LCSC baseball earns a No. 1 seed for Opening Round

To no one’s surprise, the Lewis-Clark State baseball team earned a No. 1 seed as one of 10 Opening Round hosts as the NAIA announced its 46-team field for this year’s tournament Thursday.

It all culminates with the Avista NAIA World Series, set to take place May 27-June 3 at Harris Field.

As part of a three-year agreement worked out between the college and the national organization, LCSC will host and receive an automatic bid into Opening Round tournament, presented by Avista, as well as continuing to host the Series. However, the Warriors now have to play their way into the Series each season. The contract, which was announced Sept. 7, runs through the 2025 season.

The Lewiston bracket will host five teams. Besides the Warriors, ranked No. 5 in the final NAIA regular-season poll released Wednesday, the teams here will be Vanguard (Calif.), Doane (Neb.), British Columbia and Saint Katherine (Calif.).

The Thunderbirds curiously checked out of their hotel here Wednesday just before completing play in the Cascade Conference tournament. It was not known where they were heading to, but turns out they didn’t have to leave the area at all.

The Warriors (51-4) have won 12 consecutive games entering the national tournament, including all three to win their second consecutive conference title. LCSC beat British Columbia twice, including a 15-7 decision in the final.

Play begins Monday as the Thunderbirds (29-24), who are the No. 4 seed, take on fifth-seeded Saint Katherine (31-21) at 11 a.m. Pacific. Vanguard (43-13), the No. 2 seed, will play No. 3 seed Doane (37-12) at approximately 2:30 p.m. The winner of Game 1 then will play the Warriors at approximately 6 p.m.

Play continues Tuesday with three games starting at 11 a.m. Wednesday’s action continues at 2:30 p.m., with the championship set for 6 p.m. An if-necessary game will take place at 11 a.m. May 19.

Tickets for the event will be available at lcwarriors.com/tickets. Fans can livestream the games on the Warriors’ website or through naia.org/sports/bsb.

White, Ball earn academic all-district

Senior first baseman Luke White and junior left-handed pitcher Joe Ball each earned College Sports Information Directors of America academic all-district honors in District 4, it was announced.

White, an All-Cascade Conference selection, was the conference leader in home runs (17) and RBI (67) this season. He leads the Warriors in slugging percentage (.667) and is currently batting .338 with a .434 on-base percentage. The Lewiston native has committed just two errors all season at first base in 363 chances for a .994 fielding percentage. White will graduate today with a degree in business accounting and a 3.40 grade-point average.

Ball has had a breakout year on the mound. He is tied for second on the team in appearances (15) and boasts a 4-0 record with two saves. In 27ž innings pitched, Ball has 32 strikeouts with a 2.93 ERA. He is holding opposing batters to a .219 batting average. Ball is majoring in communications and holds a 3.84 GPA.

White and Ball join former Warriors Jack Johnson (2021), Cabe Reiten (2016) and Ryan Heitmann (2002) in earning the honor. It’s the first time in program history two players have earned the award in one season.

“We are super proud and excited for both Joe and Luke for earning Academic All-District,” coach Jake Taylor said in a news release. “They have worked extremely hard in the classroom and on the diamond. Great accomplishment.”

Walden may be reached at (208) 848-2258, dwalden@lmtribune.com, or on Twitter @waldo9939.