Hope International

Players from NAIA schools taken in the 2017 Major League Baseball draft:

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Players from NAIA schools taken in the 2023 Major League Baseball draft:

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 longvideo 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

Players from NAIA schools taken in the 2025 Major League Baseball draft:

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.

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.

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, 24HR, 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, 116K), 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.

Schedule for the first two days of the 68th NAIA Baseball National Championship, Friday-Saturday, May 23-31, Harris Field, Lewiston, ID (all times PDT):

Friday, 8:30 AM: #4 seed Hope International(46-8) vs. #7 U. of the Cumberlands (48-10)

Hope International (Fullerton, CA) is the defending champion. This is their third appearance in the Baseball National Championship. They won the Great Southwest Athletic Conference (formerly the Golden State Athletic Conference) championship; they won the regular season championship by six games. Twitter: @HIURoyals

Nickname:Royals
Rankings:Coaches' poll: #4 Boyd Nation's Iterative Strength Rating (ISR): #5 Strength of Schedule: #14
Quality wins: 2-0 vs. Oregon Tech, 6-0 vs. Arizona Christian, Lewis-Clark State, Wayland Baptist
Top position players:UTL David Shackelford (.416, 7 HR, 45 RBI), 1B Colby Moran (.396, 11 HR, 66 RBI), IF Julian Francois (.385, 7 HR, 54 RBI), OF Branden Chun-Ming (.371, 40 RBI), C Josiah Chavez (.365, 9 HR, 44 RBI), RHP/IF Matthew Pinal (.359, 10 HR, 57 RBI), OF Amari Bartee (.354, 14 HR, 42 RBI), SS Trotter Boston (.338, 11 HR, 50 RBI), UTL Mario Tostado (.333, 10 HR, 22 RBI)
Top pitchers:RHP Trey Seeley (12-1, 1.49 ERA, 116K), LHP Josh Landry (11-0, 1.82 ERA, 91 K), RHP Jesus Munguia (7-2, 4.63 ERA, 63 K), RHP Boom Ward (2-1, 4.70 ERA, 14 K, 6 saves), RHP Gio Besio (2-0, 4.50 ERA, 36 K). Seeley has the second-lowest ERA in the NAIA, and Landry is the third-lowest. Seeley is tied for fourth in strikeouts.
Coach:Larry Mahoney, fourth season
Outlook:The Royals have lights out pitching; Seeley got two wins in last year's tournament. They have a good chance of becoming repeat champions.

University of the Cumberlands (Williamsburg, KY) is making their third consecutive appearance in the Baseball National Championship. They finished 1-2 last year. They won the regular season championship of the Mid-South Conference. Twitter: @PatsBaseballUC

The Patriots beat out Southeastern for this year's United Nations Award. Their full roster has three Australians, four Puerto Ricans, three Dominican Republicans, and a Canadian.

Nickname:Patriots
Rankings:Coaches' poll: #8 ISR: #13 SoS: #63 (lowest in tournament)
Quality wins:2-0 vs. Missouri Baptist, 1-1 vs. Tennessee Wesleyan
Top position players:C Charlie Muñiz (Naranjito, Dominican Republic; .445, 34 HR, 91 RBI), OF Christian Thompson (.355, 35 RBI), IF Alec Gonzalez (.355, 8 HR, 69 RBI), IF Caden Petrey (.337, 17 HR, 55 RBI), IF Max Harper (.409, 12 HR, 55 RBI), IF Edwin Martinez (.376, 42 RBI), OF Derick Andiarena (Añasca, Puerto Rico; .369, 13 HR, 61 RBI), IF Pedro Vasquez (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; .347, 11 HR, 53 RBI), OF/LHP Trent Prokes (.314, 7 HR, 51 RBI). Muñiz leads the NAIA in home runs and RBI for the second straight year.
Top pitchers:RHP Knicko Billings (9-1, 3.67 ERA, 78 K), LHP Kailem Hamson (Gold Coast, Australia; 11-0, 2.54 ERA, 121 K), LHP Wesley Culley (4-1, 2.73 ERA, 50 K), LHP Cooper Morgan (Canberra, Australia; 5-1, 3.86 ERA, 55 K), RHP Nolan Wilson (3-1, 2.34 ERA, 45 K). Hamson is third in the NAIA in strikeouts.
Coach:Brad Shelton, 24th season
Outlook:The Patriots' regular season and playoff record is unimpressive; they will have to take it up a notch to be competitive in this field.

Schedule for the first two days of the 61^st NAIA Baseball National Championship, Friday-Saturday, May 26-27, Harris Field, Lewiston, ID (all times PDT):

8:30 AM: #7 seed Science and Arts of Oklahoma (47-15) vs. #10 The Master's (39-21)

Science and Arts of Oklahoma (Chikasha, OK) is making their second appearance at the Baseball National Championship. They went two-and-out last year, and were taken out by The Master's. The Drovers win the United Nations award for the second straight year; they have an Australian, five Puerto Ricans, and a Dominican Republican.
Nickname:Drovers
Rankings: #19 in coaches' poll, #27 in ISR. Strength of Schedule: #37
Quality wins:3-1 vs. Bellevue, Davenport, 3-1 vs. Friends, Oklahoma Baptist
Top position players: UTL Christian Perez (.434, 10 HR, 59 RBI, Bayamon, Puerto Rico), RF Randy Ventura (.429, 10 HR, 52 RBI, Carolina, Puerto Rico), C Dillon White (.410, 15 HR, 80 RBI). White's 80 RBI are fifth-best in the NAIA.
Top pitchers: LHP Francis Ventura (10-1, 1.64 ERA, 88 K), LHP Jose Hidalgo (9-1, 2.04 ERA, 85 K), RHP Ruddy Estrella (1-1, 2.49 ERA, 29 K), LHP Carson Korff (8-0, 2.56 ERA, 52 K). Ventura's ERA is third-lowest in the NAIA, and lowest of the pitchers in this tournament. Hidalgo's ERA is 15^th-lowest.
Coach: Mike Ross, 13^th season
Outlook: The Drovers had to beat a really good Bellevue team twice and a good Davenport team to get here. This is a tough first round matchup for both teams.

The Master's (Santa Clarita, CA) is making their fourth appearance at the Baseball National Championship. They went 1-2 in last year's tournament. The win was 6-1 over Science and Arts of Oklahoma; RHP Brad Lohse pitched a complete game. They won the Golden State Athletic Conference tournament by winning five straight after losing the opening game.
Nickname:Mustangs
Rankings: Unranked in coaches' poll, #7 in ISR. SoS: #6
Quality wins:4-1 vs. Menlo, 2-0 vs. Georgia Gwinnett. Defeated Hope International twice in GSAC tournament.
Top position players: C Jonah Jarrard (.413, 12 HR, 46 RBI), 3B Michael Sexton (.401, 16 HR, 59 RBI), CF Max Maitland (.351), SS Aaron Shackelford (.316, 14 HR, 50 RBI), 1B David Sheaffer (262, 8 HR, 59 RBI)
Top pitchers: RHP Danny Lutz (2-1, 2.53 ERA, 29 K), RHP Aaron Alexander (10-4, 2.84 ERA, 95 K), RHP Robert Winslow (8-5, 2.92 ERA, 97 K), RHP Jason Karkenny (5-2, 4.28 ERA, 49 K)
Coach: Monte Brooks, 21st season
Outlook: After a slow start, the Mustangs went 24-4 since March 25, and enter this tournament with a nine-game winning streak. Preview from The Master's College.