MESA, Ariz. – The stage is set for this year's California-Pacific Conference Championships, and the cast looks eerily familiar for the Corban University baseball team. As was the case last year, the Warriors (19-29-1) will once again square off against Marymount California (22-18-2) in the tournament's opening contest on Sunday, with the winner advancing to battle No. 1-seeded (RV) Antelope Valley.

Tournament Central

Hohokam Stadium, the Spring Training facility of MLB's Oakland Athletics, will serve as the tournament venue for the second-straight season. Corban enters postseason play as the No. 5 seed, part of a five-team field of participants that remains unaltered from 2018.

Antelope Valley (31-17-1), the California Pacific Conference Regular-Season Champion, earns the top seed for the second-straight year. While No. 18-ranked Benedictine Mesa and British Columbia will duel on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. as the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds, respectively.

Marymount California, the No. 4 seed, has now been Corban's opening-round foe in each of the last three occasions the Warriors have reached the postseason. The Navy and Gold have claimed both of the prior two contests, and will look to continue that trend on Sunday.

The Mariners boast one of the top arms in the NAIA in Ray Diaz, who claims the fourth-lowest ERA in the country at 1.26. The electric right-handed pitcher hasn't thrown in over a month, however, lending uncertainty to his status for the Cal Pac Championships.

Ulysses Duran (.420, one home run, 19 RBIs) and John Muratore (.363, 14 RBIs) are the squad's two primary offensive threats, while five Mariners (Duran, Muratore, Jesus Espinoza, Nicholas Jacobson, and Moises Garcia) possess an average of at least .300 (min. 100 at-bats).

The Warriors boast a number of offensive weapons of their own, led by Maxwell Jeffrey (.287, 15 RBIs), Jared Bell (.281, 13 RBIs. 11 SB), and Daniel Freiburger (.275, 19 RBIs, 11 SB). Ben Ross has been the squad's chief power threat throughout the spring campaign, blasting eight home runs to lead all Warriors.

Some of the team's biggest offensive contributors came as midseason additions, as Jared Berard returned from injury to register a .346 batting average in 18 games, and Estenio Sede went 14-for-43 (.326) after making his debut on April 12.

Warrior ace Jonathan Russomano led the entire NAIA West with six wins in 2019, and he figures to be a key factor on the mound in the Warriors' postseason success. Zachary Filos (3.01 ERA) and Zackary Simon (3.17 ERA) also figure to see key innings over the weekend, while Jacob Bowser (2.34 ERA) and Jacob Asa (2.56 ERA) will continue to serve as Corban's primary weapons out of the bullpen.

First pitch for Sunday's contest between the Warriors and Mariners is slated for 9 a.m. The winner will compete against Antelope Valley at 4 p.m. on the same day, while the loser will play in an elimination contest at 7:30 p.m.

Each game of the tournament will be streamed live for free HERE.

Fans can also follow along via live stats HERE.

Prior to the beginning of competition, each team will attend a celebratory banquet tomorrow night, with the 2019 All-Conference and Gold Glove award-winners set to be announced at the event.