LAKELAND, Fla. – Monday at 11 a.m., the ABAC Stallions will make history as the college's first athletic program to take part in an NAIA postseason event.
The Stallions are part of a five-team field in the Lakeland bracket of the Opening Round of the NAIA National Baseball Tournament. ABAC is the fourth seed and will play fifth-seed Briar Cliff University in its opener. The winner will meet top-seeded Southeastern University in Monday's final game while second-seeded Central Methodist (Mo.) will meet third-seeded Arizona Christian University in the second game.
Monday's schedule calls for games at 11 a.m., 3 p.m., and 6 p.m., but the weather forecast calls for rain throughout the day. All games will be played at Ted A. Broer Stadium, 1000 Longfellow Blvd., Lakeland, Fla. The games can be watched online at thesundigitalnetwork.com/southeasternfire/ for $9.95 per game.
ABAC enters the tournament with a 35-14 record in its first year in NAIA play. The Stallions finished third in the Southern States Athletic Conference and received an at-large bid. They are led by sophomore shortstop Quentin Rawls, who had a team-high .396 batting average and was also tops in runs scored (62) and stolen bases (33). Freshman first baseman Cris Walley leads ABAC with 63 runs batted and leads all players in the Lakeland regional with 18 home runs.
Junior pitcher
Reigh Jordan leads the team in wins with seven, while junior
Trypp Lumpkin has the most strikeouts (79), and junior
Kade Haywood has the best ERA (4.37) among the regular starters.
Briar Cliff, 28-22 on the year, got an automatic bid by winning the Great Plains Athletic Conference. The Chargers from Sioux City, Iowa, are led by senior third baseman Diego Trujillo with a .375 batting average while junior first baseman Nico Sall has 14 home runs and 57 RBIs. Nick Hays is the ace of the pitching staff with seven wins and a 3.82 ERA.
Top seed Southeastern, 41-13 overall, was upset in the Sun Conference tournament and received an at-large bid. The Fire is led by junior left fielder Jon Paul Pennella with a .441 average, 70 runs scored, and 23 steals. Junior shortstop Alfonso Villalobos has 13 home runs and 74 RBIs, while Southeastern's top pitcher is senior southpaw Aaron Robertson, with nine wins and 99 strikeouts on the year and a 1.85 earned run average.
The Eagles of Central Methodist, 35-13, won the Heart of America Conference tournament to earn a bid to the national tournament. Senior first baseman Kyle Williams leads the way offensively, hitting .406 on the year with 60 runs scored. Senior outfielder Carlos Negron is the team leader in RBIs (62) and home runs (15). Right-hander Foster Seitz leads the team in wins with 11 while amassing 63 strikeouts and a 3.27 ERA.
The Arizona Christian Firestorm, 39-14-1 overall, lost in the championship game of the Golden State Athletic Conference tournament and received an at-large bid. Senior designated hitter Trey Tarver is batting .387 with 74 hits, 17 home runs, and 78 RBIs. Junior center fielder Andrew Ivy has scored 71 runs and stolen 34 bases. Senior left-hander Frank Wierman is the staff ace with 10 wins, 106 strikeouts, and a 1.19 ERA.
