May 20, 2008
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The 52nd Annual AVISTA-NAIA Baseball World Series will begin on Friday, May 23 and run through May 30 on the campus of Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho. Defending national champion, Lewis-Clark State (Idaho), is this year's No. 3 seed and takes on No. 6 Embry-Riddle (Fla.) on Friday, May 23 at 7:30 p.m. PST.
The World Series begins with No. 7 Spring Arbor (Mich.) University, out of Region VIII and the Mid-Central Conference, facing No. 10 Jamestown (N.D.) College, who won the Plains Super Regional over favorite Bellevue. First pitch of the World Series is slated for 8:30 a.m. on Friday.
Lee (Tenn.) University earned the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye along with No. 2 Oklahoma City University. OCU and Lewis-Clark have combined to win five of the last six Championships.
In the 10-team, double-elimination tournament, all but one of the teams have Championship experience. No. 5 Union (Ky.) College enters the 2008 World Series as the lone newcomer. The Bulldogs out of the Appalachian Athletic Conference and Region XII, punched their ticket after winning the South Central Super Regional over Cumberland (Tenn.).
There are four games each day on Friday, Saturday and Monday (off day on Sunday). Tuesday has three games slotted while Wednesday and Thursday have two games. The Champion is crowned either May 29 or May 30, dependent upon if the Champion team has to play in the Loser or Winner's Bracket.
Did You Know?
• No. 1 seed Lewis-Clark State is hosting its ninth straight Championship and 17th overall. The ninth consecutive is a World Series record for straight host berths surpassing the eight of St. Joseph, Mo. from 1962-69 and LCSC during 1984-1991.
• Lewis-Clark State, who owns the most Championships of any program (15), looks to three-peat and mark the fourth time that has occurred. LCSC rattled off six straight titles from 1987-1992 while Grand Canyon (Ariz.) (1980-82) and Lewis (Ill.) (1974-76) each had runs of three straight rings.
• Union (Ky.) College is making its first ever trip to the World Series and is just the third team from the state of Kentucky to advance (Georgetown & Spalding).
• The Warriors of Lewis-Clark State appear in the World Series for an NAIA-record 27th time -- the next closest team is current participant Bellevue (Neb.), who is making its 12th trip.
• Oklahoma City and Lewis-Clark State have combined to win five of the last six titles.
Team Notes
No. 1 Lee (Tenn.) University (59-8)
• Chris Warters (Jr. 1B) is in the Top 25 in the country in batting (.441) and leads the club in HRs (17), RBI (74) and doubles (25).
• Pablo Lopez (Jr. RHP) is one of five pitchers with nine wins. He is 9-0 with a team-best (among starters) ERA (.1.46) and saves (11).
• Team has nearly tripled up the opponent in stolen bases (145-52) led by the 41 of Jeremy Hutslar (Sr. OF).
• First time Lee has been seeded No. 1 in their three all-time appearances (No. 6 in 2005; No. 6 in 2007).
• Awaits the winner of No. 8 Bellevue and No. 9 Ohio Dominican on Saturday -- has never faced either team in Championship action.
• Trying to win a first-round game for the first time (0-2).
• Lone win in the World Series was against St. Thomas (Fla.) last year.
• Has allowed an average of 7.6 runs in five all-time games.
No. 2 Oklahoma City University (55-10)
• David Dennis (Sr. INF) is the top slugger in the NAIA with 27 home runs. He is first on the team in RBI (106), fourth in hitting (.409) and sports a slugging percentage of .821.
• Mike Lee (Jr. RHP) has compiled a 10-2 mark on the hill to go with a 2.61 ERA. He holds a 116:26 strikeout to walk ratio.
• The Stars are a scoring machine and rank second in the NAIA with 10.5 runs/game. All of their starters hold a .300 batting average or better and their .386 team average is second in the nation.
• Takes on the winner of No. 7 Spring Arbor and No. 10 Jamestown on Saturday -- OCU has never faced either club.
• Making 10th WS appearance, which is tied for third all-time.
• Heads into 2008 WS winning six of its last eight games.
• Has won four straight opening round games.
• Stands with 26 all-time wins, good for fourth on the all-time list.
• In first WS since 2005, the year OCU won its first ever baseball Championship.
• Seeded No. 2 this year, same as its Championship year of 2005.
• Has advanced to the title game in its last four appearances (2005, 2004, 2003, 2002).
No. 3 Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) College (53-5)
• Kyle Greene (Sr. IF) ranks in the Top 20 in the NAIA in batting average (.448), hits (86) and RBI (83).
• Matt Fitts (Jr. P) leads the team with an 11-0 record. He has three complete games to his credit and holds a 3.00 ERA.
• As a team, the Warriors pitching staff posts nearly a 3:1 strikeout to walk ratio
• Owns the most Championship titles (15), wins (111) and appearances (26) of any NAIA baseball program.
• Seeded No. 3 this year, takes on No. 6 Embry-Riddle on Friday -- stands 2-2 in Championship action against the Eagles.
• Appeared in 10 straight World Series.
• Has won last two WS Championships; four of last six.
• Has appeared in 20 Championship title games (15-5).
• Heads into 2008 on a five-game WS winning streak; winners in 11 of last 12 games.
• Has won 18 of their last 19 opening round games (loss in 2006).
• In 26 previous appearances, has won at least one game in 25 of 26 events (1979).
• Has not been shut-out in the last 15 games (5-0 loss vs. Embry-Riddle in 2005.)
• Has not lost back-to-back games since 2004 - a streak of 18 games.
• Holds a 77-15 record when the WS is played in Lewiston.
No. 4 Azusa Pacific (Calif.) University (45-10)
• Kirk Nieuwenhuis (Jr. OF/RHP) is tops on the team in batting (411) and runs scored (77), which is good for fourth in the NAIA. He has hit 14 homers and driven in 65 runs.
• Andrew Shive (Sr. RHP) leads the crop of starters in ERA (3.14) and holds a 6-1 mark on the hill.
• The Cougars have set a program record by getting hit 107 times. The 1999 team held the old mark of 104.
• Seeded No. 4 this year and takes on No. 5 Union on Friday -- it will be the first meeting between the two schools in World Series action.
• Was seeded No. 1 in last year's WS -- went 1-2 with the lone win coming against this year's No. 1 Lee (Tenn.).
• Trying to become the first at-large team to win the WS since 1980 (Grand Canyon (Ariz.)).
• Has scored at least five runs in six of the last seven games (4-3).
• Has not been shut-out in 17 all-time games.
No. 5 Union (Ky.) College (47-16)
• Joe Grinstead (Jr. INF) uses his speed to put runs on the board. He is 11th in the country in stolen bases (46) and leads the team in runs scored (74). He has compiled a team-high .430 average as well.
• Marty Popham (Jr. RHP) leads the country in pitching victories (16) and is a remarkable 16-1 overall with a 2.03 ERA. He has 12 complete games to his credit and has a 124:27 strikeout:walk ratio.
• The Bulldogs have won 40 games this year marking the fourth straight season.
• Making its first ever World Series.
• Is just the third school from the state of Kentucky to advance to the World Series (Georgetown & Spalding)
• Seeded No. 5 and takes on No. 4 Azusa Pacific on Friday.
• Looking to become the first team since College of Idaho in 1998 to win the World Series in its first ever appearance.
No. 6 Embry-Riddle (Fla.) University (42-16)
• Colin Gray (Sr. 3B) leads the team in batting (.385), hits (75) and RBI (57). He has scored 42 runs and posted 10 doubles.
• Jordan Roberts (Sr. LHP) is the team's ace with a 10-2 record. He is tops with a 1.87 ERA and has six complete games.
• In 57 games, the Eagles' pitching staff has allowed just 22 home runs (.39/game).
• Has now appeared in six of the last seven World Series.
• Seeded No. 6 this year and takes on No. 3 Lewis-Clark State on Friday - holds a 2-2 WS record against
the Warriors.
• Trying to become the first at-large team to win the WS since 1980 (Grand Canyon (Ariz.)).
• Has scored 10 or more runs in 10 of its 23 games - stands 7-3 in those contests.
• Played three of the nine 2008 WS opponents in its history going 4-4 overall.
• Has won at least once in five of six overall WS appearances.
No. 7 Spring Arbor (Mich.) University (37-7)
• Jim Baker (Sr. INF) is first among all NAIA hitters with a .528 average (67-for-127). He is first on the team in home runs (8), RBI (50) and doubles (19).
• Jesse Bachman (Jr. P/INF) is a dual threat hitting .336 (48-for-143) and owning a 8-2 pitching record. He leads the team in wins and complete games (8) and has totalled a 2.43 ERA to date.
• The Cougars are ranked in the Top 20 in runs scored posting over eight per game.
• Seeded No. 7 this year and takes on No. 10 Jamestown (N.D.) - has never faced JC in Championship play.
• Appearing in fifth overall World Series and second straight.
• Advanced to last year's title game before falling 9-2 to Lewis-Clark State.
• Has won three of its last five WS games -- started out losing six of its first seven games.
• Snapped a three-game opening round losing streak last year with a 8-5 win over Walsh (Ohio).
No. 8 Bellevue (Neb.) University (51-15)
• Nick Damas (Sr. RF) is first on the club in hits (78), runs (58), home runs (9) and is second in batting (.413).
• Ulysses Roque (Sr. P) stands with a team-best 11-1 record and 1.87 ERA. In 16 games, he has allowed just 16 earned runs and fanned 66 batters.
• The Bruins own a dubious distinction of having been beaned 140 times this year. Those base runners have led to BU scoring nearly nine runs per game.
• Holds the No. 8 seed and faces No. 9 Ohio Dominican on Friday -- has never played ODU in Championship action.
• Stands second among all schools with its 12th appearance; tied for eighth with 19 all-time victories.
• Trying to become the first at-large team to win the WS since 1980 (Grand Canyon (Ariz.)).
• Has won two straight and three of last four opening round games.
• Has lost six straight meetings in the WS against Lewis-Clark State (Idaho).
• In 11 previous appearances, has won at least one game in eight events.
No. 9 Ohio Dominican University (40-14)
• Joe Janusik (Sr. C) is first on the team in hitting (.425), runs scored (71), doubles (16) and RBI (50).
• David Colopy (Jr. INF/P) is the team's pitching ace with a club-low ERA (1.98) to go along with a 11-1 record. He has five shut-outs and holds the opponents to a .206 batting average.
• The Panthers have hit just 26 home runs this year but make up for it in pitching. The pitching staff has allowed just 21 dingers and holds a 2.2:1 strikeout to walk ratio.
• Seeded No. 9 this year and takes on No. 8 Bellevue on Friday -- has never faced BC in WS play.
• First appearance in the last three years; sixth overall.
• Looking for its third straight opening-round win in the World Series.
• Stands 0-3 against the Tournament field in all-time Championship play.
• In last appearance in 2005, allowed 34 total runs in three games (11.3/game).
No. 10 Jamestown (N.D.) College (32-18)
• Ben Cairns (Jr. IF) is first on the team in runs (53), hits (67) and second in home runs (8) and hitting (.399).
• Graham Campbell (Sr. P) is the team's workhouse having tossed 85.0 innings. He is first on the team with a 9-4 record and 90 strikeouts. He also has posted a .459 batting average (17-for-37) and knocked in eight runs.
• The Jimmies have nine players who average over .300 hitting.
• Appearing in its second ever World Series with the first coming back in 2004.
• As the No. 10 seed, faces No. 7 Spring Arbor on Friday - has never played SAU in Championship action.
• Searching for its first WS win.
Championship Quick Facts
Annual:........................................................................................ 52nd
Total Games.......................... 18 (with an "if necessary" game)
Schools Involved:........................................................................ 10
Format:........................................................... Double-Elimination
Host:................................................... Lewis-Clark State College
Site:........................................................................ Lewiston, Idaho
Facility:.......................................................................... Harris Field
Dates:.............................................................................. May 23-30
Tickets:..................................................................... 208-792-2471
Website:.................................................................... www.naia.org
Radio Coverage (Local).............................. KOZE-AM Lewiston
TV Coverage (Local):............................................ LC-TV (Public)
Live Video Streaming:............................... www.watchNAIA.com
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