Baseball Preview: Avista NAIA World Series

LEWISTON, Idaho — Doane baseball will open play at the Avista NAIA Baseball World Series on Friday, May 22, in Lewiston, Idaho, as the Tigers make their first appearance in the final site of the national tournament.

Doane enters the World Series with a 47-9 record after winning the Lincoln Bracket. The Tigers will face Mid-America Christian in their opening game at 8:30 a.m. PST.

Mid-America Christian brings a 42-13 record into Lewiston and presents one of the more powerful lineups in the field. The Evangels are hitting .329 as a team with 73 home runs, led by Nick Hill, who owns a .359 batting average with 24 home runs and 74 RBIs. Jalen King is hitting .390 with 28 stolen bases, while Sammy Hallada adds a .365 average and 21 steals. On the mound, Ibrahim Gonzalez has been the staff leader at 11-2 with a 1.81 ERA and 92 strikeouts in 84.2 innings.

Doane counters with one of the NAIA's top offenses, batting .351 with 75 home runs and 457 RBIs. Carter Roth leads the Tigers with a .449 average, 105 hits, 12 home runs and 73 RBIs. Tanner Nelson is hitting .441, Grant Sommers has added 15 home runs and 62 RBIs, and Sam Kwapnioski has reached base at a .459 clip with 11 home runs.

The rest of the field features several national powers. Georgia Gwinnett enters at 49-6 with a .357 team batting average, 56 home runs and 225 stolen bases. Peyton Watts, Payton Fort and Trey Smith each have driven in at least 61 runs.

Host Lewis-Clark State carries a 44-7 record and a strong pitching profile, holding opponents to a .238 average while posting a .315 team batting average. Brandon Nguyen has 13 home runs, while Izzy Madariaga and Jackson Jaha are also major threats in the order.

Top-seed Taylor enters with a 52-5 record and one of the most explosive offenses in the tournament, batting .356 with 98 home runs and 645 runs scored. Brayden Manning, Jordan Malott, Brennan Frickel and Ben Kennedy all hit above .375, with Malott driving in 92 runs.

Tennessee Wesleyan brings a 43-14 record and a .340 team average, led by Josh Shelly, Allan Gil Fernandez and Kolton Reynolds. The Bulldogs have 70 home runs and 169 stolen bases.

Southeastern enters at 43-16 with 58 home runs and 156 stolen bases. Cooper Ciesielski leads the Fire with a .389 average, while Nathanial Hopkins, Armani Cozza and Cade Parry anchor a deep lineup.

William Carey is 38-18 this season with a .303 team average, 33 home runs and 111 stolen bases. DeeJay Booth leads the Crusaders at .368 with 11 home runs, 61 RBIs and 28 stolen bases.

Indiana Southeast enters at 42-14 with a .319 team average, 77 home runs and 104 stolen bases. Coulter Hamilton, Bryson Arnette and Trevor Goodwin lead the Grenadiers' offense.

Johnson rounds out the field with a 40-12 record, a .304 team batting average and 173 stolen bases. Luke Wilson has stolen 39 bases, while JJ Menesini leads the team with 64 runs and 48 stolen bases.

The Avista NAIA Baseball World Series runs May 22-30 at Harris Field in Lewiston, Idaho.

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