Baseball Preview at NAIA Opening Round
Doane Baseball will participate in the NAIA Opening Round for the third consecutive year and will have their shortest trip as they stay in-state and play in the Bellevue Bracket hosted by Bellevue University. The Tigers will open with Oklahoma City while Bellevue and Grand View meet up in the second match-up of the day.
A look at the Tigers…
Doane (42-10) won the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) regular season and postseason titles. The Tigers rank 11th in the NAIA in earned run average (3.82) and 21st in fielding percentage (.969), both leading the GPAC.
Aaron Forrest, the GPAC Pitcher of the Year, enters with a 10-2 record and a 2.63 earned run average (ERA). Kaden Crawford holds an 8-3 record with a 2.97 ERA. Julian Vargas is 5-2 with a 10.32 strikeouts/nine inning average. In relief, Jake Johnson holds a 5-0 record with two saves and a 2.00 ERA. Kyler Beekman is 5-1 with five saves and a 3.32 ERA.
Defensively, the Tigers had four Gold Glove winners in first baseman Lukas White, third baseman Justin Nevells, left fielder Joe Osborn, and right fielder Nate Mensik. The Tigers have turned 31 double plays on the year.
White leads the Tigers with a .425 batting average, 20 doubles, 15 home runs, and 64 runs batted in (RBI). Cristian Yanez is batting .375 with 14 RBI in 32 games. Mensik is hitting .373 with 14 doubles, five triples, 11 home runs, 42 RBI, and 15 stolen bases. Osborn is batting .328 with 18 doubles, 14 home runs, 46 RBI, and 56 runs scored. As a team, the Tigers are batting .331 on the season.
A look at Oklahoma City…
The Stars (30-17) won the Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) tournament after finishing third in the regular season, two games out of first place. OCU ranked second in earned run average in the Sooner, posting a 4.92 ERA while averaging 9.73 strikeouts per nine innings.
Eli Davis is the go-to starter for the Stars, having earned the SAC Pitcher of the Year the last two years after transferring in from Kansas University. He holds an 11-2 record with a 1.91 ERA and 124 strikeouts in 94.0 innings. Andrew Limbaugh is 3-7 in 13 starts with a 5.90 ERA. In relief, Tyler Polk is 4-2 with a 4.60 ERA and three saves. He has also started six games. Grant Harrison is 1-2 in 23.1 innings with a 6.56 ERA.
The Stars have two Gold Glove winners in Davis at pitcher and Aiden Alexander in center field. As a team, OCU has a .954 fielding percentage this year.
Offensively, OCU is hitting .303 as a team. Trent Kiraly is batting .399 with 13 doubles, 14 home runs, and 60 RBI. Reese Ratchford is hitting .377 with seven doubles, seven home runs, and 35 RBI. Felix Chenier-Rondeau is hitting .331 with 15 doubles, two triples, 10 home runs, 37 RBI, and 20 stolen bases.
A look at Bellevue…
The Bruins (45-8) are the North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) regular season and postseason champions. Bellevue is ranked No. 5 in the NAIA. As a team, the Bruins rank 15th in the NAIA in ERA (4.14) and second in fielding percentage (.978).
Blake Crippen is 9-2 on the season with a 3.52 ERA and five complete games. Alexandro Celiceo is 9-1 with a 4.18 ERA and 71 strikeouts. Easton Brinton is 6-1 with a 4.85 ERA in 13 starts. In relief, Teron Williams has three saves in 14 outings with a 0-2 record and a 2.04 ERA. Jared Eifler, in 14 appearances, has a 3.74 ERA in 21.2 innings.
The top defense in the NSAA resulted in seven Gold Glove honors for the Bruins. Mathieu Sirois received the honor at first base, Drew Staley at second base, Nick Grade at third base, Jake Lacey in left field, Kanta Kobayashi in center field, Anthony Lind in right field, and Crippen at pitcher.
Kobayashi was the NSAA Player of the Year. He is hitting .395 with 16 doubles, four home runs, 38 RBI, 73 runs, and 15 stolen bases. Staley is hitting .385 with nine doubles and 30 RBI. Logan Grant is hitting .380 with nine doubles, 11 home runs and 66 RBI. Grade is batting .362 with 12 doubles, 15 home runs, and 58 RBI. Lacey is hitting .332 with 15 doubles, 13 home runs, and a team-leading 67 RBI.
A look at Grand View…
The Vikings (34-12) entered as the three-seed in the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) and went 4-0 in the conference tournament to punch their bid to the national tournament, their first since 2015. Grand View ranks 34th in the NAIA with a .319 team batting average.
Drew Conn posted a 10-0 record in 10 starts with a 4.15 ERA and 9.43 strikeouts per nine innings. Jonathan Horn went 5-1 with a 5.14 ERA and 10.50 strikeouts per nine. Out of the bullpen, Devin Doyle went 4-0 with five saves in 16 relief appearances. He has a 2.63 ERA with 9.22 strikeouts per nine. Cade Armstrong has a 2-0 record in 18 appearances with a 4.76 ERA.
As a team, the Vikings posted a .959 fielding percentage. Brock Rinehart leads the team with a .983 fielding percentage from behind the plate, throwing out 28-percent of base runners.
Dane Schwirtz leads the team with a .391 batting average with 28 RBI. Erik Broekemeier is hitting .380 with 17 doubles, six home runs, and 41 RBI. Camden Armstrong is hitting .346 with 30 RBI.
Bracket Schedule…
Doane and Oklahoma City will open the action on Monday, May 15, at 12 PM at Don Roddy Field at Bellevue East H.S. The second game is scheduled for 3:30 PM between Bellevue and Grand View. Each team will play again on Tuesday, winners playing at 3:30 PM with the consolation bracket at 12 PM.