Face Tigers in Loser Out Format, Konicek One Hit Shy of Breaking All-Time Concordia Mark

Opening Round Live Stats

Tournament Bracket

Doane Games Available via Video Stream and Radio

The #9 Concordia Eagles defeated Taylor (IN) last night, 4-2, in loser out action at the Marion, IN NAIA Opening Round.  The Eagles turn around today and face Doane College, who beat the Eagles 4-3 on Thursday, in another loser out game.

Doane fell 9-1 last night against Point Park (PA), who remains undefeated.  Concordia will throw starter Jake Hovis, 6-4 with a 3.70 ERA.  Doane will likely start Nick Dawson, 1-4 with a 6.06 ERA or Rolando Celis, 1-1 with a 4.93 ERA.

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has officially announced the pairings and site selections for the 2012 NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round on Sunday. Each of the nine locations will feature a five-team double-elimination tournament May 10 - 14.

Opening Round winners will join host Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) at the 56th annual Avista-NAIA World Series in Lewiston, Idaho, May 25 - June 1.

Twenty-nine teams earned automatic berths to the 45-team Opening Round by winner their respective conference/independent/unaffiliated group tournaments or regular-season championships. An additional 16 at-large selections - determined by the final NAIA Baseball Coaches' Top 25 Poll released Sunday - round out the field.

The Tigers entered the NAIA Opening Round Tournament with one of the top pitching staffs in the nation. Opponents are batting .235 against Doane pitching, 12th in the NAIA. The staff has the 18th-best earned run average (3.42) and has struck out 386 batters on the season, 15th in the NAIA.

Doane, 35-20, were the 2012 GPAC Regular-Season Champions.  They fell to Morningside, 5-2, in the GPAC Tournament semifinals.  The Tigers have won four conference championships and two conference tournament championships in school history.  The Tigers are ranked 56th in the NAIA ISR rankings.  They won the GPAC Regular-Season and Tournament Titles in 2011.  They defeated Mount Vernon 7-6 on Thursday morning, before taking Concordia 4-3 in the nightcap.  They followed that with the loss to Point Park yesterday.  The Tigers are 48th according to the NAIA Iterative Strength Ratings.

The Tigers are 35^th in the NAIA in stolen bases with 98 and have only been caught 27 times.  They lead the GPAC with a 3.42 team ERA and 386 strikeouts.  They are fourth in the league with a .293 average, second with 451 hits, and fifth with 13 home runs. 

Chance Brull leads the team with a 1.71 ERA, good for 13^th in country, and has eight wins.  Nathan Roth is 15^th in the country with eight saves.  Tim Carlson is 19^th in the NAIA with nine wins and is 22^nd in ERA (2.00).  Anthony Hincy is 26^th in the NAIA with 30 stolen bases.  Hincy also ranks 32^nd with five triples. 

Hincy leads the team with a .331 average, 18^th in the GPAC, and 59 hits, seventh in the conference.  Mike Albert leads the Tigers with four home runs.

Head coach Jeremy Jorgenson is in his fifth year with the Tigers.  He worked as the pitching coach at Cal State Los Angeles and earned his master's from Cal State Fullerton.  He has had 28 All-GPAC players and five gold glove winners.  He has won more conference championships in the last two years than the program did in the previous 25 seasons.

This is Concordia's second trip to the NAIA Opening Round in school history.  Last year marked the first time for the Eagles and they went 3-0 in route to winning the California Baptist Regional.  The magic continued, as Concordia went 5-1 at the World Series.

Concordia is led by 2012 All-GSAC selections Kyle Konicek, Aaron Gates, and Ryan DiMascio.  Head coach Mike Grahovac, 2011 NAIA Coach of the Year, enters his second-straight NAIA Opening Round.  Grahovac has had six All-GSAC selections, eight gold glove honorees, one NAIA All-American, and five All-Tournament selections in his four years at Concordia.  His 2011 squad was also chosen as the Hank Burbridge Champions of Character Award winners.  Grahovac was his 100^th game on February 23 against San Diego Christian. 

Konicek, a four-year player at Concordia, has tied the Concordia career hits mark of 247.  He is 12^th in the GSAC in hitting with a .359 average.  He leads the league with six triples, is third in doubles (18), fourth in runs scored (53), and third in stolen bases (20).  His six triples rank 11^th in the nation.  Konicek ranks 35^th nationally in hits per game (1.471) and doubles (18).  He is a career .345 hitter with at least 160 at-bats in all four years at CU.  Konicek was also a GSAC Gold Glove selection with a .944 fielding percentage, 90 putouts, and an impressive 12 assists from left field.

Gates, a senior transfer from Pepperdine, is hitting .347 and is third in the GSAC with 11 home runs.  Nationally, he is sixth in slugging percentage (.763) and 32^nd in home runs (11). 

Recent returnee, sophomore outfielder John Doering, is third in the GSAC in hitting with a .390 average.  Junior Spencer Ofelt, who also came back from injury not too long ago, is sixth in the GSAC with a .378 average.  Senior starter Jake Hovis is 10^th in the conference with a 3.70 average.  The Eagles are second in the league with a .321 team batting average and third with a 4.21 team ERA.  Hovis will start tonight against Doane College.

Shortstop Matt Palmer is sixth in the NAIA with 3.094 assists per game.  Starter Thomas Hoenshell is 11^th with only nine walks allowed all year.  Leadoff man Ty Holm is 32^nd in steals (28) and triples (5).  Senior bullpen man Josh White is 32^nd with six saves.  Sean Buford is right behind him with five saves, good for 44^thin the nation.

The Eagles are first in the country with 29 triples and have only been caught stealing 44 times, sixth best in the country.  They are eighth in putouts per game (25.774), ninth in doubles per game (2.189), 12^th in stolen bases per game (2.396), and 13^th in doubles (116).  Concordia is 13^th in hits per game (10.556), 14^th in stolen bases (127), 22^nd in slugging percentage (.467), 22^nd in batting average (.321), 23rd in hits (560), and 25^th in runs per game (7.245). 

The defending national champions have won 11 of their last 14 games, outscoring their opponents 80-41 in that span.  The Eagles are #4 according to the NAIA Baseball Iterative Strength Rankings.

Ten squads are playing in their fourth-straight Opening Round. Lee (Tenn.) and Oklahoma City are a perfect 9-0 in four trips, while defending champion Concordia (Calif.) and Oklahoma Baptist are also undefeated, going 3-0 in Opening Round games a year ago.

Six qualifiers have previously won a World Series title, led by Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) with 16. The Warriors own a championship record mark of 119-37 in 30 previous appearances. Lubbock Christian (Texas), who enters the tournament with two banners, is the only other team in the field with multiple national titles.

GSAC Notes: Biola lost 9-8 to Southern Poly GA last night and is eliminated.  Azusa Pacific defeated Arizona Christian 8-2 last night and plays Menlo in loser out action today.