ball game into a rout.

The defending champions got a complete game from RHP Brent Clapper, who held the Lions to five hits, struck out 11, and didn't walk a batter.

The Eagles got on the board in the third inning with a leadoff triple by SS Matt Palmer. Palmer scored on a sacrifice fly by the next batter, 2B Daniel Shine. The Eagles left the bases loaded in the fourth; Duran got two key strikeouts, then fielded a ground ball and threw it home for the force out to end the inning.

The Eagles, the pre-season pick to win the Golden State Athletic Conference, got a win in the first good matchup this season. The Tritons are ranked #23 in the Division II pre-season poll.

The Eagles got an early 2-0 lead on an RBI single by C Chris Kuber and a sacrifice fly by SS Matt Palmer. The Tritons got one back on a solo home run by starting pitcher Justin Rahn. The Eagles took a 5-1 lead in the top of the fifth on RBI singles by 2B Spencer Ofelt and DH Joe Golderberg, and a run scored by Ofelt on a double play. However, the Tritons tied it with four runs on the bottom of the fifth, led by a two-RBI triple by 1B Richard Siegel. Siegel actually hit a home run, but the home run was taken away because he failed to touch home plate.

Four Eagles pitchers, Chris Garrison, Phil Gerber, Sean Buford, and Danny Romero, held the Tritons scoreless the rest of the way. Gerber and Buford pitched hitless innings, and Romero, who pitched the 11th inning, struck out three of the four batters he faced.

The Eagles pushed across the winning run when Kuber and Palmer drew walks to start the 11th inning. Pinch-hitter Chance Kopacz hit a ground ball to shortstop, and a throwing error by the second baseman allowed Steven Hurst, pinch-running for Kuber, to score.

Rahn finished the game 3-for-4 for the Tritons. Buford got the win for the Eagles, and Romero got a save.

The Concordia-Irvine Eagles won their first-ever national championship. Results from the sixth and final day of the NAIA Baseball National Championship, in Lewiston, ID:

Concordia-Irvine 9, Lubbock Christian 3

The Eagles opened the scoring in the top of the third inning with an RBI single by 3B Danny Casey. The Chaparrals took a brief 2-1 lead in the bottom of the third when SS Ryan Burnaman reached on a single, and scored on an error. Courtesy runner Brett Morte scored the second run on a ground out. The Eagles took the lead for good in the fourth, when 2B Robbie Knowles hit a bases loaded triple.

The Chaps got one back in the bottom of the fourth on a home run by RF Austin Stewart. After that, the score stayed 4-3 until the ninth inning. The Eagles got five insurance runs in the top of the ninth. The first key play was a triple by CF Matt Ivanoff with one out. The Chaps brought the infield and outfield in close for the next batter, LF Kyle Konicek. The Chaps also sent in Tyler Curtis, who got the win in the first game of the day, to pitch. Konicek proceeded to hit what would normally have been a sacrifice fly, but it went over the head of the right fielder for another triple. The Eagles eventually sent 11 batters to the plate in the inning, and the Chaps used four pitchers. The game ended on a double play.

Blake Harrison went the distance for the Eagles, threw 111 pitches. He allowed two earned runs on six hits, didn't walk a batter, struck out three. Casey and RF Ryan Sheeks stole bases. Shane Ingram got the loss for the Chaps. Attendance: 3,075

Box score and play-by-play
Story from Concordia site
Story from NAIA site

Ivanoff was voted Most Valuable Player, and received the Charles Berry Hustle Award. Click here for the all-tournament team. The was the first-ever championship for a team from the Golden State Athletic Conference. The Eagles were unranked in the NAIA coaches' poll, but were #14 in the ISR, and #1 in strength of schedule, going into the Opening Round.

In everyconference listed here (except the the Southern States Athletic Conference, which had a winner-take-all final), the title was decided by an “if necessary” game. ISR's mentioned here are as of May 6.

Cal State San Marcos(ISR #13) won the Association of Independent Institutions championship for the third time in five years. They lost the first “final” to #1 Georgia Gwinnett 2-1. The Grizzlies out-hit the Cougars 11-5, and SS Ernesto Vasquez hit an RBI single for the winning run. CSUSM won the deciding game 11-5. The Cougars got five runs in the first inning, and added four more in the second. LF Clinton Perez hit an RBI single for the winning run. Emilio Esquibel got his second win of the tournament, and ran his record to 12-1, 2.43 ERA. Story Georgia Gwinnett will host an Opening Round bracket.

#2 Oklahoma Citywon the Sooner Athletic Conference tournament, defeating #3 Oklahoma Baptisttwice, 9-6 and 7-5. The Stars trailed in the late innings of both games. They scored four runs in the eighth inning of the first one. In the second one, C Connor Lynch hit a grand slam home run in the bottom of the ninth. Story Both Oklahoma City and Oklahoma Baptist are hosting Opening Round brackets.

#21 Belhavenwon the Southern States Athletic Conference tournament, defeating William Carey in the final 16-5. The Blazers put it away with ten runs in the third inning, led by a grand slam home run by C Ryan Saunders; all of the runs were scored with two out.

Belhaven, Lee, and Auburn-Montgomery will be in the Opening Round tournament. Faulkner, Southern Polytechnic,and Brewton-Parkerwill have to wait until the final coaches' poll next week.

Results from the TranSouth Conferencetournament in Jackson, TN:

#4 Cumberlandwas upset by Bethel (TN) (ISR #59) 9-7 in the first round. The Bulldogs led 5-2 after five innings, but the Wildcats scored four runs in the sixth inning on no hits, three bases on balls, and three errors. The winning run came in the seventh inning on a two-RBI double by LF Jay Lowery.

#22 Trevecca Nazarenedefeated Freed-Hardeman4-1. The winning run came on a sacrifice fly by DH Jordan Foreman.

Martin Methodistdefeated Union U. (TN)(ISR #23) 2-1. Martin Methodist starter Jerry McMurtry went eight innings, allowed one run on five hits, struck out ten, threw 128 pitches. Jeremey Stack went the distance for Union U.; he allowed two runs on seven hits, struck out seven, threw 126 pitches. The winning run came on a wild pitch by Stack.

Results from the TranSouth Conferencetournament in Jackson, TN:

#4 Cumberlanddefeated Freed-Hardeman9-3, eliminating Freed-Hardeman. Aaron Wilkerson got his 12th win of the season, went six innings, allowed three runs on seven hits, struck out seven, threw 114 pitches. Daniel Kern got a save; he retired all nine batters he faced, struck out two. SS Tommy Winegardner hit a three-run home run.

Union U. (TN)defeated Bethel (TN)10-5.

Martin Methodistdefeated #22 Trevecca Nazarene 4-3, in ten innings. CF Tony Allen singled in the winning run; he went 3-4 for the game. Both starters went the distance; Travis Garcia got the win, allowed five hits, struck out ten, threw 134 pitches. P.J. Francescon got the loss, allowed eight hits, struck out 14, threw 140 pitches.

#1 Embry-Riddle won their third straight The Sun Conferencetournament, defeating Saint Thomas 10-2. The Eagles got all the runs they needed in the third inning. SS Jordan Romero scored on a throwing error, 3B Steve Sabins hit an RBI double, and 1B Ben Kline hit a single to score Sabins. Daniel Eaton got the win, went eight innings, scattered nine hits. Kline was 10-19 for the tournament, with two home runs and ten RBI.

Concordia-Irvine(ISR #24) won their first-ever Golden State Athletic Conferencetitle, defeating Biola14-4. Concordia out-hit Biola by only 13-11, but Concordia got it started with four runs in the second inning; a two-RBI by 2B Robbie Knowles, a sacrifice fly by SS Edgar Guillen, and an RBI single by CF Matt Ivanoff. They got the winning run an inning later, when courtesy runner Sean Costella scored when 3B Danny Casey was hit by a pitch. Costella scored two more runs in the game, including a acrobatic move to avoid a tag coming home on a double by DH Bryan Nicholson. Story (with video) from Concordia-Irvine site.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, FL, has applied for membership in the Division II Sunshine State Conference.

The Eagles have made 12 trips to the National Championship tournament, ten of them in the last 11 seasons, under coaches Greg Guilliams and Randy Stegall. Their best finish was in 2005, when they were runners-up to Oklahoma City.

Joining the Sunshine State Conference would put the Eagles in the same conference with former NAIA opponents Barry and Rollins. The Eagles have been playing non-conference games against Tampa, the defending national Division II champions. The Eagles lost to them 2-1 (ten innings) this season.

Story by Brent Woronoff in the Daytona Beach News-Journal: ERAU makes case to NCAA conference

Concordia-Irvine won the National Championship in 2011. They would be joining former GSAC members Cal Baptist, Point Loma Nazarene, Azusa Pacific, and Fresno Pacific in the PacWest Conference.

Concordia-Portland is the defending champion of NAIA West. The Cavaliers went to the National Championship tournament in 2004. Rob Vance has been their Head Coach for 15 seasons. They have a new, good quality ballpark. They would, if accepted, compete in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC). Whether they can break Western Oregon's long streak of conference championships remains to be seen.

These three schools would continue to complete in the NAIA through the 2015 season.

Georgetown College (KY) has applied for membership in the Division II Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC). A previous application by Georgetown C. was turned down.

Here is how the NAIA players taken in the 2010 MLB draft did this summer.

Joseph Staley- C, Lubbock Christian, 8^th round, Giants - Played 33 games for the AZL Giants, batted .250, five home runs, 25 RBI. He will be spending the Fall in the Instructional League in Scottsdale, AZ.

Kawicka Emsley-Pai - C, Lewis-Clark State, 10^th round, Diamondbacks - Played 42 games with the Yakima Bears of the short-season Class A Northwest League, batted .167.

Tyler Knigge - RHP, Lewis-Clark State, 12^th round, Phillies - Pitched 30 1/3 innings for the GCL Phillies (ten appearances, four starts), had a record of 0-3, 5.04 ERA, 27 strikeouts. One of his teammates with the Phillies was Pat Murray(1B, Lewis-Clark State, 34^th round, Phillies). Murray played 52 games, batted .313, with two home runs, 26 RBI.

Mike Grahovac, coach of the NAIA Champion Concordia-Irvine Eagles, has been named NAIA Coach of the Year by the American Baseball Coaches Association. Press release from Concordia-Irvine

IF Sean Myrom of Concordia-Portland played for the West Coast League champion Corvallis Knights during the summer. He batted .279 with 16 RBI. He played in the league's all-star game, and won the home run derby. Press release from Concordia-Portland

Dave Therneau, pitching coach for Embry-Riddle, was the Coach of the Year in the Florida Collegiate Summer League. He coached the Leesburg Lightning, who won the league pennant with a 29-12 record. Press release from Embry-Riddle

It wasn't pretty, but five Biola pitchers combined for a 6-0 no-hitter against The Master's, giving the Eagles the series win, and their first no-hitter since 1970.

Josh Staumont pitched the first 5 1/3 innings for the Eagles, got the win. He struck out three, walked five. The next pitcher, Garrett Picha, faced only one batter. He walked him, and threw a wild pitch while doing it. He was relieved by Erick Allen, who went 2 1/3 innings. Javier Martinez came in with two outs in the bottom of the eighth, and a ground ball to third base was scored as an error, the only one of the game. Martinez got a fly out to end the inning, and struck out the first batter in the bottom of the ninth. Will Emerson recorded a fly out and a strikeout to complete the no-hitter.

C Nick Oddo went 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBI for the Eagles. 1B Sage Poland singled in the winning run in the second inning. Eagles Head Coach John Verhoeven didn't realize that his team got a no-hitter until ten minutes after the game was over.

Story from Biola site: Five Biola Pitchers Combine to No-Hit The Master's

The Eagles and Mustangs traded 2-0 shutouts on Saturday. A.J. Work and Daniel Sheaffer combined for the shutout for the Mustangs in the first game, Nick Turner and Javier Martinez combined for the shutout for the Eagles in the second game.

LHP Cole Swanson, a transfer from San Diego State (he pitched 26 1/3 innings for the Aztecs last year, struck out 21), got the start for Concordia-Irvine's season opener, and he delivered a complete-game one-hitter against Arizona Christian. He struck out 14. The one hit was a two-run home run by 1B Ryan Jones in the seventh inning. The final score was 4-2. The winning run for the Eagles came on an RBI single by LF Dylan Bryant in the fifth inning. 1B Bryan Garza completed the Eagles' scoring with a home run in the sixth.

Mike Grahovac is the Head Coach of the defending NAIA national champion Concordia-Irvine eagles. He was interviewed after a non-conference win over Patten on February 17.

Bob Broughton, courtesyrunner.com: You just got a complete game from Brett Clapper.

Mike Grahovac:He threw very well today. He's a returning guy for us, and we needed that from our pitching staff today.

BB:You did pretty well offensively, but Steven McMichael got the hit that mattered, as it turned out.

MG:Yeah, he didn't start the first few games this year, but we got him out there, and he's been hitting the ball all over the place. We got him to start today, and he had a big hit for us.

BB:You were up against pretty good pitching for the first seven innings.

MG:That guy out there [Issac Duran] was throwing the ball really well today, off-speed, fast balls, locating, he was doing really well.

Schedule for the first day of the 55^th NAIA Baseball National Championship, Friday, May 27, Harris Field, Lewiston, ID (all times PDT):

8:30 AM: #8 seed Faulkner (48-13) vs. #9 Concordia-Irvine (38-18)

Faulkner (Montgomery, AL) is making their first appearance at the Baseball National Championship.
Nickname:Eagles
Rankings:#12 in coaches' poll, #7 in ISR. Strength of schedule: #29
Significant wins:2-2 vs. Brewton-Parker, 1-1 vs. Tennessee Wesleyan, 2-1 vs. Union C. (KY)
Top position players:LHP/OF Tucker Willard (.391), IF Daniel Cayton (.371), IF Michael Clayton (.355, 15 HR, 69 RBI)
Top pitchers:LHP R.L. Eisenbach (14-1, 1.36 ERA, 112 K), RHP Jacob Simmons (10-3, 3.70 ERA), RHP Colby Broussard (4-0, 4.29 ERA, 8 saves). Eisenbach leads the NAIA in wins. He made two starts for Lubbock Christian in the 2009 BNC. One of them was a complete-game 2-1 loss to Point Loma Nazarene, one of the best games played in Lewiston in recent years. He allowed five hits, struck out eight. (Click here and scroll down for story.)
Coach:Patrick McCarthy, second season
Outlook:Faulkner will probably go 1-2.

Concordia-Irvine (Irvine, CA) is making their second trip to Lewiston; the first one was in 2006. They won the Golden State Athletic Conference tournament, and come into this tournament with an eight-game winning streak.
Nickname:Eagles
Rankings:Unranked in coaches' poll, #12 in ISR. SoS: #1
Significant wins:2-0 vs. British Columbia, 2-4 vs. Cal Baptist, 3-2 vs. Fresno Pacific, Cal Poly Pomona
Top position players: 1B Bryan Nicholson (.423, 9 HR, 61 RBI), OF Kyle Konicek (.380)
Top pitchers: RHP Blake Harrison (7-1, 2.67 ERA, 60 K), RHP Dean Persinger (6-4, 3.82 ERA, 56 K), RHP Brent Clapper (8-4, 4.20 ERA, 61 K), RHP Ryan Day (1-1, 4.00 ERA, 7 saves)
Coach:Mike Grahovac, third season
Outlook:Concordia had a strong finish in a tough conference, and won the Opening Round bracket with the strongest field. They can finish in the top four. The first game will be tough if Faulkner starts Eisenbach.

Schedule for the first two days of the 59^th NAIA Baseball National Championship, Friday-Saturday, May 22-23, Harris Field, Lewiston, ID (all times PDT):

9 AM: #7 seed Lindsey Wilson (41-17) vs. #10 Vanguard (38-20)

Lindsey Wilson (Columbia, KY) is making their first appearance at the Baseball National Championship.
Nickname:Blue Raiders
Rankings: Unranked in coaches' poll, #31 in ISR. Strength of schedule: #105
Quality wins:2-1 vs. Auburn-Montgomery, 1-1 vs. Faulkner, 2-1 vs. Campbellsville, 2-1 vs. Tennessee Wesleyan
Top position players: RF Alex Bautista (.383, 19 HR, 72 RBI), 3B Ryan Harper (.400). Bautista's 72 RBI is fourth-best in the NAIA.
Top pitchers: LHP Scott Sebald (10-3, 1.07 ERA), LHP Ryan Hartman (10-2, 2.04 ERA, 103 K)
Coach: Jonathan Burton, fourth season
Outlook: Happy to be here.

Vanguard (Costa Mesa, CA) is making their second appearance at the Baseball National Championship; the first one was in 1985.
Nickname:Lions
Rankings: Unranked in coaches' poll, #16 in ISR. SoS: #12
Quality wins:4-2 vs. Westmont, British Columbia, Northwestern Ohio
Top position players: OF Brandon Sandoval (.291, 36 stolen bases), SS Jose Rojas (.333, 12 HR, 57 RBI), OF Paul Keating (.330)
Top pitchers:RHP Sean Isaac (9-5, 2.91 ERA, 92 K), RHP Scott Torrey (6-1, 3.07 ERA)
Coach: Rob Pegg, third season
Outlook: The Lions play in the very competitive Golden State Athletic Conference, and got to the National Championship by winning the toughest Opening Round bracket. They should do better than their #10 seeding, but won't be championship contenders.

Noon: #8 Concordia-Irvine (47-16) vs. #9 Saint Thomas (44-16)

Concordia-Irvine (CA) is making their third appearance at the Baseball National Championship. (It will be their final appearance; they are moving to Division II next year.) They won the championship in 2011.
Nickname:Eagles
Rankings: #19 in coaches' poll, #2 in ISR. SoS: #3 (highest in tournament)
Quality wins: 1-1 vs. Oklahoma City, 1-1 vs. Lewis-Clark State, 6-1 vs. Vanguard
Top position players: SS Ryan Goodman (.314), OF Robert Shiroky (.292), OF Mitchell Esser (.312, 52 RBI)
Top pitchers: RHP Tyler Mark (5-1, 1.30 ERA, 64 K), RHP Dillon Moran (9-4, 3.63 ERA, 64 K), RHP Isaiah Terrazas (6-2, 2.61 ERA). Mark has 23 saves, the most in the NAIA.
Coach: Mike Grahovac, seventh season
Outlook: The Eagles won the Golden State Athletic Conference tournament, and split with #1 Oklahoma City in the Opening Round to make it here. They should be a contender for the championship.

Saint Thomas (Miami Gardens, FL) is making their fifth appearance at the Baseball National Championship; the last one was in 2007.
Nickname:Bobcats
Rankings: #20 in coaches' poll, #22 in ISR. SoS: #25
Quality wins:2-1 vs. Northwood, 2-1 vs. Georgia Gwinnett, Westmont
Top position players:1B Eric Santamaria (.374, 53 RBI), 3B Paul Chacin (Maracuabo, Venezuela; .335, 69 RBI), LF Jerry Downs (.348, 7 HR, 51 RBI)
Top pitchers:RHP Marcos Barrios (9-2, 3.63 ERA, 78 K), RHP Alex Hernandez (3-1, 2.93 ERA, 43 K). RHP Chris Rodriguez (2-0, 3.00 ERA, 26 K, 12 saves)
Coach: Jorge Perez, sixth season
Outlook:The Bobcats are happy to be here.

A one-hitter for Lee's Shay Crawford. Results from the fifth day of the NAIA Baseball National Championship, in Lewiston, ID:

Concordia-Irvine 8, LSU-Shreveport 4 (LSU-Shreveport eliminated)
Lee 1, Lubbock Christian 0

Concordia-Irvine 8, LSU-Shreveport 4 (LSU-Shreveport eliminated)

The Eagles scored six runs in the first two innings.

The Eagles got a strong performance by starter Dean Persinger, who went 7 2/3 innings, threw 130 pitches, allowed only two runs on four hits until the eighth inning. In the eighth, he gave up a solo home run by 1B Kevin Smith. He recorded a strikeout, and gave up a single to 2B Michael Diffie. He then walked two batters, and turned the ball over to Jacob McBride with two out and the bases loaded. McBride gave up an RBI single by LF Curtis Beaudoin, but got the batter to fly out, ending the inning with the bases loaded. McBride finished the game with a three-up, three-down ninth.

The early offensive onslaught started with a two-RBI single by C John Hill and an RBI double by 1B Tyler Derby in the first inning. In the second inning, CF Matt Ivanoff hit an RBI single, chasing Pilot starter Jared Mata. LF Kyle Konicek hit an RBI double, and DH Bryan Nicholson hit an RBI single.

Ivanoff made a big defensive play in the third inning, catching a ball off the center field fence hit by SS Manny Estrada with a runner on base. Ivanoff and Konicek both finished the game 3-4 with an RBI.

Persinger's final numbers were four runs on seven hits, ten strikeouts, and three walks. McBride got a save, and Mata got the loss.

Box score and play-by-play
Story from Concordia site
Story from NAIA site