OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City University hosts the NAIA Baseball Championship Opening-Round Field 2 Tournament, where teams will compete for an NAIA World Series berth starting Tuesday at Jim Wade Stadium.
Second-ranked OCU, No. 19 LSU-Shreveport, No. 22 Southern Nazarene, McKendree (Ill.) and Texas Wesleyan comprise the teams in the double-elimination tournament.
OCU (48-7) will be led by Sooner Athletic Conference player of the year Brent Weaver, a first baseman who has hit .444 with an NAIA-high 35 home runs to go with 86 RBIs. Left-handed pitcher Ashur Tolliver has a 10-1 record with a 2.85 earned run average.
The Stars lead the NAIA in home runs (153), hits (734), runs (629), RBIs (586), batting average (.404) and slugging percentage (.756). OCU has already set the team NAIA single-season homer record, surpassing last year's team total of 147. The Stars face the McKendree-Texas Wesleyan winner 6 p.m. Tuesday.
LSU-Shreveport (41-14) has catcher Andrew Brouillette, who has hit .467 with 20 homers and 98 RBIs, and pitcher Justin Ennis, who has gone 9-1 with a 2.97 ERA and 72 strikeouts in 100 innings pitched. LSU-Shreveport, which finished second in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference, ranks second in the NAIA in runs scored. LSU-Shreveport meets Southern Nazarene at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Southern Nazarene (37-13) makes its first national-tournament appearance in baseball. First-team all-SAC outfielder Sam Mercado tops Southern Nazarene with a .474 average, 16 homers and 68 RBIs, while first-team all-SAC pick Matt Morgal had a 10-1 record, 4.29 ERA and 121 strikeouts in 84 innings worked.
McKendree (36-19-2) will be led by American Midwest Conference co-pitcher of the year Cale Johnson, who has a 6-3 record, 2.09 ERA and 78 strikeouts in 82 innings. Kory Peppenhorst has hit .389 with 18 homers and 71 RBIs for the American Midwest Conference champion. McKendree takes on Texas Wesleyan at 11 a.m. Tuesday.
Texas Wesleyan (39-20) boasts of all-Red River Athletic Conference outfielder Blake Walker, who leads the team with a .365 average, 10 homers and 47 RBIs. Joey Evans has gone 6-3 with a 3.15 ERA and 68 strikeouts in 80 innings for Texas Wesleyan, which gained an at-large bid into the tournament.
The nine opening-round tournament winners and host Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) will make up the field for the NAIA World Series, which will be May 22-29 in Lewiston, Idaho.
“Traditionally baseball has been the only sport in the NAIA that hasn't had more than one team from a region or conference advance to the national tournament,” OCU coach Denney Crabaugh. “Now we have that opportunity. It's great, and I love it.”
Admission is $8 for adults and $6 for children 12 and under per session. Each game will be available via live video at a rate of $7.95 per day.
Bracket
NAIA Championship Opening Round
Field 2 Tournament
At Jim Wade Stadium
Tuesday's Games
Game 1: McKendree (Ill.) vs. Texas Wesleyan, 11 a.m.
Game 2: LSU-Shreveport vs. Southern Nazarene, 2:30 p.m.
Game 3: Winner Game 1 vs. Oklahoma City, 6 p.m.
Wednesday's Games
Game 4: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 11 a.m.
Game 5: Winner Game 2 vs. Winner Game 3, 2:30 p.m.
Game 6: Winner Game 4 vs. Loser Game 3, 6 p.m.
Thursday's Games
Game 7: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 5, 11 a.m.
Game 8: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 7, 2:30 p.m., championship
Friday, May 15
Game 9: If necessary, noon
