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Oklahoma City University Athletics

Oklahoma City University
Home Of Champions|73 National Championships
Quinton Walbergh

Baseball

Stars hold top seed in Opening Round

OCU goes to Shreveport, La., to compete for NAIA World Series bid

SHREVEPORT, La. – Oklahoma City University competes in the NAIA Baseball Championship Opening Round Shreveport Bracket starting at 7 p.m. Monday at Pilot Field on the campus of LSU-Shreveport.
The ninth-ranked Stars took the top seed among the five-team double-elimination tournament. The tournament champion moves on to the NAIA World Series on May 24-31 in Lewiston, Idaho.
The Shreveport bracket is comprised of OCU (46-12), 11th-ranked LSU-Shreveport (47-11), No. 21 Bellevue (Neb.) (43-14), Columbia (Mo.) (29-21) and York (Neb.) (29-21). The Stars play the winner of the Columbia-York game.
Oklahoma City is tied for the most Opening Round titles ever with six. The Stars have advanced to the Opening Round 10 of the 11 years the format has been in place. OCU is playing on the road in the Opening Round for the first time since 2014.
OCU coach Denney Crabaugh needs one win to get to 1,500 career victories. Crabaugh has a career record of 1,499-458-2 in his 31st year as Oklahoma City coach. Crabaugh has taken OCU to 14 NAIA World Series appearances, 14 50-win seasons and the 2005 national championship since 1989. OCU owns the most victories in college baseball since 1991 with 1,433 under Crabaugh.
Sooner Athletic Conference player of the year Tyler Williams spearheads the Stars. Williams, a junior from Peoria, Ariz., ranks third in slugging percentage (.868), sixth in RBIs (77) and seventh in home runs (19) and runs driven in per game (1.43) among the NAIA. Williams bats .413 with 12 stolen bases. He is one of two NAIA players to hit four home runs in a game this year. OCU ranks seventh as a team nationally with 129 doubles.
Bryce Milligan paces the OCU pitching staff, which leads the NAIA with 509 strikeouts. Milligan, a junior right-hander from Blanchard, Okla., rates fourth nationally with 11 wins and 12th with a 1.94 earned run average. He no-hit Grand View (Iowa) on Feb. 1 on opening day.
 
NAIA Championship Opening Round
Shreveport Bracket
At Shreveport, La.
Pilot Field
Monday's Games
Game 1: Columbia (Mo.) vs. York (Neb.), Noon
Game 2: Bellevue (Neb.) at LSU-Shreveport, 3:30 p.m.
Game 3: Winner Game 1 vs. Oklahoma City, 7 p.m.
Tuesday's Games
Game 4: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, Noon
Game 5: Winner Game 2 vs. Winner Game 3, 3:30 p.m.
Game 6: Winner Game 4 vs. Loser Game 3, 7 p.m.
Wednesday's Games
Game 7: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 5, Noon
Game 8: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 7, 3:30 p.m., championship
Thursday's Game
Game 9: If necessary, TBD
 
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Players Mentioned

Bryce Milligan

#19 Bryce Milligan

RHP
6' 0"
Junior
R/R
Tyler Williams

#21 Tyler Williams

OF
6' 3"
Junior
R/R

Players Mentioned

Bryce Milligan

#19 Bryce Milligan

6' 0"
Junior
R/R
RHP
Tyler Williams

#21 Tyler Williams

6' 3"
Junior
R/R
OF