May 12, 2008

OKLAHOMA CITY - Oklahoma City University baseball knocked off top-ranked Lubbock Christian (Texas) 14-8 to win the NAIA Region VI baseball championship on Saturday (May 10) at Jim Wade Stadium and move on to the NAIA Mid-South Super Regional.

In the process, OCU broke the NAIA and school single-season team record for home runs on B.J. Wheeler's sixth-inning two-run shot that cleared the left center-field fence. The Stars hit three on the day to move their total to 143.

The Stars had held the previous best of 141, which they accomplished during the 1999 and 1998 seasons.

Fifth-ranked OCU improved to 53-10, while Lubbock Christian ended its year 53-4. The Stars will be in action starting Thursday against Region V champion Missouri Baptist at Jim Wade Stadium in a best two-out-of-three series for a trip to the NAIA World Series.

"We never gave up nor did we not believe," OCU coach Denney Crabaugh said. "We faced some adversity. Lubbock Christian had swept us in Lubbock. We've pointed to this week since August."

"We knew we were going to hit home runs this year," Crabaugh said. "This team passed two solid teams with great ball players and all-Americans. We're never out of it."

The Stars seized a 9-1 advantage with an eight-run third inning with the big blow Landon Camp's grand slam. Kirk Walker drove in a run with a base hit to right, and Garrett Regan reached home on a wild pitch. David Dennis added an RBI single to left-center, and Caleb Annesley drew a bases-loaded walk.

Following Annesley's base on balls, Camp drove a 2-2 pitch far over the center-field wall to put OCU ahead 9-1 and tie the single-season team and national record for home runs.

"I had a pitch I could hit, and it was either going deep our out of here," Camp said. "Luckily it went out. I had been working on my swing with Keith Lytle, and it paid off. We proved that anything can happen."

Ryan Lindgren earned the victory, relieving OCU starter David Odquist in the fifth. Lindgren improved to 3-0. Zac Coplon held Lubbock Christian without a hit in the final two innings.

OCU chased Lubbock Christian starting pitcher Gary Poynter out of the game after 2.1 innings, putting together nine runs on seven hits and three walks against him. Poynter fell to 14-2.

The Stars put together a 13-3 lead in the sixth. Brandon Moss swatted an RBI double to left field. Then with pinch runner Sammy Lee on, Wheeler pounded a drive over the left-center wall.

Lubbock Christian rallied for four runs in the bottom of the inning. Ryan Burke and Rob Learned each nailed two-run homers to cut the Chaparrals' deficit to 13-7. In the eighth, Lubbock Christian's Tyler Johnson hit an RBI double.

OCU put together one more run in the ninth on Wheeler's leadoff homer to right.

Coplon finished off the game by getting Learned to fly out to right field.

Walker was 4-for-6 on the day with two runs scored. Wheeler went 3-for-5 with three RBIs and three runs scored.

The Stars became region champions for the first time since winning the NAIA championship in 2005.

"This is special," Crabaugh said. "I told our guys before the tournament about our tradition. All of our alumni have been e-mailing me, and they were with us. We did it for them."