NAIA National Tournament Preview, Part 2
- Info CBC
- May 8
- 14 min read
By Andrew Riedell
So, now that we have looked at the front half of the tournament in my previous story, we need to look at the back half of the last five regionals. Make sure to read all the way through, because I am going to make my picks on who will be making it to Lewiston to be in the Final Ten!
Lincoln Regional:
Webber International (Automatic Qualifier)
Concordia (Host/Automatic Qualifier)
Science and Arts (Automatic Qualifier)
Indiana Wesleyan (Automatic Qualifier)
Mount Mercy (Automatic Qualifier)
We start off our part two preview with a team from Miami, Florida being sent to the cornfields of Lincoln, Nebraska as the Webber International Warriors will be the one seed here as they won the Sun Conference Tournament.
I was shocked the committee sent them this far. I thought they would have gone to Hattiesburg as the one seed. Led by coach Collin Martin in his sixth season he has taken them to Lewiston once and he looks to do it again. This team is filled with good hitters such as Steven Nitch, Jalen Martinez, Bryan Morales, and Ryan Recio lead the way offensively in a very good pitching conference.
The Sun Conference is known for some of the best pitching in the NAIA and that is the same case here as the Warriors are led by Blayne Huter and his 2.06 ERA and 13-1 record as he struck out 105 hitters this year. Mark Link and Dalton Robinson are also solid arms they have and Jacob Hardy is their best arm out of the bullpen with his 2.20 ERA in 41 innings this season.
Our next team is the hosting team for the first time ever the Concordia Bulldogs will be the host in a regional. Led by Ryan Dupic he took this team into the tournament with a 40-11 record and winners of the GPAC Regular Season title. This team has quality wins over Oklahoma CIty, Bellevue, Southeastern this season and is loaded with talent. They are led by Jaidan Quinn who won the GPAC Player of the Year after hitting .373 with 24 HRs and 71 RBIs this year.
They are also led by GPAC Pitcher of the Year Alex Johnson who is a good story as he has battled injuries the last two seasons and then comes back and dominated this year with an 8-2 record and a 3.06 ERA while striking out 96 hitters. I really like this Concordia team. I thought they would have been a one seed at their own place but I think they got a nice draw.
The University of Science and Arts come in winners of the Sooner Athletic Conference and a record of 34-18 with key wins against Kansas Wesleyan, Bellevue, Wayland Baptist, and Oklahoma City. Coached by Tyle Hankins he has been successful with the program ever since he took over and led them to three World Series appearances. This team is always loaded in my six years playing and watching NAIA baseball. This USAO squad is always a Top 25 contender and is a fun team to watch. Led by on the bats by SAC First Team player Gunnar Hansen after hitting .361 with 7 HRs and 49 RBIs and Gage Ninness after his Second Team All-SAC selection after hitting .358 with 15 extra base hits with 55 RBIs.
Pitching for the Dovers has always been strong as well and it starts off with SAC Pitcher of the Year Brian Ereu after his 10-1 campaign with a 2.96 ERA and struck out 81 batters this season as well. Tyson Noel, a 6'7 lefty from Australia also makes a huge impact for this team as well after striking out 84 hitters in 69 innings this season. I really like this spot for the Dovers, especially Game 1 vs Concordia.
Indiana Wesleyan comes into the Opening Round with a 29-20 record with key wins over Cumberlands, IU-Kokomo, and Taylor this season. Led by Coach Co-Interim Head Coaches Steve Friend and Jeff Pawlik they have done a solid job with getting this team back to the opening round after being a snub last year. Led by Brock Buckley on the mound after going 78 innings this season with a career high 86 strikeouts and Kevin Corcoran is also a solid arm for the Wildcats with his 3.98 ERA.
On the bats for the Wildcats they are led by Kyle Wu and Ty Matthews as both of them are hitting above .360. Matthews is leading the way with 12 HRs and 49 RBIs for them.
The last team in the Lincoln Regional are the Mount Mercy Mustangs as they clinched their way to the postseason being the runner ups in the Heart of America tournament. Led by Jack Dahm in his tenth season he has led them to a 33-21 record and back to back opening round appearances.
Led by Jaden Hackbarth after hitting .354 with 6 HRs and 38 RBIs and he also got some help from Josh Notriano and Bryce Brown who both hit a combined 17 HRs with 81 RBIs this season for the Mustangs. On the mound they are led by Ashton Schwab who went 5-4 this season with 54 strikeouts and an era hovering around 5.
Shreveport Regional:
LSU-Shreveport (Host/Automatic Qualifier.)
Mid-America Christian (At-Large)
Johnson (At-Large)
Ottawa (At-Large)
Southern-New Orleans(Automatic Qualifier)
On to the Shreveport Regional, where we get to talk about the best college baseball story this season, the LSUS Pilots entering the postseason with a 51-0 record. Yes, you read that right, they have zero losses, have faced six ranked opponents this season, and have won games 42-4 and 37-0 this season.
Led by the Red River Coach of the Year Brad Neffendorf, this team is LOADED with talent and has sights on Lewiston after not going last year. They are led by RRAC Player of the Year Josh Gibson after he hit .441 with 8 home runs, 64 RBIs and 50 stolen bases. Also leading the way for the Pilots is Austin Gomm, hitting .412 and 11 HRs with 60 RBIs this season. Like I said, I could go up and down this lineup and rave about how good they are.
Pitching is the same way, as they have some of the best pitchers in the NAIA, having hurled their way to a 2.23 ERA as a team! That is ABSURDLY GOOD! The two arms we will be talking about that will probably be fighting for the NAIA Pitcher of the Year award are Isaac Rhode and Cobe Reeves. Rhode has pitched his way to a 12-0 record, with five complete games, 117 strikeouts, and a 2.19 ERA. For Reeves, in his first year with the Pilots, he has been phenomenal as well, with an 11-0 record, a 1.89 ERA, and 102 strikeouts. This LSUS team is probably the favorite to win it all in Lewiston, but the question is, do they drop a game in the regional?
Mid-America Christian is the two seed in Shreveport this year after putting together a strong resume this year with a record of 38-15 and a Bo Chip of 20 this season. Led by Coach Brett Stanton in his fifth season as the head coach where he has led them to their first ever bid to an NAIA tournament and their first win last season. This team is led by Cristopher Munoz and Noel McGarry-Doyle on the bats after both hitting above .390 and driving in a combined 102 runs this season. On the pitching side they are led by Fabian Hernandez and Gabriel Dixon as both have pitched very solid for MACU this year as Fabian has gone 8-1 with 80 strikeouts this season and Dixon has gone 5-2 with 54 strikeouts.
The Johnson royals are also a very cool story to have followed this season, as they clinched an auto bid after an historic year with 35 wins that includes a 7-3 record against Top 25 teams. Led by Dave Serrano in his second year, he led them to a 35-16 record with a Bo Chip ranking of 24. This team is full of scrappy hitters, with four who have struck out fewer than 30 times this season.
Travis Hobbensiefken has led the way with 7 HRs and 49 RBI for this lineup, but he has also gotten help from Bryson Shown with 7 home runs with 43 RBI. On the pitching staff for the Royals, they are led by junior Colby Reynolds, who has gone 12-2 this season in 93 innings with 81 strikeouts and a 2.72 ERA.
The Ottawa Braves are the next team, coming in as a really strong four seed in my opinion with a 38-14 record and a 39 Bo Chip, good for an At-Large bid. Coached by Jonathan Freemyer in his third season with the Braves, this is his second trip to the Opening Round.
Ottawa picked up key wins vs Kansas Wesleyan, Tabor, and Central Methodist this season. This team is led by First Team KCAC representative Dylan Garcia who hit .375 this season with 16 HRs, 15 doubles and 54 RBI. Jackson Alaniz, and Jaquavius Davis were also key contributors with the bats, both hitting over .380 and slugging 11 HRs each.
Ottawa has also been known for their stellar pitching, as Luis Diaz is one of the best pitchers in the KCAC, striking out 49 hitters out of the bullpen this season. Fawster Voytko and Ryan Wilwers were also very solid as front line starters for the Braves this season.
The Southern New Orleans Knights come into the Shreveport bracket after claiming the second auto bid from the HBCU Conference. Coach Olen Parker in his and the Knights program's second year in the NAIA has them going to their first ever NAIA Tournament.
They are led by Miles Bowens and Kerrigan Edmondson, who have hit .347 and .346 respectively for the Knights this year, driving in 91 combined runs. Joey Olveda and Derrick Robinson Jr. are both key parts in this SUNO pitching rotation as well.
Upland Bracket:
Taylor (Host/Automatic Qualifier)
Bellevue (Automatic Qualifier)
Kansas Wesleyan (Automatic Qualifier)
Grand View (At-Large)
The Taylor Trojans will be the host for what is a really strong four-team bracket in Indiana. Coach Kyle Gould in his 21st year with the program has taken them to Lewiston once, in 2023, and he looks to take them there again this year with a 46-9 record.
This lineup is headlined by Kaleb Kolpien, who hit .428 this season with 15 HRs and 70 RBIs. They have gotten quality hitting from their whole lineup, but Brayden Manning and Mason David are key names to watch as well! Leading the pitching staff is Gabel Pentecost, who went 12-1 with a 2.75 ERA and struck out 108 hitter. Brody Fine also struck out 91 guys in his 58 innings as well.
The Bellevue Bruins, who are looking to make it back to Lewiston after going 0-2 in last year's regional, come into the postseason with a 40-13 record. They are led by Duane Monlux in his 15th season as the head coach, and he has led them to Lewiston four times since taking over.
The Bruins are led by Logan Grant and Steven Elsner, both slugging the ball well with Grant hitting 19 home runs and Elsner hitting 23 home runs, with a combined 125 RBI. On the pitching side for the Bruins, they are led by Jace Wessels and Parker McMan, both with an ERA under 2.40 this season. McMan threw four complete games on his way to a 6-2 record, with Wessels going 6-0 with two saves out of the bullpen. It looks like he is used as both a starter and closer, so don't be shocked to see him go either way this weekend.
Kansas Wesleyan will come into the Opening Round fresh off a trip to Lewiston last season. They earned their way after going into Shreveport last year and shocking the NAIA world with their upset of LSUS.
This year, they went 39-13 and won the KCAC Baseball Championship in Coach Bill Neale's 11th season. The team is led by First Team KCAC selections Tyler Favretto, Brett Maddock, and Ritter Steinmann. Favretto slashed his way to a .432 average, hitting 14 HRs with 56 RBI. Fernando Ruvalcaba this season has also been raking, with 17 HRs and 63 RBI.
Pitching for the Coyotes, they have a plateau of Brett Maddock who has dominated as a starter this season with a 4.21 ERA with 74 strikeouts through 98 innings and a really good bullpen led by Ritter Steinmann and Riley Gwin. Steinmann had five saves with a 3.71 ERA, while Gwin had a 1.25 ERA in 36 innings out of the bullpen.
The Grand View Vikings come into the Opening Round with a 34-11 record and a Bo Chip of 23 to solidify an At-Large bid. Coached by Doug Brinker in his 15th season with the program, he led them to their first ever Heart of America Conference Tournament championship last year. They are led by slugger Brock Rinehart, with his 14 HRs, 45 RBI, and .338 batting average. Brock Johnson also led the way hitting, with a .376 average, 12 HR and 47 RBI this year.
Waleska Regional:
Reinhardt (Host/Automatic Qualifier)
Loyola New Orleans (Automatic Qualifier)
Oakland City (Automatic Qualifier)
Ave Maria (At-Large)
The Reinhardt Eagles will host another regional in Waleska, GA, coming in 42-11 and fresh off finishing as runner-up at the Appalachian Athletic Tournament. In his seventh season with the Reinhardt Eagles, Jonathan Burton just took the Eagles to Lewiston, where they shattered a record last year by scoring 30 runs in a single game.
This lineup is led by Nash Crowell, who hit 16 HR with 52 RBI while hitting .397. Jacob Mantooth and Robert Phelps also were key contributors, hitting .347 and .355, respectively, while combining for 22 home runs.
Pitching for the Eagles has been very solid as well, as Andrew Herbert will be in the NAIA Pitcher of the Year award conversation after going 12-0 with a 1.74 ERA in 93 innings and 94 strikeouts. Logan Lynch and Adam Christopher have also been solid this season as well.
The Loyola New Orleans Wolf Pack find their way into Waleska courtesy of an automatic bid from winning their first ever Southern States Conference tournament.
Coached by Jeremy Kennedy, he is still looking for his first trip to Lewiston with the Wolf Pack, but he has been close before with this team. The Wolf Pack are led by Brandon Mooney, Garrett Felix, and Cole Romero, who have been great this year in this lineup.
Felix leads the charge with a .415 batting average and 42 RBIs, Mooney has slashed a .377 batting average this year with 40 RBIs, and Cole Romero has led the power charge with 11 home runs and 68 RBIs, a new school season single record. Landon Manson, and Marcus Steen also play a huge role in this lineup too.
For the pitching staff they are led by Thomas Hakimian and Cole Bordes, who have stepped up as starters this season. Hakimian has a 3.02 ERA this year, and Bordes a 4.15 ERA, both in the bullpen and starting. Some key bullpen arms you may see are Carter Holstein, Frank G. Fernandez Jr, Matt Weil, and Caden Durand.
The Oakland City Mighty Oaks will travel from Indiana to Georgia for their first ever trip to the NAIA Opening Round. The Mighty Oaks head coach is Andy Lasher, who in his fifth season at the helm led them to a 39-13 record this season.
They are paced at the plate by Dicky Gonzalez, with a .421 batting average and 36 RBI. Hudson Allen also hit over .400 this year, with 9 home runs and 36 RBI this. Pitching for them is very strong too, led by Mick Uebelhor and Gehrig Tenhumberg, both having an ERA under 3.75. Uebelhor went 7-4 this season with 90 strikeouts, while Tenhumberg struck out 71 as well.
The Ave Maria Gyrenes come into this Opening Round with a 27-25 record and a Bo Chip of 46, after they picked up key wins vs Hope International, St. Thomas, Keiser, and Southeastern.
This comes as a shock to a lot of people with whom I have talked, since some teams with better Bo Chips were left out. They are led by Jesus Gonzalez, who raked to a .366 batting average with 12 HRs and 47 RBIs this season. Jordan Crawford also posted a 8 HR season with 38 RBIs this season to help the Gyrenes lineup. Pitching for them is pretty solid as well, with Hunter Cashero leading the way with a 4.19 ERA in 77 innings with 67 strikeouts. Isaac Hines will also be a solid piece for them out of the bullpen with a 2.45 ERA in 22 innings this season.
Williamsburg Regional:
Missouri Baptist (Automatic Qualifier)
Cumberlands (Host/At-Large)
Mid America Nazarene (At-Large)
Northwestern Ohio (Automatic Qualifier)
Missouri Baptist will come into Williamsburg as the one seed after a 40-9 record this season. I was shocked to see them end up as a one seed in Kentucky. I think they got the luxury of a four team bracket; however, going to a ballpark like Doyle Buhl turns it into a hitters' ballpark for every team.
Led by Eddie Uschold in his 26th season, he looks to take them to Lewiston for the first time since 2017. They are led by AMC Pitcher of the Year Carter Sabol, who went 10-1 with a 2.37 ERA and 93 strikeouts . Teague Robertson and Greg Ryun also were stellar arms on their pitching staff, as Robertson pitched to a 2.08 ERA with a 5-2 record and Ryun had a 3.22 ERA out of the bullpen. For their bats, they were led by Lindenwood transfer and Newcomer of the Year James Jett, who hit .429 with 17 home runs and 59 RBIs for the Spartans. Jakob Kouneski also can rake, as he hit .336 with five home runs and 45 RBIs.
The Cumberlands Patriots come into the Opening Round fresh off of back-to-back trips to Lewiston under Head Coach Brad Shelton. I was shocked to see them be a two seed at their own place this season, but they did struggle a little in the back half of this season towards the conference tournament.
This team is led by the all-time home runs leader in college baseball history, Charlie Muniz, who has hit 111 home runs in four years. He is hitting .449 this year, with 32 home runs and 88 RBIs, and he will surely be the front runner for NAIA Player of the Year this year.
Max Harper and Derek Andiarena have also chipped in for the Patriots, as both of them have hit double-digit home runs this season. On the pitching side of things, they have Kailen Hamson and Knicko Billings, who have been front line starters and have been solid all year. Hamson has a 2.01 ERA this year, going 11-0 with 107 strikeouts this season.
Mid America Nazarene comes in with an At-Large bid after going 33-16 with a solid Bo Chip of 25. Under Coach Ryan Thompson in his 18th season with the program, he looks to take them to their third World Series appearance.
The Pioneers picked up key wins vs Central Methodist, Bellevue, and Missouri Baptist to help their case to make it here. Led by Drew Woodley and Javier Melendez, Woodley has hit .418 with 9 home runs and 39 RBI, while Melendez has hit .394 with 8 home runs and 45 RBI. Pitching for the Pioneers has also been a strong suit, and this year, they are led by Luis Lopez who went 7-4 with a 2.86 ERA and 86 strikeouts.
The Northwestern Ohio Racers will be the final of the 46 teams we talk about, so if you made it all the way here, thank you!
With a 40-13-1 record this year, the Racers clinched an auto bid by winning the WHAC Regular Season title. Coach Kory Hartman is in his 15th season, he has made it to Lewiston before, and is ready to take the Racers back!
They are led by Freshman pitcher Daniel Healy, named WHAC Pitcher of the Year after going 7-1 with a 2.90 ERA, and Brayden Lybarger, who went 7-3 with 63 Ks and a 4.86 ERA. Fabian Romero led the team in batting average, hitting .442 with 36 RBIs and 21 stolen bases; and Eliomar Otero raked for 12 home runs and 67 RBIs while hitting .361 this season.
Predictions:
Well, here we are, 46 teams have been selected, and I was very fortunateand privileged to write this preview on the NAIA World Series. Before we talk about my predictions, I do believe some teams were snubbed. I do not believe the committee did a bad job; I thought they did great, but there were nonetheless some of what could be seen as snubs.
Well here are my predictions to make it to Lewiston:
Hattiesburg: British Columbia over William Carey
Kingsport: Tennessee Wesleyan over Columbia
Lakeland: Southeastern over Abraham Baldwin
Lawrenceville: Georgia Gwinnett over Houston-Victoria
Lewiston: Hope International over Lewis-Clark State
Lincoln: Concordia over Science and Arts
Shreveport: LSUS (I do believe they lose their first game, though.) over Johnson
Upland: Taylor over Kansas Wesleyan
Waleska: Loyola over Reinhardt
Williamsburg: Cumberlands over Missouri Baptist
*****
Comments