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2019 SLIAC Baseball Tournament

The 2019 SLIAC Baseball Tournament has a familiar look as all four teams from the previous two tournaments return to chase the title this spring. For the first time in conference history, there are Co-Champions in baseball as Spalding will be the #1 seed from the East Division and Webster the #1 seed from the West Division. Greenville University, the host school, earned the #2 seed from the East while Westminster College will be the #2 seed from the West. Games are scheduled for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in Greenville, Ill. Games on the second day and Championship day will be broadcast thanks to CollegeCasts.

#1 East - Spalding University

Spalding secured the program's first ever share of a SLIAC regular season title this season and are the top overall seed in the tournament. The Golden Eagles led the conference with 295 runs scored, hitting .289 as a team and hitting a league high 33 home runs and swiping a SLIAC best 103 stolen bases. Their powerful lineup is anchored by shortstop Eric Meyer. Meyer is batting .396 with 10 home runs and 41 RBI this spring, ranking 2nd in the league in all three categories. Leadoff hitter Garrett Wilson is batting .395 with 16 steals and 10 doubles. Quenton Brownlee adds to the lineup depth with his .372 average and 8 long balls while driving in a conference high 46 runs. Sophomores Evan Trentman and Mitchell Langley are also both hitting above .329 this spring. Dillon Sievert is one of the leaders on the team and is a two-way player; with 28 hits and 19 RBI at the plate while also working a team high 73 innings on the mound. As a pitcher he notched 6 wins with 71 strikeouts and a 2.71 earned-run average this spring. Zach Jones and Jack Parisi each made 11 starts this season with Jones going 7-0 with a 2.28 E.R.A. and Parisi 6-0 with a 3.36 E.R.A.

2019 Overall Record: 29-10

2019 SLIAC Record: 18-4

SLIAC Tournament Appearances: 6

SLIAC Tournament Titles: 0

Last Title: n/a

#1 West - Webster University

Webster kept their streak alive by claiming a share of the 2019 SLIAC Baseball regular season title, their 13th consecutive year of accomplishing that feat. The Gorloks are hitting .283 as a team, scoring 243 runs this season while totaling 23 home runs and ranking 2nd in the league in stolen bases with 91. Their staff E.R.A. of 2.54 ranks first in the league and is nearly a full run lower than the next best team. A balanced lineup features five hitters batting over .300 and more than 20 RBI this season. Cleanup hitter A.J. Smith is hitting .348 with 3 home runs and 24 RBI and is one of four Gorloks with double digit stolen bases. Nate Tholl is hitting .333 with 17 stolen bases while leadoff hitter Aron Hopp has a .336 on-base percentage and a team best 18 steals. Ben Swords is batting .310 with a team high 33 runs batted in. Matt Mulhearn is the workhorse of the pitching staff, throwing 77 2/3 innings this spring and recording 9 wins with his 2.20 earned-run average. Sean Beaver was 5-3 with a 2.03 E.R.A. while Brendan May was 3-1 with his 3.00 E.R.A. Adrian Santiago is one the league's top relievers, working 45 innings out of the pen and holding a 1.80 earned-run average while striking out 41 and recording 6 wins and 7 saves.

2019 Overall Record: 29-10

2019 SLIAC Record: 18-4

SLIAC Tournament Appearances: 23

SLIAC Tournament Titles: 9

Last Title: 2018

#2 East - Greenville University

Greenville comes into the postseason having won two of three games in a weekend series against Spalding. The Panthers scored 186 runs this season, 6th in the SLIAC, while hitting .259 as a team. They totaled 16 home runs and 53 stolen bases during the regular season and have a staff E.R.A. of 5.28 this spring. Sam Hodges leads the team with a .345 average and is one of four Panthers hitting above .300 this season. Hodges also leads the team with 4 home runs and 24 RBI. Ryan Taylor is hitting .336 while driving in 15 and swiping a team best eight bases. Klaiton Wolff is hitting .308 with 3 home runs and 21 RBI but is also a weapon out of the pen. Wolff has made 11 appearances in relief and recorded eight saves. Sam Logan Murphy has a team high 5 wins on the mound while the depth of the staff is evident in the fact that six pitchers have logged 30 or more innings. Jonah Moore has thrown two complete games this spring and carries a 3.86 earned-run average with 41 strikeouts.

2019 Overall Record: 22-15

2019 SLIAC Record: 14-6

SLIAC Tournament Appearances: 18

SLIAC Tournament Titles: 2

Last Title: 2017

#2 West- Westminster College

Westminster went into the last game of the regular season needing a win to get into the tournament and did so, finishing the regular season by winning five of their final six games. The Blue Jays are hitting a conference best .302 this season, scoring 224 runs. They also rank 2nd in the league in home runs with 27 and have struck out the fewest times in the SLIAC. Branden Beeler is hitting a SLIAC best .420 this season with 5 home runs and 25 RBI. Last year's Newcomer of the Year Ryan Clavin has continued to shine, hitting .389 with 10 home runs and 35 RBI. Will Stonecipher is batting .375 while driving in 26 while freshman Hayden Hirschvogel has also driven in 26. The pitching staff is a one-two punch of Ian Cassidy and Mason Kirkweg. Cassidy was 5-3 with a 3.34 earned-run average this season while striking out 52 and allowing fewer than one hit per inning. Kirkweg, a freshman, went 5-2 during the regular season while striking out 44 and carrying a 3.51 E.R.A.

2019 Overall Record: 17-13

2019 SLIAC Record: 13-8

SLIAC Tournament Appearances: 18

SLIAC Tournament Titles: 4

Last Title: 2016

2019 Tournament Schedule

Game 1: #1E-Spalding vs. #2W- Westminster, 2 p.m. on 5/9

Game 2: #1W- Webster vs. #2E- Greenville, 5 p.m. on 5/9

Game 3: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2, 1 p.m. on 5/10

Game 4: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2, 4 p.m. on 5/10

Game 5: Winner of Game 4 vs. Loser of Game 3, 7 p.m. on 5/10

Game 6: Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 5, 4 p.m. on 5/11

Game 7: If necessary immediately following Game 6 on 5/11

Credits:

Created with an image by Matthew T Rader - "untitled image"

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