Lewiston, Idaho – The 5th ranked Tabor College baseball team will open up championship play against the 16th ranked Eagles of Embry-Riddle University Friday, in game 3 of the 2015 Avista-NAIA College World Series, in Lewiston Idaho, on the campus of Lewis-Clark State College.
Tabor (53-10 overall) enters the 10 team double elimination tournament as the No. 3 seed, while Embry-Riddle (39-17) comes in as the tournaments No. 6 seed. Both teams qualified for the Series after winning their Opening Round Tournaments last week.
Gadiel Baez, SR Utility Player
The Bluejays knocked off both 5th seeded Mayville State University and 2nd seeded Bellevue University twice to advance, while Embry-Riddle defeated 3rd seeded Bryan College and 5th seeded the University of Rio Grande twice to punch its ticket.
The two teams will begin World Series play at Harris Field at 3 p.m. (PDT), 5 p.m. (CDT) on Friday May 22 with the winner advancing to taking on either 2nd seeded Faulkner University, 7th seeded Lindsey Wilson College or 10th seeded Vanguard University. The loser will fall to the elimination half of the bracket where they will face the loser of game two between 8th seeded Concordia University and 9th seeded St. Thomas University.
Manny DeLeon, JR Utility Player
Tabor is led at the plate by Manny DeLeon (JR/San Cristobal,Dominican Republic) with a team leading .422 batting average, Jerrik Sigg (SO/Iola, KS) with a team-high 11 home runs, and Alex Couch (JR/Castlewood, VA) with a team high 81 hits. On the mound the Bluejays are led by KCAC-Co-Pitcher of the Year Dustin Hurlbutt (JR/Coffeyville, KS) who is 10-2 on the year with a 2.70 era, and a team-high 100 strike outs.
As a team the Bluejays ranked 5th in the NAIA in slugging percentage (.507), 6th in total runs scored (476), total stolen bases (132), and total batters struck out (456) 7th in total runs batted in (421), 8th in both total hits (624), home runs per game (.937) and 4th in homeruns per game (.933). Tabor as a team is batting .336 which also ranks them 10th in the NAIA.
Embry-Riddle is led at the plate by Enderson Velasquez with a team leading .377 batting average, 75 hits, 34 RBIs, and 41 runs scored; Liam Goodall, with a team-high 81 hits, 3 home runs and 59 RBIs; and Tobias Moreno with 79 hits, a team-high 51 runs scored, and 32 RBIs. On the mound the Eagles are led by Zac Grotz who has an 8-1 record with a 0.65 era in 69 innings of work. He has also struck out 79, while batters are hitting just .167 off him on the year. The Eagles will also turn to work horse Stetson Nelson who has pitched a team-high 124 innings. Stetson currently has a 9-4 record with a 1.52 era, while leading the team in strike outs with 97.
As a team the Eagles rank No. 1 in the NAIA in chances per game (38.714), No. 3 in assists per game (11.768), and No. 6 in total assists (659). Embry Riddle also ranks No. 6 in the NAIA in both triples (25), and at bats per game (33.929) and No. 9 in total batters struck out (438).
Tabor comes into the tournament as both the 2015 KCAC regular season and tournament champs, while Embry Riddle won 2015 Sun Conference Tournament crown.
The Bluejays will be making their second trip to the World Series, while Embry-Riddle is competeing in the championsip tournament for the 13 time.
Tabor comes into the tournament as both the 2015 KCAC regular season and tournament champs, while Embry Riddle won 2015 Sun Conference Tournament crown.
