2014 NAIA West Baseball Championship presented by U.S. Bank Starts Friday
LA GRANDE, Ore. – America’s pastime heads north of the border this week as the 2014 NAIA West Grouping Baseball Championship presented by U.S. Bank heads to scenic Vancouver, B.C., beginning at 10:00 a.m. on Friday morning at Thunderbird Park on the campus of University of British Columbia.
No. 1 Seed – British Columbia Thunderbirds
British Columbia will be the top seed and host after posting a record of 20-8 in NAIA West play and a record of 29-11 overall. The Thunderbirds are led by ace Conor Lillis-White, who holds a record of 7-0 this year in 13 appearances, posting a 0.57 ERA with just five runs allowed in 63.2 innings pitched. On offense, Bruce Yari leads UBC with a batting average of .372 in 145 at bats. The Thunderbirds are 12-1 at home this season and they will open up their tournament action in the final game on Friday against the winner of the College of Idaho/Menlo game.
No. 2 Seed – Concordia Cavaliers
Concordia enters as the second seed after winning a three-way tiebreaker with College of Idaho and Corban after all three schools tied for third place in the regular season standings. The Cavaliers are 26-18 overall and 16-12 in NAIA West play this season. The CU pitching staff leads the grouping in both batters struck out (341) and batters struck out looking (111). Harrison McGhee leads that staff with a 1.51 ERA in 77.2 innings pitched. He holds a record of 4-3 on the year with 91 strikeouts and just 28 walks. Offensively, Christian Lichtenthaler leads the Cavaliers with an average of .331 in 172 at bats with nine doubles and a pair of triples.
No. 3 Seed – Corban Warriors
The third seed in the tournament will be Corban after the Warriors posted a record of 28-24 overall and 16-12 in NAIA West play during the regular season. The Warriors have made it hard for opponents to get on base, allowing a NAIA West-best opposing batting average of just .216. Jacob Kopra leads that Corban staff with a perfect record of 9-0 in 16 appearances with a 1.36 ERA and 67 strikeouts in 92.1 innings pitched. Daniel Orr has been one of the most successful hitters in the NAIA West this spring, posting a .375 batting average in 200 at bats with 22 doubles, four triples and three home runs.
No. 4 Seed – College of Idaho Coyotes
College of Idaho heads north as the fourth seed in the tournament, holding a record of 25-20 overall and 16-12 in NAIA West games. A strong defensive effort has led the Yotes in 2014, leading the grouping in double plays with 48 and committing just 60 errors, second best in the NAIA West. On the hill, Mitch Viydo leads C of I with a record of 6-1 and a 2.68 ERA in 53.2 innings pitched. Offensively, Chase Miller leads the Yotes with 54 hits in 171 at bats for a .316 average while Mitch Skaggs leads the team with five home runs and 39 RBIs.
No. 5 Seed – Menlo Oaks
After making it to the tournament championship game last season, Menlo earns the fifth seed in 2014 after going 28-25 overall but just 13-15 in NAIA West play. The Oaks have been dangerous on offense this season and are second in the grouping in doubles (97), triples (14) and home runs (32). Once they get on base, they are just as dangerous, having stolen 53 bases in 2014. Daniel Comstock is hitting .335 to lead the Menlo offense, also having posted 21 doubles, two triples and seven home runs in 191 at bats. Daniel Chavez leads the Oaks on the hill, posting a record of 6-3 with a 1.95 ERA in 87.2 innings pitched.
Live stats for all games will be available at
www.cccwebtv.com. Fans lucky enough to make it to Vancouver will be admitted free to all games at Thunderbird Park.
The champion of the 2014 NAIA West Grouping Baseball Championship presented by U.S. Bank will earn the conference’s automatic selection to the NAIA Opening Round.
2014 NAIA West Grouping Baseball Championship presented by U.S. Bank Schedule
Friday, May 2
Game 1 (10:00 am) - #5 Menlo vs. #4 College of Idaho
Game 2 (1:00 pm) - #3 Corban vs. #2 Concordia
Game 3 (4:00 pm) – Game 1 Winner vs. #1 UBC
Saturday, May 3
Game 4 (10:00 am) – Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser (Loser Eliminated)
Game 5 (1:00 pm) – Game 2 Winner vs. Game 3 Winner
Game 6 (4:00 pm) – Game 3 Loser vs. Game 4 Winner (Loser Eliminated)
Sunday, May 4
Game 7 (12:00 pm) – Game 5 Loser vs. Game 6 Winner (Loser Eliminated)
Game 8 (3:00 pm) – Game 5 Winner vs. Game 7 Winner
Monday, May 5
Game 9 (12:00 pm) – Game 8 Winner vs. Game 8 Loser (If Necessary)