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Oklahoma City University Athletics

Oklahoma City University
Home Of Champions|73 National Championships
2018 NAIA Championship Opening Round

Baseball

Stars host NAIA Baseball Championship Opening Round

Fifth-ranked OCU plays 6 p.m. Monday

OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City University strives for an NAIA World Series bid in the NAIA Baseball Championship Opening Round Oklahoma City Bracket beginning Monday at Jim Wade Stadium.
Fifth-ranked Oklahoma City, 14th-ranked Mobile (Ala.), 18th-rated Jamestown (N.D.), No. 22 Central Methodist (Mo.) and York (Neb.) converge on Jim Wade Stadium for the double-elimination tournament. The championship game is set for 2:30 p.m. May 16 with the if-necessary game noon May 17.
Jamestown takes on York at 11 a.m. Monday, then Central Methodist faces Mobile at 2:30 p.m. Monday. OCU will play 6 p.m. Monday against the winner of the first game. Tickets cost $10 for adults and $7 for students 18 and under. The tournament will be broadcast via live video stream at a rate of $8.95 per game or $24.95 for a tournament pass.
Eight all-Sooner Athletic Conference choices spearhead the Stars (47-7) in their quest to return to the NAIA World Series. Lane Milligan, a first-team all-league honoree, leads the NAIA with 85 RBIs, 14 triples, 1.79 hits per contest, 1.64 RBIs a game and 0.27 triples a game. Milligan, a senior from Binger, Okla., hits .477 with 14 home runs. He needs a triple to break the NAIA single-season record.
Joe Lytle, a four-time all-SAC pick, owns the OCU doubles record with 89. Lytle, a senior from Yukon, Okla., has produced a .404 average, seven homers and 69 RBIs. Matt Young, a senior right-hander from Glendora, Calif., has set the OCU career strikeout mark with 274.
Oklahoma City won its second consecutive SAC regular-season title. The Stars pace the NAIA in slugging percentage (.612), triples (32), runs scored per game (10.56) and RBIs per game (9.83). OCU takes aim at its 16th World Series appearance. Oklahoma City, the 2005 national champion, has racked up 1,336 wins since 1991 for the most in college baseball in that span.
Braxton Rhodes of Mobile collected Southern States Athletic Conference pitcher of the year. Rhodes has posted a 10-1 record, 2.48 earned run average and 94 strikeouts in 98 innings. Mobile (42-15) made the Opening Round field via an at-large bid.
Central Methodist boasts of the Heart of America Athletic Conference player of the year (Randy Perez), pitcher of the year (Kyle Fulton) and coach of the year (Nate Breland). Perez leads the NAIA with 26 doubles while hitting .412 with six homers, 61 RBIs and 25 stolen bases. Central Methodist (40-14) made the conference tournament title game.
Kaleb Binstock from Jamestown has turned in an .839 slugging percentage to rank fifth in the NAIA. Binstock carries a .438 average, 11 homers and 39 RBIs. Jamestown (41-9) was an at-large choice for the Opening Round.
Jake Sola leads York with his 17 homers, which ranks ninth among the NAIA. Sola has a .336 average and 43 RBIs. York (26-26) finished as the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament runner-up.

 
NAIA Championship Opening Round
Oklahoma City Bracket
At Oklahoma City
Jim Wade Stadium
All Times CDT
Monday's Games
Game 1:
Jamestown (N.D.) vs. York (Neb.), 11 a.m.
Game 2: Mobile (Ala.) vs. Central Methodist (Mo.), 2:30 p.m.
Game 3: Oklahoma City vs. Winner Game 1, 6 p.m.
Tuesday'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.
Wednesday, May 16
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
Thursday, May 17
Game 9:
If necessary, noon
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Players Mentioned

Joe Lytle

#11 Joe Lytle

C/INF
6' 0"
Senior
L/R
Lane Milligan

#3 Lane Milligan

C/OF
6' 2"
Senior
L/R
Matt Young

#32 Matt Young

RHP
6' 4"
Senior
R/R

Players Mentioned

Joe Lytle

#11 Joe Lytle

6' 0"
Senior
L/R
C/INF
Lane Milligan

#3 Lane Milligan

6' 2"
Senior
L/R
C/OF
Matt Young

#32 Matt Young

6' 4"
Senior
R/R
RHP