Game Notes: 2011 NCAA Division III West Region Baseball Tournament
ORANGE, Calif. – Here is everything you need to know about this week's NCAA Division III Baseball Regional at McMurry University in Abilene, Texas. The Chapman University baseball team gets its 2011 postseason underway on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. (CST) against No.5 seed Texas-Tyler. For complete version of the games notes that includes rosters and stats, please click here.
If the Panthers have a home away from home it's been Abilene, where Chapman won the West Region title in 2008 and is 12-1 since 2007. In fact, Chapman has 11 straight wins at Walt Driggers Field, including a three-game sweep of McMurry earlier this season.
2011 Regular Season Recap
After a 1-4 start to the season, Chapman regained its nationally-ranked form by winning 13 straight games and 22 of 23. In fact, the Panthers only loss during that stretch came against La Verne in 12 innings. Chapman also dropped its first two home games of 2011 and then didn't lose at Hart Park again, rattling off 20 straight wins at home to finish the season. The Panthers' pitching ranks among the top-15 in the nation in earned run average (2.72), strikeouts per nine innings (8.5) and hits allowed per nine innings (7.5).
Anchoring the pitching staff is reigning NCBWA Division III Pitcher of the Year, sophomore RHP Brian Rauh who is 10-0 with a 1.88 ERA and six complete games. The 2010 All-American blew off the so-called "sophomore jinx" by setting a Chapman record for strikeouts in a season – tops in Division III – and held opponents to just over six hits per game and a .186 batting average.
Youth Movement
Chapman is powered by underclassmen throughout their lineup and pitching staff. Six of the Panthers' nine regular position players are either freshmen or sophomores, including two of their top three hitters (Fr. OF Adam Velez - .333, Fr. 1B Mark Saatzer - .320). Three of Chapman's four starting pitchers are sophomores and Panther closer Kyle Tachibana (five saves) is a freshman.
Coach T Earns No. 300
Earlier this season, Chapman skipper Tom Tereschuk won his 300th game at Chapman – the only coach in Panthers history to accomplish that feat. He is already the school's all-time winningest coach entering the postseason with a record of 311-101 (.755).
Blame it on the Bats
Meet the Teams
No. 1 Linfield
The defending West Region champions are making their fifth Division III regional appearance and second in a row. The Wildcats earned an automatic berth into the field after winning the Northwest Conference Championship for the third time in four seasons under head coach Scott Brosius with a 31-9 overall record and a 20-4 record in conference play. Playing a large part in the record which has led to a No. 5 national ranking is a pitching staff that boasts a 2.59 ERA, good enough for sixth in the nation. Junior P Ryan Larson leads the staff in wins (7), innings pitched (93.2) and strikeouts (61) to go along with a 1.92 ERA in 13 starts. On offense, the Wildcats hit .316 as a team and average seven runs per game led by senior C Cole Bixenman who is tops on the team in batting average (.373), home runs (10) and RBI (44). Linfield took three of four games from Chapman in McMinnville in April, as they held Chapman to just 12 runs during the series.
No. 2 Chapman
Chapman (29-11) is making its 14th appearance in the Division III championships, including the past nine seasons in a row. In the previous 13 appearances, the Panthers have won eight regional titles, placed third in the nation twice and won a national title in 2003. For complete version of game notes, please click here.
Redlands (29-11) is making its fifth postseason trip, with its most recent appearance coming in 2006. The Bulldogs qualified for the NCAA field after winning the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship with a 22-6 record. The Bulldogs officially clinched at least a share of the title back on April 23, with a win over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges. The squad garnered outright claim to the crown with a 3-2 victory over Whittier College on April 29. The No. 21-ranked Bulldogs are one of the most balanced teams in this year's field with a .346 team batting average that ranks eighth in the nation, a defense with a .970 fielding percentage which also ranks eighth and a solid pitching staff. The ace of that staff is senior Derek Johnson who is 12-2 with a 2.48 ERA. Chapman is 2-1 against Redlands this season.
No. 4 Trinity (Texas)
Trinity (33-11) is back in the postseason for the sixth time overall and second year in a row. The Tigers won the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference for the second-consecutive season and third time in four years. Similar to last year, the Tigers have a potent offense. In 2011, Trinity ranked first in the nation in runs scored and doubles, sixth in hits and eighth in scoring and home runs. The biggest difference between Trinity this season and last is its much improved pitching staff. Last year, Trinity had a team ERA of 5.13 but in 2011 they enter postseason play with a 3.50 ERA. The Tigers' top pitcher is junior P Ben Klimesh (10-2, 3.10 ERA) while the offense is led by senior C Kyle Felix (.365, 13 HR, 58 RBI). Trinity lost to Chapman 4-3 last season in the opening game of the regional.
No. 5 Texas-Tyler
The Patriots are back in the playoffs for the third-straight season and third time overall. Texas-Tyler (33-6) is in despite getting knocked out of the American Southwest Conference tournament with consecutive losses to McMurry University. The No. 11 Patriots received a Pool C at-large bid however by winning the ASC East Division regular season title. Similar to Trinity, the Patriots are back in large part because the drastic improvement of their pitching staff from last season. Their team ERA dropped from 5.45 in 2010 to 2.63 in 2011 which ranks eighth nationally. No pitcher on the Patriots staff has more than two losses and three of their starting pitchers have an ERA under 2.60 including ace Chad Sherman (8-1, 1.49 ERA). Texas-Tyler sent Chapman into the loser's bracket of last year's regional with a 5-4 win.
No. 6 Concordia (Texas)
Concordia (30-15) is making its second regional appearance in the program's history, the last coming in 2002 when they went all the way to the College World Series. Last season the Tornados won just 15 games, but in 2011 under second year coach Tommy Boggs the team doubled its 2010 win total while capturing the school's second American Southwest Conference Championship and an automatic playoff spot. The Tornados have a balanced offense as seven players have a .300 batting average or higher and nine players have at least 12 RBI. Leading the pitching staff are sophomores Colin Butschek (8-3, 3.45 ERA) and Ryan Ullmann (6-1, 3.38 ERA).
by Chris Watts and Doug Aiken
Sports Information Assistant and Sports Information Director