NAIA Baseball Opening Round Preview
May 16, 2016

NAIA Baseball Opening Round Preview

Bellevue is the top seed in the bracket which features York, Davenport, Clarke, and Saint Xavier

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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- The Bellevue University baseball team is in Grand Rapids, Mich. for the NAIA Baseball Opening Round Grand Rapids Bracket, hosted by Davenport University.

Five teams comprise each of nine NAIA Baseball Opening Round Tournaments. The Grand Rapids Bracket has #1 Bellevue, #2 York, #3 Davenport, #4 Clarke and #5 Saint Xavier.

The tournament will be double-elimination with the winner advancing to the Avista-NAIA World Series in Lewiston, Idaho from May 27-June 3.

Grand Rapids Bracket Field:

No. 1 Bellevue (47-9/20-3 NSAA) won both the North Star's Regular-Season and Tournament Championships to claim their 18th NAIA National Tournament appearance. BU is 24-4 since the beginning of April and they have not lost back-to-back games at any point during the season. This will be the Bruins' seventh visit to the Opening Round Tournament.

No. 2 York (44-15/28-8 KCAC) was an at-large selection after coming second in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference regular-season standings and finishing as the tournament runner-up. The Panthers are making their fifth appearance in the Opening Round Tournament.

No. 3 Davenport (41-15/25-6 WHAC) earned an at-large selection after finishing second in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference standings. The No. 2 seed in the conference tournament, Davenport came within a game of reaching the finals before falling to runner-up Indiana Tech. The host school is making their third Opening Round appearance.

No. 4 Clarke (37-15) qualified as the Unaffiliated Ground (A.I.I./GCAC) Tournament Runner-Up. Clarke was the No. 2 rated A.I.I. heading into the tournament and reached the final before falling to Georgia Gwinnett. The Crusaders are making their first-ever appearance in the Opening Round Tournament.

No. 5 Saint Xavier (30-24/17-12 Chicagoland) won the Chicagoland Athletic Conference Tournament Championship. The No. 4 seed headed into the tournament, Saint Xavier swept through the tournament with four victories. They reach the Opening Round Tournament for the second time in program history.

Bruins Against the Opposition:

Bellevue has played three games against York and two against Clarke on the season, all coming prior to the conference season. The Bruins took two of three from York – winning 8-0 and 3-2 and falling 16-8 – back on February 26-27. BU swept a double-header against Clarke on Mar. 20, winning by scores of 4-2 and 5-4 in extra innings.

Notes:

Bellevue remains the top defensive team in the country with a .978 team fielding percentage. The Bruins featured seven of the conference's nine Gold Glove winners.

After leading the country in ERA last season, the Bruins are in the top 20 again for the fourth straight season as they rank 18th with a team ERA of 3.40.

Players to Watch:

No. 1 Bellevue –

  • Sr. RHP Aaron Bain (4-1, 3.86 ERA, 35 SO, 42.0 IP)
  • Sr. 2B Ross Feeley (.341/.462/.373, 6 XBH, 24 RBI, 52 Runs, 9 SB)
  • Sr. OF Trevor Jones (.403/.453/.519, 15 XBH, 40 RBI, 56 Runs, 8 SB)
  • Sr. 1B Joe Mancuso (.398/.481/.754, 13 XBH, 31 RBI, 23 Runs)
  • Sr. OF Colton Nash (.353/.397/.466, 17 XBH, 43 RBI, 49 Runs)
  • Sr. RHP Leland Tilley (8-1, 7 Saves, 1.97 ERA, 36 SO, 32.0 IP)
  • Sr. LHP Braulio Torres-Perez (9-1, 2.81 ERA, 84 SO, 89.2 IP)
  • Jr. OF Derik Bontempo (.417/.465/.662, 29 XBH, 69 RBI, 44 Runs)
  • Jr. C Jake Browne (.340/.417/.463, 10 XBH, 36 RBI, 15 Runs)
  • Jr. RHP Ben McKendall (11-1, 1.53 ERA, 111 SO, 100.0 IP)
  • Jr. OF Joe Moran (.517/.528/.754, 17 XBH, 22 RBI, 39 Runs)
  • Jr. RHP/1B Todd Nicks (9-1, 2.49 ERA, 72 SO, 65.0 IP)

No. 2 York –

  • Sr. C Garret Anctil (.380/.480/.599, 18 XBH, 41 RBI, 15 Runs)
  • Sr. IF Michael Johnson (.383/.498/.599, 35 XBH, 64 RBI, 67 Runs, 7 SB)
  • Sr. RHP PJ Matha (1-0, 7 Saves, 5.97 ERA, 32 SO, 28.2 IP)
  • Sr. OF Ivan Perez (.456/.494/.626, 20 XBH, 51 RBI, 32 Runs, 9 SB)
  • Sr. SS Nick Stoll (.413/.442/.574, 24 XBH, 55 RBI, 63 Runs, 14 SB)
  • Jr. LHP Tim Emory (8-2, 4.07 ERA, 34 SO, 59.2 IP)
  • Jr. OF Billy Johnson (.371/.480/.653m 30 XBH, 63 RBI, 86 Runs, 30 SB)
  • Jr. RHP Corey Mixon (11-2, 4.57 ERA, 52 SO, 82.2 IP)
  • Jr. RHP Ulysses Ramos (7-3, 4.34 ERA, 74 SO, 58.0 IP)

No. 3 Davenport –

  • Sr. RHP Corey Murphy (8-3, 2.74 ERA, 68 SO, 75.2 IP)
  • Sr. 1B Matt Priebe (.351/.446/.571, 26 XBH, 57 RBI, 41 Runs)
  • Sr. RHP Corey Sessions (6-1, 3.59 ERA, 35 SO, 42.2 IP)
  • Jr. OF Travis Bolin (.423/.483/.845, 46 XBH, 59 RBI, 67 Runs, 17 SB)
  • Jr. RHP Jonathan Cheshire (4-2, 9 Saves, 2.72 ERA, 21 SO, 36.1 IP)
  • Jr. IF Brandon Larkin-Guilfoyle (.337/.407/.430, 13 XBH, 32 RBI, 28 Runs)
  • Jr. RHP Brandon White (5-1, 1.98 ERA, 60 SO, 54.2 IP)
  • So. LHP Corbin Clouse (5-0, 1.65 ERA, 66 SO, 43.2 IP)
  • So. 1B Brian Sobieski (.312/.403/.552, 23 XBH, 36 RBI, 44 Runs)

No. 4 Clarke –

  • Sr. OF Nate McMullen (.423/.484/.718, 25 XBH, 33 RBI, 55 Runs, 24 SB)
  • Sr. LHP Juan Munoz (.404/.484/.560, 14 XBH, 29 RBI, 27 Runs, 22 SB)
  • Jr. OF Eric Bueno (.319/.364/.486, 16 XBH, 40 RBI, 32 Runs, 9 SB)
  • Jr. RHP Tanner Lupton (7-1, 2.29 ERA, 67 SO, 70.2 IP)
  • Jr. IF Tyler Malcook (.387/.472/.662, 12 XBH, 19 RBI, 27 Runs)
  • Jr. RHP Anthony Ruden (5-3, 3.28 ERA, 62 SO, 60.1 IP)
  • So. C Jacob Blunt (.325/.386/.433, 14 XBH, 40 RBI, 18 Runs)
  • So. RHP Anthony Lazo (4-1, 1.42 ERA, 33 SO, 25.1 IP)
  • Fr. RHP Michael Lopez (6-4, 3.46 ERA, 39 SO. 67.2 IP)

No. 5 Saint Xavier –

  • Jr. OF Alex Neufeld (.323/.365/.386, 12 XBH, 22 RBI, 36 Runs)
  • Jr. C Ryan Pellack (.380/.487/.578, 23 XBH, 47 RBI, 17 Runs)
  • So. 1B/LHP Erik Eggert (.320/.424/.480, 13 XBH, 19 RBI, 15 Runs, 5-1, 6 Saves, 0.80 ERA, 34 SO, 33.2 IP)
  • So. RHP Tyler Hebel (7-1, 3.07 ERA, 62 SO, 88.0 IP)
  • So. RHP David Strom (4-2, 1.47 ERA, 27 SO, 49.0 IP)
  • Fr. RHP Brett Smith (5-4, 3.80 ERA, 57 SO, 64.0 IP)

What's next?:

The winner of the Opening Round Grand Rapids Bracket advances to the Avista-NAIA World Series in Lewiston, Idaho from May 27-June 3. There they will be joined by eight other Opening Round winners and host Lewis-Clark State.

NAIA Baseball Opening Round Grand Rapids Bracket Schedule:

Tuesday, May 17 (Farmers Insurance Athletic Complex, Grand Rapids, Mich.)
 Game 1: No. 4 Clarke vs. No. 5 Saint Xavier, 10 a.m.
Game 2: No. 2 York vs. No. 3 Davenport, 1 p.m.
Game 3: No. 1 Bellevue vs. Winner Game 1, 4 p.m.

Wednesday, May 18 (Farmers Insurance Athletic Complex, Grand Rapids, Mich.)
 Game 4: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 10 a.m.
Game 5: Winner Game 2 vs. Winner Game 3, 1 p.m.
Game 6: Loser Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 4 p.m.

Thursday, May 19 (Farmers Insurance Athletic Complex, Grand Rapids, Mich.)
 Game 7: Loser Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6, 11 a.m.
Game 8: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 7, 2 p.m.

Friday, May 20 (Farmers Insurance Athletic Complex, Grand Rapids, Mich.)
 Game 9: Winner Game 8 vs. Loser Game 8, 11 a.m. (If Necessary)