Corban's baseball team, under the tutelege of second-year head coach Nate Mayben, played the nation's sixth toughest schedule in 2008.
Corban's '08 Schedule Ranked Sixth Hardest in NAIA
SALEM, Ore. – As announced today by the Kansas City-based NAIA national office, Corban's baseball team played the sixth hardest schedule last season among all 201 approved NAIA teams that included three other fellow Region I teams among the nation's Top 10.
Despite a win-loss record of 10-31 last season, second-year head coach Nate Mayben and the Warriors battled through one of the toughest schedules in the nation.
"I think it shows how tough the Northwest is," commented Mayben. "People ask all the time why we play such a tough schedule and all I can tell them is we have no choice. Even when we play non NAIA teams we are still playing against some of the best D-II and D-III teams in the nation. I do enjoy the competition and it is always more rewarding beating the teams we played last year than just making a schedule full of easy wins. I just hope recruits can understand the competition that we play."
The rating system only takes into account the games played against fellow NAIA programs. Therefore, all of Corban's games against non-NAIA programs did not play into the mix.
Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) member Westmont College grabbed the top spot and played the toughest schedule in '08, while fellow NAIA Region I member the University of British Columbia fought its way through the second toughest schedule in the NAIA this past spring.
Auburn-Montgomery, fellow NAIA Region I member Concordia-Portland, and Concordia-Irvine rounded out the top five.
Rounding out the Top 10 behind Corban were Faulkner, fellow NAIA Region I member The College of Idaho, Patten, and Azusa Pacific.
Among the Top 10 programs, only Azusa Pacific advanced to the NAIA Avista College World Series. Meanwhile, three-time defending NAIA World Series champions Lewis-Clark State College played the 16th hardest schedule last season en route to winning its unprecedented 16th World Series title.
The GSAC led the contingent of programs in the Top 20 with seven followed by Region I with five. Fellow NAIA Region I and Cascade Collegiate Conference member Oregon Tech played the 33rd toughest schedule in the nation to go along with the other three programs that were ranked in the Top 10.
Corban is slated to begin its 2009 schedule at the Lewis-Clark State Tournament on February 13th & 14th in Lewiston, Idaho.