Lions seek to reach NAIA World Series for second straight year

The Vanguard University baseball team has earned an at-large bid into the 45-team field that will compete in nine five-team opening-round tournaments for the right to advance to the NAIA World Series.

The No. 16-ranked Lions (37-13-1), who won their opening-round tournament last season to advance to the NAIA World Series in Idaho, are in the Faulkner Bracket at Faulkner University in Montgomery Alabama. Coach Rob Pegg’s Lions, whose second-place finish in the Golden State Athletic Conference was their best regular-season conference finish since 1993, will open on Tuesday against No. 21-ranked Texas Wesleyan (39-17) at 1 p.m. PT.

The double-elimination Faulkner Bracket also includes No. 3-ranked Faulkner (46-12), Central Methodist of Missouri (43-15) and Texas A&M Texarkana (31-18).

Central Methodist received votes in the latest NAIA top-25 poll, while Texas A&M Texarkana is in its inaugural season.

Vanguard, the No. 2 seed in the bracket, lost to Faulkner in last year’s World Series on its way to a 1-2 record in Idaho. The Lions, who have lost five of their last seven, including both games at the GSAC Tournament last week, are one of 14 at-large teams in the opening-round format.

The Lions are led by GSAC Player of the Year Jose Rojas, a senior shortstop who is hitting .370 with 10 home runs and 50 runs batted in. Rojas, an NAIA Gold Glove award winner as a junior, also leads the team in runs (50) and is second with 16 stolen bases in 18 attempts.

Brandon Sandoval, a junior left fielder and a first-team All-GSAC performer, is hitting .357 with three homers, 35 RBIs and 45 runs. Sandoval leads the Lions in hits (74) and stolen bases (22 in 26 attempts).

The Lions are led on the mound by GSAC Pitcher of the Year Sean Isaac, a senior who is 13-2 with a 2.26 earned-run average, with 132 strikeouts in 111 1/3 innings. The 13 wins are tied with two others for the NAIA lead.

Vanguard senior closer Michael Jordan has 15 saves and is 1-1 with a 1.63 ERA. His save total is tied for second, one behind the national leader, and he has 27 strikeouts in 27 2/3 innings.

Texas Wesleyan, which has won five of its last seven, but lost to Wayland Baptist in the semifinals of the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament, is led by junior first-team all-conference shortstop Casey Moses.

Moses, the conference Gold Glove winner at his position, is hitting .372 with two homers and 36 RBIs.

Junior outfielder Alex Gudac, another all-conference choice, is hitting .364 with a team-best 71 hits and 15 stolen bases. He has two homers and 28 RBIs.

The Rams are led on the mound by first-team all-conference performer Zach Aitken, a 6-foot-1, 230-pound senior right-hander. Aitken is 8-4 with a 3.35 ERA in 15 starts. He has six complete games and has 82 strikeouts in 88 2/3 innings.

Rams junior Wade Regas is 7-5 with six saves in 26 appearances, all out of the bullpen. He has a 2.38 ERA with 32 strikeouts in 41 2/3 innings.

The Faulkner Bracket schedule includes three games on Tuesday and Wednesday, two on Thursday and one game, if necessary, on Friday.

The NAIA World Series runs May 27 through June 3 at Lewis-Clark State in Lewiston, Idaho.

— Barry Faulkner