PORTLAND, Ore. – The Corban University baseball team embarks on a brand new season beginning on Friday, with this new campaign having the stakes raised tremendously. The NAIA West Baseball Tournament begins on Friday morning with a matchup between the fourth-seeded Warriors taking on the fifth-seeded Yotes of The College of Idaho. In this double-elimination formatted tournament, Corban knows that it is a win-or-go-home type of situation for the Warriors.
Friday's first game, set for a 10 a.m. first pitch at Porter Park on the campus of host institution, Concordia University, features two teams that split the regular-season series in Idaho back on March 14-15, two games apiece. For those attending the contest(s) this weekend, be sure to note the following ticket prices:
$7 Adults
$4 Students
$4 Seniors
Free for children 10 and under
The tournament, presented by U.S. Bank, is set for games to be played May 1-4. For a campus map and directions to the field at Concordia, click here.
Corban's first opponent, C of I, enters the game as the No. 5 seed following a 13-15 record in NAIA West action throughout the campaign to go along with a 31-24 overall record. The Yotes started the year strong and looked to be on the way to the top of the conference standings following wins in its first two games against No. 13 Lewis-Clark State in early April, but a pair of losses to close out the series with L-C State and then losing six of their next eight games to Oregon Tech and Concordia dropped the Yotes in the conference standings to the fifth-seeded spot.
On the year, Cole Mansanerez leads the way at the plate for the Yotes with a .345 batting average, 67 hits, and 48 RBI. Jordan Grubbs follows not far behind with a .328 batting average and 64 hits to go along with 37 RBI for C of I.
The Yotes' pitching has also been very good all year long, with Kyle Garvin being the team's ace with a 2.71 ERA and 6-3 record. He's registered three complete games with 83 innings pitched, and he has also struck out 65 batters on the campaign as well. In addition, Markus Lively owns a 4.26 ERA and has racked up 12 starts with a 5-4 record with 86.2 innings pitched. He has gone the distance on the mound two times.
As a team, C of I ranks second in the conference with six all-time appearances in the NAIA West Tournament and owns and overall record of 7-8 in the tournament. The University of British Columbia (UBC) boasts the best tournament history with seven appearances and a 15-6 record in tournament play, including four tournament championships ('09, '10, '11, '14). UBC (35-16, 18-10 NAIA West) will play as the No. 2 seed in the tournament, while Menlo College (33-20, 14-14 NAIA West) will play as the No. 3 seed. Host institution, Concordia University (29-21, 19-9 NAIA West) will play as the No. 1 seed. The winner of this year's tournament receives the automatic berth to the NAIA National Championships' Opening Round.
Corban (26-27, 14-14 NAIA West) enters the tournament knowing it must win the tournament to keep its season alive, as at this point, no at-large berth will be awarded to the Warriors based on the 2015 regular season. The Navy and Gold is making its fourth-consecutive trip to the NAIA West Tournament, and the Warriors own a 2-6 record from the previous three years in the tournament. Playing its best baseball of the year currently, Corban is riding a recent hot streak following its sweep of Simpson University last weekend and highly competitive games against UBC the weekend prior.
On the season, junior Nic Coffman (Portland, Ore.) leads the way at the dish with a .355 batting average, eight homeruns, and 37 RBI. Senior Marc Gallegos (Astoria, Ore.) follows closely behind with a .351 batting average, 52 hits, and 31 RBI for the Navy and Gold. Senior Daniel Orr (Kingston, Wash.), sophomore Ryan Rosas (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.), and senior Peter Martin (Toledo, Wash.) all are atop the hits' category for Corban, accumulating 58, 57, and 56 hits, respectively.
On the mound for the Warriors, it is senior pitcher Austin Guzzon (Oceanside, Calif.) serving as the team's ace with a 2.87 ERA and a 3-3 record on the mound. Through 81.2 innings pitched, he has totaled 88 strikeouts and two complete games, all while allowing just a .206 opponents' batting average. Freshman Caleb Henry (Salem, Ore.) serves as the No. 2 pitcher for Corban with a team-best six wins and a 3.72 ERA through 65.1 innings pitched. Out of the bullpen, senior Jordan Johansen (Maple Valley, Wash.) has come on lately to act as a key piece of the Warrior pitching staff, accumulating a team-best 2.25 ERA in 28 innings with two saves, while sophomore Adam Shumka (White Rock, B.C.) has racked up a team-high eight saves for the Navy and Gold.
On the year, Corban is 18-11 when scoring first, while just 8-16 when its opponent scores first. Additionally, Corban is 2-3 in extra-inning contests during 2015.
The 2015 NAIA West Baseball Tournament is a double-elimination tournament, meaning that once a team loses two games, it is eliminated from championship contention for the tournament.
For complete details and the schedule for the 2015 NAIA West Baseball Tournament, click here on the Tournament Central Page.
