IU Southeast Baseball Swings Back to Win KIAC Championship Series
IU Southeast Baseball Swings Back to Win KIAC Championship Series
IU Southeast represents the KIAC at the NAIA National Championship Opening Round
NEW ALBANY, Ind. - The IU Southeast baseball team responded to an uphill battle in a big way on Saturday in New Albany. The Grenadiers, who suffered an 11-4 setback to Brescia University on Friday night, picked up two wins over the Bearcats to win the 2010 KIAC Championship Series Title.
The Grenadiers defeated Brescia University 10-5 in the first game on Saturday at the Koetter Sports Baseball Complex. The win for IU Southeast forced a third and final game to decide the best of three series champion. In the deciding game, the Grenadiers held a hitting clinic that propelled them to a 17-0 victory over Brescia to claim the conference title.
Bo Daves (Game 1) and Kris Eschman (Game 2) earned the victories on the mound today for the Grenadiers.
This is the first time IU Southeast has won the KIAC Championship Series in its current format. The Grenadiers last won the KIAC Tournament in 2008.
IU Southeast is currently 39-18 overall. The Grenadiers also won the conference regular-season title with an 18-2 record against KIAC opponents this season.
With Saturday's wins, the Grenadiers will represent the KIAC in the 2010 NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round.
The nine National Championship Opening Round tournaments are scheduled for May 18-21. Five teams will play in a double-elimination format at each site. The announcement of all 46 teams (which includes Lewis-Clark State) will be made on May 14. More information about potential tournament sites can be found by clicking here.
All nine Opening Round winners, in addition to the host school Lewis-Clark State, will then advance to the 2010 Avista-NAIA World Series from May 28-June 4 in Lewiston, Idaho. The 54th annual event is in Idaho for the 11th straight year.