Oklahoma City

The 2011 NAIA Coaches' pre-season top 25:

First place votes: Cumberland 16, Cal Baptist 2, Lee 1, Lewis-Clark State 1

This poll represents an annual mistake by the NAIA; they take this poll much too early. With many of the top NAIA teams heavily dependent on transfers, is isn't reasonable to expect accurate predictions when the coaches don't know who they are going to have in school for the spring semester. However, this poll is out there, and is open for comments.

The 55^th NAIA baseball season started yesterday, with Wayland Baptist splitting a double-header at Arizona Christian. On Tuesday, Simpson visits Azusa Pacific and La Sierra is at Vanguard. On Wednesday, Webber International is at Warner. On Thursday, Simpson visits Cal Baptist. On Friday, it's Vanguard at Cal State San Marcos, Northwood (TX) at Houston-Victoria, Patten at The Master's, Brewton-Parker at Edward Waters, and U. of Science and Arts of Oklahoma at Texas College. On Saturday, Brescia visits Loyola-New Orleans. On Saturday and Sunday, Auburn-Montgomery hosts a six-team event; LSU-Shreveport plays Savannah College of Art and Design and Faulkner, and Auburn-Montgomery plays Milligan and Lindenwood on Saturday. On Sunday, Auburn-Montgomery plays LSU-Shreveport and SCAD, LSU-Shreveport plays Milligan, and SCAD plays Lindenwood.

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

#1 – Cumberland:The defending champions had major graduation losses. However, RHP Aaron Wilkerson, who got 14 wins for the Bulldogs last year, is returning, as well as two key position players, 1B Greg Appleton (.361, 17 home runs) and C David Fanshawe (.342). The Bulldogs have added an impressive group of Division I transfers: LHP Will Locante (Tennessee), IF Tommy Winegardner (Coastal Carolina), and OF Cory Farris (Kentucky). They have a fighting chance at repeating as national champions. Games to watch: at Belhaven Feb. 19, at LSU-Shreveport March 9, Embry-Riddle March 21-22, Union U. (TN) April 1-2, at Lee April 19

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 nine sites for the 2012 Opening Round tournaments will be:

The Opening Round tournaments will be played May 10-14. The nine winners and host Lewis-Clark State will make up the field for the NAIA Baseball National Championship in Lewiston, ID May 25-June 1.

The fields for the Opening Round tournaments will be announced on May 6.

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 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

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

Players from NAIA schools taken in the 2018 Major league Baseball draft:

Players from NAIA schools taken in the 2019 Major League Baseball draft:

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.

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.

Results from Day 4 of the NAIA Baseball National Championship in Lewiston, ID:

Lee 5, Berry 3 (Berry eliminated)

Brandon Cuniff and Josh Rose combined for a three-hitter that took only two hours and 15 minutes to play. Cuniff pitched the first 5 1/3 innings, allowed two runs on three hits, struck out three. Rose pitched the remaining 3 2/3 innings, allowed one run on one hit, struck out four. Cuniff got the win, and Rose got a save.

The Vikings opened the scoring in the bottom of the second with a solo home run by 1B Andrew Starr, but the Flames took the lead for good with a two-run home run by DH Junior Rodriguez in the top of the fourth. They added one in the fifth on an RBI double by SS Brian Bistagne, and the Vikings answered with a run in the bottom of the fifth when LF Jacob Lamar scored on a ground out.

Results from day three of the NAIA Baseball National Championship in Lewiston, ID:

Embry-Riddle 8, Belhaven 4
Point Loma Nazarene 7, Cal Baptist 6
Cumberland 8, Oklahoma City 1
Lee 8, Lewis-Clark State 0

Embry-Riddle 8, Belhaven 4 (Belhaven eliminated)

The Blazers took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first when CF Jimmy Gilford hit an RBI triple, then scored on a ground out. They chased Embry-Riddle ace Jonathan Kountis in the third inning when 2B Lake Eiland scored on a passed ball, and DH Brandon Benton hit an RBI single. The game was tied 4-4 at that point. Kountis was replaced by Cory Bevis, and the Blazers got only two hits the rest of the way. Bevis went 6 1/3 innings, held the Blazers scoreless, struck out five, and walked only one. The Blazers didn’t have a baserunner beyond second base.

Miguel Beltran of Oklahoma City is the NAIA Player of the Year. Click here for the story from Oklahoma City. This is the second straight year that an Oklahoma City player has gotten this honor.

Click here for the NAIA's list of All-Americans. It includes three players from Oklahoma City and Lee, and two from LSU-Shreveport.

Click here for Rawlings-NAIA Baseball Gold Glove team. Chad Carman of Oklahoma City and Kyle Pearson of LSU-Shreveport made both lists. Two players from Siena Heights received Gold Gloves.

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 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.