COMING UP: at NAIA Baseball National Opening Round Lewiston Bracket, presented by Avista, Monday-Thursday (Harris Field, Lewiston, Idaho).
 
TOURNEY SCHEDULE: Game 1 – Oregon Tech vs. Dickinson State, Monday, 11 a.m.; Game 2 – Wayland Baptist vs. LC State, Monday, 2:30 p.m.; Game 3 – Hope International vs. Winner G1, Monday, 6 p.m.; Game 4 – Loser G1 vs. Loser G2, Tuesday, 11 a.m.; Game 5 – Winner G2 vs. Winner G3, Tuesday, 2:30 p.m.; Game 6 – Winner G4 vs. Loser G3, Tuesday, 6 p.m.; Game 7 – Winner G6 vs. Loser G5, Wednesday, 2:30 p.m.; Game 8 – Winner G5 vs. Winner G7, Wednesday, 6 p.m.; Game 9 (if necessary), Thursday, 11 a.m.
 
GAME DAY INFORMATION: All games at the Lewiston Bracket will be streamed for free through LC State's SIDEARM Video Portal, with Live Stats available via the NAIA StatBroadcast Platform. Tickets are $15.00 per day ($10.00 for children ages 3-17), with an All-Tournament Pass $35.00 – and can be purchased online through the LC State Ticket Portal.
 
WHAT'S AT STAKE: The Lewiston Bracket is one of 10 sites to host Opening Round events across the NAIA – with six sites featuring 5-team pods and four sites featuring 4-team pods. The winners of each of the 10 sites will advance to the Avista NAIA World Series, set to be played at Harris Field in Lewiston, Idaho, May 23-31.
 
HISTORY OF THE OPENING ROUND: Prior to 2009, the NAIA advanced teams to the World Series through either District and Regional Tournaments, with the winner of each event advancing to a Super-Regional to determine the national bid. From 2009-20, the NAIA moved to conference qualification to Opening Round sites – nine 5-team brackets, with the winners, along with host Lewis-Clark State – earning spots in the World Series. Starting in 2022, the current format was adopted, featuring 10 Opening Round sites (with LC State guaranteed an Opening Round host site) with the 10 winners advancing to the World Series.
 
OPENING ROUND SITES: The West features only one site (Lewiston), with the region receiving multiple sites just three times (2010, 2022, 2023), while not receiving a site in 2017. The nine other Opening Round sites include Lincoln, Neb. (Concordia), Williamsburg, Ky. (Cumberlands), Lawrenceville, Ga. (Georgia Gwinnett), Shreveport, La. (LSU Shreveport), Waleska, Ga. (Reinhardt), Lakeland, Fla. (Southeastern), Upland, Ind. (Taylor), Kingsport, Tenn. (Appalachian Athletic Conference) and Hattiesburg, Miss. (William Carey).
 
OPENING ROUND #1 SEED – HOPE INTERNATIONAL: The top seed in the Lewiston Bracket is defending NAIA champion, Hope International – the 2025 Great Southwest Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament champions. The Royals (43-8) are making their sixth-straight trip to the Opening Round, with the club an offensive juggernaut, hitting .362 as a team with 97 home runs. Outfielder David Shackleford (.417 7 HR 43 RBI, 19 SB) was named GSAC Player of the Year, headlining a lineup that features all-stars in first baseman Colby Moran (.408 11 HR 64 RBI), shortstop Trotter Boston (.346 10 HR 48 RBI) and outfielder Amari Bartee (.345 14 HR 42 RBI). HIU has a solid pitching staff, leading the GSAC with a 4.34 ERA – thanks to a rotation paced by Trey Seeley (11-1 1.54 ERA, 101 K) and Josh Landry (10-0 1.87 ERA, 85 K).
 
OPENING ROUND #2 SEED – WAYLAND BAPTIST: One of the big surprises in the NAIA this season is No. 2-seed Wayland Baptist, as the Pioneers (39-17) make their first tournament appearance since 2016. The Sooner Athletic Conference regular-season champions from Plainview, Texas, ended the season ranked No. 22 in the NAIA Top-25 poll, riding an offense that has a .331 team batting average, with 83 home runs and 114 stolen bases. Two-way player Felix Polanco (.434 16 HR 73 RBI; 5-4 7.18 ERA, 83 K) is the key to the WBU attack, earning Sooner Player of the Year honors, with third baseman Delvis Claudio (.388 18 HR 56 RBI) and Samuel Fabian (.371 23 HR 78 RBI) key to the Pioneers offense. Juan Gil-Franco (11-4 4.07 ERA) has split time in the rotation and in the pen for a WBU pitching staff which has a 6.32 team ERA.
 
OPENING ROUND #3 SEED – LEWIS-CLARK STATE: Cascade Conference champion Lewis-Clark State earned the No. 3 seed in their own Bracket – making their 42nd all-time appearance and looking for redemption after missing out on the NAIA World Series for the first time since 1998. The Warriors (35-14) were perfect at the CCC Championships, behind an offense led by outfielders Charlie Updegrave (.377 21 HR 71 RBI) and Jack Sheward (.345 11 HR 62 RBI), third baseman Jakob Marquez (.350 11 HR 51 RBI) and shortstop Ike George (.376 5 HR 36 RBI). A strong pitching staff with a 4.71 ERA is led by the duo of Jadon Williamson (5-0 2.47 ERA) and Evan Canfield (5-2 3.99 ERA), with Jackson Cloud (5-1 3.22 ERA, 4 saves) among the top relievers in the CCC. LC is searching for their elusive 20th all-time NAIA World Series title.
 
OPENING ROUND #4 SEED – OREGON TECH: Making their first tournament appearance in program history, Oregon Tech heads to a ballpark where they have posted a 5-5 record over the last three seasons. The Hustlin' Owls (38-14) enter the tournament winning 17 of their last 20 games, thanks to an offense averaging nine runs a game and stealing 140 bases. All-America catcher Tyler Horner (.416 13 HR 66 RBI) leads the attack, along with All-CCC picks in shortstop Patrick Barry (.405 0 HR 40 RBI) and Julien Jones (.363 14 HR 53 RBI), with the pitching staff features a pair of aces in Bronson Chapple (4-1 3.34 ERA) and Tim Williams (7-1 3.35 ERA). Tech has posted 4-straight 30-win seasons – but did not receive an at-large bid to the tournament until 2025.
 
OPENING ROUND #5 SEED – DICKINSON STATE: One of the surprises in the field is No. 5 seed Dickinson State, as the Blue Hawks (21-29), from Dickinson, N.D., advance as one of two teams in the tournament with a record below .500. DSU finished 10-10 in conference play, but played their best baseball in May, reaching the North Star Athletic Association title game to earn the league's second automatic bid. The offensive attack hit .275 on the season, led by the trio of shortstop Luis Rodriguez (.354 7 HR 30 RBI), third baseman Wyatt Wilharm (.314 6 HR 26 RBI) and outfielder John-Michael Gonzalez (.348 5 HR 33 RBI), with a pitching staff that has a 7.82 team ERA paced by Jacob Scully (7-5 5.42 ERA) and Trent Chavez (2-0 3.48 ERA, 5 saves). DSU is making their first-ever trip to the NAIA postseason.
 
HUSTLIN' OWLS MAKE HISTORY: Following a 38-14 regular-season, including winning 16 of their final 17 regular-season games, OIT received one of 15 at-large bids to the NAIA Baseball National Championship – the first trip to Nationals in program history. The Owls were one of the final six teams earning berths – as Abraham Baldwin, Ave Maria, Grand View, Ottawa and Indiana Southeast joined Tech as No. 4-seeds in their respective brackets.
 
IN THE POSTSEASON: The Hustlin' Owls qualified for their fourth trip to the playoffs in five seasons and their 16th overall playoff appearance. The Owls made five trips to the NAIA District II Tournament (1974, 1981, 1982, 1986, 1989), three trips to the NAIA Region I Tournament (2004, 2005, 2006), four trips to the NAIA West Tournament (2009, 2010, 2013, 2017), Cascade Conference Tournament appearances in 2021, 2023, 2024 and 2025, along with the 2025 NAIA Opening Round. Tech is a combined 14-32 all-time in postseason games.
 
MOST WINS EVER: OIT surpassed their all-time win total on April 25 in an 11-0 victory over Bushnell. The Owls head into the Opening Round with a 38-14 mark – the first time they have sat 24 games above .500 – with the 38 victories surpassing the 34 wins from last year and the 33 wins from the 2009 and 2023 seasons. On the flip side, from 2002-20, Tech failed to win 20 games on 12 different occasions.
 
RANKINGS: The Owls earned votes in the final NAIA Top-25 Poll – claiming six voter points by the 19 conference raters – their highest end-of-season ranking in program history. Tech finished No. 7 in the West ARC rating, No. 12 in both the Interactive Strength Rating and Massey Power Index and No. 43 in the NAIA BoChip rating.
 
SUCCESS AT HOME: After playing the first 24 games of the season away from the Basin, the Owls took advantage of a late-season homestand to finish 18-2 at Steen Sports Park, including a school-record 16-game home win streak. Since moving their home field from Kiger Stadium to their current park in 2022, the Owls are 54-18 on their own diamond.
 
RECORDS GALORE: Nine single-season school records have been smashed by the 2025 Hustlin' Owls heading into the postseason – including the all-time runs scored record (481). Tech has recorded more doubles (135), triples (19), RBI (414), walks drawn (273) and hit by pitches (117), posting the most sacrifice flies (50), while well on their way to top the fielding percentage (.977) mark.
 
CONFERENCE TOURNEY RECAP: The Owls finished 2-2 at the Cascade Conference Championships – ending a streak of 4-straight postseason losses in the process. Tech dropped a 6-1 decision to LC State in the opener, as the Warriors broke open a 2-1 game with a 2-run homer in the seventh, as Tim Williams allowed just five hits in six-plus innings. OIT won back-to-back elimination games, getting a 10-strikeout performance from Bronson Chapple in a 6-5 win over Bushnell, with Riley Cronin tying the all-time career saves record (12) by getting the final two outs. Carson Glavich pitched Tech to a winner-to-nationals game with a 4-2 win over College of Idaho, limiting the Yotes to three hits in seven innings. In the defacto title game – the Owls scored four seventh inning runs to tie the game at 5-5, but host British Columbia used a 4-run eighth to put the game away. Ka'ala Tam was the offensive star in the series, going 7-for-17 with two doubles, while Logan Macy extended his hit streak to 13 – including a grand slam homer vs. Bushnell.
 
HORNER REPEATS AS MVP, BREAKS MILESTONE MARK: Another record-setting season netted Tyler Horner his second-straight CCC Player of the Year honor and his third All-CCC accolade. The Owls catcher leads the circuit with a .416 batting average and a school record tying 21 doubles, ranking second with 66 RBI and 38 walks, while adding 13 home runs. Horner had five hits in the CCC Tournament – becoming the first player in league history to surpass 300 career hits – and holds the league record for RBI (208) and doubles (69). The 4-year starter is five RBI away, one walk and five hits away from the respective OIT single-season records.
 
BARRY, JONES NAMED ALL-CCC: Seniors Patrick Barry and Julien Jones were recognized by the CCC coaches, earning a spot on the all-league team for a second time in their careers. Barry finished the CCC Tournament 5-for-16 with four runs scored – heading into the NAIA Tournament with a .405 batting average and 40 RBI – leading the CCC with 85 hits, ranking second in runs scored with an OIT school record of 71, while sitting second overall with 19 doubles. Jones was 6-for-15 in Canada, including a pair of homers – pushing his career-high total to 14. The outfielder s hitting .363 with 53 RBI, while leading the NAIA with 32 hit-by-pitches.
 
WILLIAMS HONORED AS PITCHER OF THE YEAR: A dominant regular season helped right-hander Tim Williams share CCC Pitcher of the Year honors – the second-straight year an OIT pitcher has been recognized by the league. The senior started the year with seven-straight wins, recording quality starts in 9-of-13 outings, with Williams heading into the NAIA Tournament with a 7-1 record, a 3.35 ERA, with 63 strikeouts and a .213 opponents batting average.
 
QUARTET HONORED FOR THE LEATHER: OIT had four players named to the CCC Gold Glove Team – shortstop Patrick Barry, outfielders Ka'ala Tam and Julien Jones, along with pitcher Isaac Hill. Barry led all CCC shortstops with a .963 fielding percentage in 243 defensive chances, with Jones leading all outfielders with nine outfield assists. Hill did not commit an error, while picking off a pair of base runners, while Tam had one error in 112 chances.
 
STEALING FRENZY: The Owls dominated the base paths during the regular season, leading the CCC with 140 stolen bases – with five players in the Top-10 in the league standings and seven players with double-digit steals. Julien Jones leads the league with 28 swipes, with Ka'ala Tam third with 23, followed by Michael O'Daniel (190, Patrick Barry (15), Matthew Ortiz (15), Dane Bradshaw (11) and Jacob Cook (10).
 
LEAGUE LEADERS: Batting Average – Tyler Horner (OIT) .416, Jonny McGill (UBC) .406, Patrick Barry (OIT) .405; Home Runs – Charlie Updegrave (LC) 21, Jonny McGill (UBC) 16, Jordan Wilson (BU) 15, Trent Lenihan (UBC) 15; RBI – Charlie Updegrave (LC) 71, Tyler Horner (OIT) 66, Jack Sheward (LC) 62; Stolen Bases – Fran Gross (CRB) 28, Julien Jones (OIT) 28, Ka'ala Tam (OIT) 23; Pitching Wins – Ryan Heppner (UBC) 7, Carson Glavich (OIT) 7, Tim Williams (OIT) 7, Jantzen Lucas (LC) 7; ERA – Will Anderson (UBC) 2.40, Jadon Williamson (LC) 2.47, Tim Williams (OIT) 3.35; Pitching Strikeouts – Jadon Williamson 86, Oliver Massie (CI) 76, Ryan Heppner (UBC) 73.
 
RECORD BOOK: Currently, 11 players rank among the Top-25 in the OIT career record book. Tyler Horner currently holds the all-time record for home runs (40), RBI (208), hits (301), doubles (69) and walks (121), is  No. 2 in triples (10) and at bats (812), No. 3 in games started (209), No. 4 in hit by pitches (37) and games played (210), No. 5 in sacrifice flies (10), ranking No. 8 in runs scored (132), with Matthew Ortiz holding the record for runs scored (182) and sacrifice flies (25), ranking No. 2 in hits (283), doubles (53), triples (10), walks (92) and RBI (179), No. 3 in at bats (810) and stolen bases (64), No. 6 in games started (198) and sacrifice hits (12), ranking No. 7 in games played (201). Ka'ala Tam is No. 2 in stolen bases (67), No. 3 in sacrifice flies (12), No. 6 in hit by pitches (29), No. 7 in walks (73) and RBI (129), No. 9 in home runs (17), No. 10 in games played (187), No. 11 in runs scored (127) and at bats (612), No. 12 in games started (158) and sacrifice hits (9), No. 13 in hits (175), No. 16 in triples (6) and No. 19 in doubles (28); Julien Jones is No. 1 in hit by pitches (62), No. 2 in sacrifice flies (16), No. 4 in runs scored (150), home runs (27) and stolen bases (55), No. 5 in RBI (143), No. 8 in doubles (42), No. 9 in triples (8), No. 11 in hits (186), No. 16 in at bats (526), No. 17 in walks (57) and games started (141), ranking No. 18 in games played (141). Korrey Siracusa is No. 2 in hit-by pitches (49), No. 10 in walks (70), No. 12 in runs scored (126) and No. 21 in hits (138); Riley Cronin is No. 1 in saves (12), No. 8 in pitching appearances (49) and No. 21 in wins (9); Tim Williams is No. 5 in saves (5) and No. 21 in wins (9); Bronson Chapple is No. 7 in wins (13), No. 12 in strikeouts (121) and No. 19 in saves (2); Dane Bradshaw is No. 7 in stolen bases (35), No. 15 in hit by pitches (20) and No. 23 in runs scored (92); Patrick Barry is No. 10 in stolen bases (32), No. 12 in triples (7), No. 14 in runs scored (117), No. 15 in walks (60), No. 19 in doubles (28) and hits (143), ranking No. 20 in RBI (78); with Kaden Melzer No. 13 in saves (3).
 
NEXT WEEK: If the Owls win the Lewiston Bracket of the NAIA Opening Round, Tech will advance to the Avista NAIA World Series, set for May 23-31 – also in Lewiston, Idaho.