By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Oklahoma Wesleyan captures KCAC baseball title
KCAC baseball ends Sunday at Great Bend
spt deh kcac tourney ottawa v okla wesl bball slide at home
Oklahoma Wesleyan University Eagles runner Hunter Henry (21) slides safely into home plate against Ottawa University Braves catcher Willies Estrada (24) during the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Baseball and Softball Championship Wednesday at the Great Bend Sports Complex. The tournament runs through Sunday. - photo by DALE HOGG Great Bend Tribune

The Oklahoma Wesleyan baseball team overpowered York, Neb. 14-3 to capture its second straight KCAC Tournament Championship Saturday at the Great Bend Sports Complex. The Eagles swept the KCAC regular season title and KCAC Tournament in 2017 and 2018.
Oklahoma Wesleyan (51-6) and runner-up York, Neb. will find its NAIA regional destination at 3 p.m. Thursday for a Midwest regional scheduled May 14-17. 

The 10th NAIA opening round May 14-17 features nine, five-team double elimination tournaments. Brackets will be announced at 3 p.m. Thursday onn the NAIA Facebook page. Sites are Bowling Green, Ky.; Montgomery, Ala.; Lawrenceville, Ga.; Oklahoma City; Lincoln, Calif.; Upland, Ind.; Williamsburg, Ky.; Kingsport, Tenn. and Hattiesburg, Miss. Nine qualifiers and World Series host Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) will compete in the 2018 NAIA Baseball World Series May 25 – June 1.

OKLAHOMA WESLEYAN 14, YORK NEB. 3 — Chris Tapia drilled a homer, drove home two runs and scored two runs. Austin Sojka homered and drove home three runs. Ryan Lujan scored three runs with three hits. Colten Kelly drove in three runs and scored twice. The Eagles rapped out 15 hits.
Pitcher Jared Gray threw seven innings and struck out 10 hitters. Lizandro Cruz and Jacob Williams threw the final two frames.
YORK 6, TABOR 3 (elimination game) — York (26-26) clinched the second automatic bid from the KCAC with an elimination victory over Tabor college.
York pitcher Corey Mixon threw six shutout innings before yielding three runs in the seventh inning. Reliever Spencer Jones struck out four battres in two innings.
Isaiah Bond, Billy Damon and Kevin Olmstead drove home York runs for a 3-0 lead. Connor Towle drilled a three-run fifth-inning homer for a 6-0 lead.

OKLAHOMA WESLEYAN 7, YORK, NEB. 5 -- Oklahoma Wesleyan reached the finals with a game-winning two-run homer by Chris Tapia for a 7-5 victory Saturday over York, Neb. in 12 innings. Acosta-Tapia preserved a tie game in extra innings with a great outfield catch.

Oklahoma Wesleyan scored two ninth-inning runs to force extra innings. Austin Soyka doubled home pinch runner Chandler Boyd after Rylee Peterson's double. Nick McGrew's RBI single drove home Soyka with the game-tying run. John Lantigua walked in the 12thh inning before Acosta-Tapia's homer.

TABOR 15, FRIENDS 9 -- Tabor's Freddy Walker drilled a two-run homer and drove home three runs. Jaxson Hooge drove in three runs. Graham Wiebe and Sam Silva each drove home two runs. 

TABOR 8, OTTAWA 3 – Tabor's Kyle James and Abdiel Alicea-Diaz each drove home three runs to spark Tabor. James drilled a two-run first-inning double and seventh-inning RBI double. Alicea-Diaz hit a two-run second-inning double and seventh-inning homer. Tabor starter Nathan Arrda struck out nine batters. 

KCAC TOURNAMENT

WEDNESDAY--Okla. Wesleyan 5, Ottawa 2

THURSDAY--York, Neb. 13, Tabor 3; Friends 4, Southwestern 1

FRIDAY--Tabor 8, Ottawa 3; Okla. Wesleyan 20, Southwestern 3; York, Neb. 6, Friends 3

SATURDAY
Oklahoma Wesleyan 7, York, Neb. 5, 12 innings; Tabor 15, Friends 9; York, Neb. 6, Tabor 3

SUNDAY
Oklahoma Wesleyan 14, York 3