LCSC opens Series as No. 3
seed and will play
Embry-Riddle on Friday
5-18-08
The Lewis-Clark State
College baseball team is the
No. 3 seed for the 52nd
annual Avista NAIA World
Series and will open the
10-team double-elimination
tournament in the featured
game of the first round
against No. 6 seed
Embry-Riddle University at
7:30 p.m. Friday night at
LCSC’s Harris Field.
LCSC’s seeding, which was
announced Sunday by the NAIA,
was expected. As the host
team, LCSC cannot be seeded
higher than third. The
two-time defending champions
ended the final NAIA poll
ranked No. 2, but top-ranked
Lubbock Christian was
eliminated from regional
play, leaving LCSC as the
top-ranked team in the
Series field.
The No. 1 seed goes to Lee,
which was ranked No. 3 in
the final poll. Lee, 59-8
overall, is making its third
appearance in the Series and
all have come within the
last four years. The Flames
join No. 2 seed Oklahoma
City, 55-10, in the
bleachers on Friday as the
top two seeds receive
first-round byes. Oklahoma
City is making its first
trip to the Series since
winning its only title in
2005. During a four-year
stretch starting in 2002,
the Stars made it to the
championship game each time,
only to finish second the
first three years.
Lee enters the tournament as
the Atlantic South Super
Regional champion, while
Oklahoma City is the
Mid-South champion.
The Series kicks off Friday
with No. 7 seed Spring Arbor
facing No. 10 seed Jamestown
at 8:30 a.m. Spring Arbor,
37-7, finished second a year
ago. The Michigan team lost
to Lee in the Atlantic South
Super Regional and is the
No. 2 at-large team in the
field. Jamestown, which is
from North Dakota, won the
Plains Super Regional and is
making just its second trip
to the Series. The first
came in 2004 when it went
0-2.
The noon game features No. 8
Bellevue, the No. 3 at-large
team, and No. 9 Ohio
Dominican, the East Coast
Super Regional champ.
Bellevue, which is making
its 11th appearance in the
last 12 years and its 12th
appearance overall, was the
last team to get into the
tournament. Bellevue lost to
Jamestown in its Super
Regional, but at-large
berths go to the highest
ranked teams that lost at
Super Regional play and
Bellevue picked up the third
and final berth after
Oklahoma City eliminated
Missouri Baptist. Ohio
Dominican is making its
first appearance in the last
three years and its sixth
overall. In its previous
three Series, ODU won its
opening-round game.
The 3 p.m. game features No.
4 Azusa Pacific, 45-10, and
No. 5 Union College of
Kentucky, 47-16. Like last
year, Azusa Pacific lost to
LCSC in the Far West Super
Regional, but received the
first at-large berth.
However, last year, APU was
the top seed in the
tournament and proceeded to
go 1-2. APU, which has
remained in Lewiston since
finishing Super Regional
play, is looking to become
the first at-large team to
win the Series title since
Grand Canyon did in 1980.
Union is making its first
Series appearance and is
only the third school from
the state of Kentucky to
qualify for the Series
(Georgetown and Spalding are
the others). Union is
looking to become the first
team to win a Series title
in its first tournament
since 1998 when College of
Idaho accomplished the
feat.
LCSC, 53-5, enters the
tournament on a roll, having
won 11 of its final 12
games. The Warriors are in
an unusual position because
as most of the teams make
their way to Lewiston, LCSC
will actually head to
Seattle to play the
University of Washington in
a regular season game on
Tuesday. This is the 10th
straight Series appearance
for LCSC, which owns the
NAIA record for most titles
(15), wins (111) and
appearances (26).
Embry-Riddle, 42-16 will be
making its sixth Series
appearance in the last seven
years, but the first under
second-year coach Randy
Stegall. ERU is 2-2 all-time
against LCSC and has scored
at least 10 runs in 10 of
its 23 Series games.
The winners of the 3 and
7:30 p.m. contests on Friday
will receive byes on
Saturday. Oklahoma City’s
first game is at 3 p.m. on
Saturday against the Spring
Arbor-Jamestown winner from
Friday. Lee will face the
Bellevue-Ohio Dominican
winner on Saturday at 7
p.m.
The tournament will take
Sunday off before resuming
with four games on Memorial
Day. The championship game
is set for 7 p.m. on
Thursday, May 29, and the if
necessary game will be
Friday, May 30, also at 7
p.m.
Tickets are still available
for the tournament. For
ticket information, visit
http://www.naiaworldseries.com/2008/tickets/index.htm
or call 792-2471
between 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Monday-Thursday.
2008 World Series
Teams
Qualification
Appearances* WS
Record
Azusa Pacific (Calif.)
(45-10)
At-Large (Region
II)
5
9-8
Bellevue (Neb.)
(51-15)
At-Large (Region
IV)
12
19-21
Embry-Riddle (Fla.)
(42-16)
At-Large (Region
XIV)
7
11-12
Jamestown (N.D.)
(32-18)
Plains Super Regional
Champion
2
0-2
Lee (Tenn.)
(59-8)
Atlantic South Super
Regional
Champion
3
1-4
Lewis-Clark State (Idaho)
(53-5)
West Coast Super Regional
Champion/Host
27
111-30
Ohio Dominican
(40-14)
East Coast Super Regional
Champion
6
4-10
Oklahoma City
(55-10)
Mid-South Super Regional
Champion
10
26-17
Spring Arbor (Mich.)
(37-7)
Heartland Super Regional
Champion
5
4-8
Union (Ky.)
(47-16)
South Central Super Regional
Champion
1
0-0
