SALEM, Ore. – The Corban University Baseball team has seen its ups and downs over the last several years, but one expectation has remained consistent and fruitful throughout all the changes: come April, they are postseason worthy. After clinching a spot in the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) playoffs last season for the fourth-straight year that the tournament has been ran (2020 season was altered due to Covid-19 pandemic), the Warriors now turn to a new leader in hopes of continuing that streak even further as one of the top teams in the conference.
"We are excited to begin another season of Corban Baseball," Warriors' first year Head Coach Ethan Bragg stated when asked to speak on his program's expectations during his opening year at the helm. Bragg was previously the Head Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator for the program since 2020 and was originally hired as the Outfielder Coach in 2018.
"I know the guys will attack each game as an individual opportunity to grow mentally and physically, and to continue to build upon the foundation that Corban Baseball stands for," Bragg went on to say.
The Warriors figure to be in the mix once again for a CCC Tournament berth, with Corban earning a fifth-overall finish in the CCC Coaches' Preseason Poll that was released back in October of 2022. To read all about the conference outlook from the perspective of the conference coaches, click HERE.
When asked to elaborate on his team's schedule in his first season at the helm, Bragg shared, "Our schedule provides a great opportunity for our players to continue to commit to our process and implement our strategies into each unique game scenario."
There will be no down year of scheduling transition for the Corban Baseball under Coach Bragg's watchful eye, as the Corban graduate has already locked in a promising non-conference slate that expects to ready the Warriors for the trenches of CCC play.
The Navy and Gold look to open their season on Friday, January 27th, where they will compete in their only non-counting contest of the year in a mid-day scrimmage at NCAA DIII Linfield University. From there, the intensity only continues to ramp up, as the Warriors will battle an NAIA Top 25 Preseason Poll squad (University of Antelope Valley) and four more games against NCAA teams (Whitworth University and Linfield) before kicking off the non-conference slate of CCC opponents.
Corban will host two of three CCC teams in regular season play before conference play officials begins on March 18th, with home games against Oregon Tech and the University of British Columbia (UBC) on their own field for the first time in 2023, while traveling to I-5 rival Bushnell University in-between the two Keizer series.
The Warriors then begin a grueling conference slate that features road games at No. 2 Lewis-Clark State College, Oregon Tech, and UBC, while hosting the likes of Bushnell, The College of Idaho, and Eastern Oregon University. There will be various non-conference contests sprinkled throughout the schedule, but Corban's focal point will be primarily aligned with the extremely competitive CCC field.
At the end of the regular season, the top four teams in the conference will meet at the field of the CCC Regular Season Champions for the CCC Tournament, hosted by U.S. Bank. The tournament champion (or runner up in case of the regular season champion taking the tourney crown) will then earn an automatic bid to the NAIA National Tournament, which kicks off on May 15th at multiple Opening Round locations across the country. The Opening Round victors will then be invited to the Avista NAIA World Series, hosted in Lewiston, Idaho.
LC State, the defending regular season and tournament champions for the CCC, look to once again dominate the field with their 2022 NAIA World Series Runner Up roster. They received all seven first place votes in the CCC Coaches' Preseason Poll, and don't appear to be harboring much from their National Championship defeat last spring.
Additionally, UBC and C of I figure to be in the mix for another season, as the two squads have consistently found themselves in winning scenarios throughout their non-conference and CCC contests. OIT also figures to make some noise this year with their elevated preseason poll result, though they'll have to make a strong case after being bounced from postseason contention last season by Corban.
Click HERE to view the team's complete schedule.
"We have a number of key returning players and are excited about the additions we have made to improve our roster top to bottom," Coach Bragg said about his inaugural recruiting class and experienced group of returners.
Bragg will look towards multiple key returners from the 2022 squad to help solidify their chances at a successful 2023 season, specifically junior outfielder Kyle Clay, junior right-handed pitcher Nate Martin, and catcher Keenan O'Brien.
Clay recorded the highest batting average on the team last year with a .333 hitting clip, starting in 47 games and nabbing 11 stolen bases. O'Brien completed Clay with a .286 average in 35 games behind the plate, tallying 14 runs in the process.
Meanwhile, Martin figures to lead a revamped Warrior starting pitcher rotation this season, looking to even further grow his 1.90 ERA, five wins, three complete games and 47 strikeouts. He was also named to First Team All-Conference accolades for his stellar performances on the mound.
Multiple transfers are set to make their Corban Baseball debuts early in the season for the Warriors, including sophomore utility player Elijah Maris, freshman catcher/first baseman Roger Viloria, and freshman infielder Brady Majewski.
Maris now donnes the Navy and Gold after a successful season of play at NCAA DII Hawaii Pacific University, starting in 16 games for the Sharks and posting a .266 batting average with 17 hits and 11 runs. Viloria, an Arkansas Baptist College transfer, will see multiple opportunities at the designated hitter spot in the lineup this season after a successful stint both at ABC and in multiple summer league teams, while Majewski heads south from Mt. Hood Community College to storm the NAIA with his 28 hits, 24 runs, and 14 RBIs from the NWAC.
In addition to the transfers, three freshmen in particular stick out from the bunch that look to make an immediate impact for the Warriors, as Corban welcomes right-handed pitcher/utility player Ryson Wa'alani, infielder JC Klee, and first baseman/utility player Trey Williams.
Both Wa'alani and Williams figure to see action in the field for the Warriors, while Wa'alani's pitching arm may prove to be influential in the Warriors' bullpen as well. Klee will be bringing his golden glove from high school (First and Second Team All-League award winner) to the collegiate level to further bolster the depth in the Corban infield group.
Click HERE to view the 2022-23 Corban Baseball roster.
The first season of a new era for Corban Baseball figures to be an exciting one for Warrior Nation, as the Navy and Gold look to yet again be locked in a metaphorical dogfight for playoff contention in one of the most intense conferences that the entire NAIA has to offer.
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