Box Score OKLAHOMA CITY – The Wayland Baptist Pioneers may be out of the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament, but
Brad Bass doesn't believe his team's season is over.
"We expect to be playing next week," Bass said of the Pioneers' chances of landing an at-large bid to the NAIA National Championships following Sunday night's 7-3 loss to No. 2 Oklahoma City in an elimination game of the SAC Tournament. Wayland fell behind early and could never catch up, despite a valiant effort from senior pitcher
Josh Alexander.
While the Stars (41-11) move on to Monday's championship to face No. 3 Oklahoma Baptist, which handed Wayland a 17-2 loss earlier Sunday, the Pioneers (34-23) await the awarding of at-large bids to nationals. Those invitations will go out Friday, May 8, and Bass expects Wayland's number to be called as part of the 45-team field.
"We're not turning in our uniforms," Bass said. "When the guys get done with their finals we'll start having practice again. This program should be playing. We have players good enough to play (in nationals)."
The winner of the SAC Tournament receives an automatic bid to nationals, and fourth-seeded Wayland was in prime position for that spot after knocking off No. 3 seed USAO in Friday's first round and No. 2 seed OCU on Saturday.
But the Pioneers never got rolling Sunday, against either OBU in their 11 a.m. game or against OCU in the 6 p.m. game. OCU survived an elimination game Sunday afternoon against Southwestern Christian, 14-7.
"Overall, it was a good game to watch. Both teams played hard and competed," Bass said. "The pitching was good and there was a timely hit here and there."
Unfortunately for Wayland, OCU's pitching was just a little better, and the Stars had more timely hits.
OCU, once again the visiting team in the game despite playing at home, scored a run in the first and two in the second. But Wayland began settling in with single runs in the third and fourth frames. Singles by
Aaron Vallance and pitcher
Josh Alexander, plus a balk, provided the Pioneers' first run, then singles by
Ernesto Lizardi and
Ethan Percell, plus an OCU error, provided the second.
Just as important, Alexander and Wayland held OCU off the board in the third, fourth and fifth innings as the Pioneers pulled to within 3-2.
"Josh pitched great," Bass said. "He ran into some trouble in the first two innings, but if you take those two out I believe it's a totally different game and we could leave him in a little longer. After the second inning he really pitched lights out and kept us in there and gave us a chance."
The Stars tallied a run in the top of the sixth, which Wayland answered in the bottom of the seventh thanks to a couple of OCU errors. But that was all the scoring the Pioneers could do, while OCU went on to post two more runs in the eighth and its seventh and final run in the ninth.
The Stars produced 12 hits, helping them overcome their four errors. Wayland ended with eight hits – all singles – while playing error-free in the field.
Alexander (2-3) not only had two hits and the Pioneers' lone RBI but as Wayland's starting pitcher hung tough for seven innings, allowing four runs on eight hits with nine strikeouts and three walks.
Taylor Bridges, who started Saturday's game against OCU and threw 88 pitches, came in and threw just seven pitches in the eighth, allowing a walk and an RBI-double, before
Logan Evans was called on for the third time in the tournament. Evans, who picked up the saves in Wayland's first two tourney wins, finished out the final two innings, giving up a run on three hits with a strikeout and two walks.
"Logan figured out a way to keep us in the hunt," Bass said. "We got guys in position at times but had a hard time getting them in."
OCU's Matt Young improved to 9-0 by allowing just one earned run while scattering seven hits in 7 1/3 innings. He fanned 10 Pioneers while walking two. Holden Lyons earned his sixth save, giving up WBU's eighth hit and striking out three.
Bass said he feels new criteria for picking at-large bids to nationals will work in Wayland's favor.
"It's a little different from last year. It tries to take some of the subjectiveness out of it," the coach said. "Some of the most important criteria is how you do against ranked teams. We split with OCU, which is No. 2 in the country, and that's worth a lot. We split with Sterling (Kan.), and they're in the top 25 (No. 17), and we split with Peru St. (Neb.)," which is receiving Top 25 votes.
"We haven't played an easy schedule. Heck the No. 2 and the No. 3 teams in the country are between us and a possible conference championship. That says a lot about our program and where we're going."
Where Bass hopes the Pioneers are going in the immediate future are to the NAIA National Championships for what would be the second time in program history.
"If you had told me in January this is where we would be, I would be thrilled," Bass said. "I don't know many teams who could lose three pitchers (to season-ending injury) and still be out there competing and singing the song we're singing right now.
"Our guys really played well this week. I believe we're playing our best at the right time. I'm fired up about playing next week, even though I might bite the ends of my fingers off for a couple of days."
