Baseball Opens NCAA Championship On Friday

Marshall, Texas – The Centenary baseball team will face the nationally-ranked East Texas Baptist University Tigers in the opening round of the 2024 NCAA Division III Championship on Friday with first pitch set for 11 a.m. at Tiger Ballpark at Woods Field.

Live stats and live video are available for the game at the links below:

Stats: https://goetbutigers.com/sidearmstats/baseball/summary

Video: https://goetbutigers.com/watch/live

Tournament Central: https://bit.ly/NCAAbb24REGIONALmarshallTX

NCAA Release 

The Diamond Gents (23-18) won the 2024 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference championship on May 6 in Cleburne, Texas after defeating the Texas Lutheran Bulldogs by a score of 9-5 to earn the league's automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers (36-8) were dominant this season in the American Southwest Conference Tournament, going 23-1 before falling to the University of Texas at Dallas by a score of 3-2 on their home field in the ASC Tournament on May 4. ETBU, currently ranked fourth in the country in the D3baseball.com/NCBWA Top 25 and fifth in the latest ABCA Coaches Poll, went 19-5 at home this season. 

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (30-13) and Concordia University (27-16) will join Centenary and ETBU in the regional this weekend and play at 2:30 p.m. on Friday. Claremont-M-S is ranked 25^th in both the D3baseball.com/NCBWA poll and ABCA Coaches Poll. Concordia upset ETBU in the ASC Tournament by a score of 11-6 on May 3 after the Tigers swept the Tornados in Austin, Texas during the regular season.

The NCAA tournament starts with 16 regionals at school sites with each winner playing a super-regional best of three series to determine the eight teams who will advance to the D-III World Series to be held at Classic Auto Group Park, Eastlake, Ohio. This suburb of Cleveland will be the seventh site to host the D-III World Series since the tournament started in 1976. The playoff field consists of 60 teams.

The NCAA Championship berth is Centenary's third all-time after appearing in the 2017 event in Tyler, Texas where the Diamond Gents went 1-2 and the 2022 tournament where the Maroon and White went 0-3 against the LaGrange College Panthers in LaGrange, Ga. Centenary is 1-5 all-time in the NCAA Tournament with its lone win coming back on May 18, 2017 – a 12-1 win over Linfield in the West Regional in Tyler, Texas. Concordia, a potential opponent this weekend for Centenary, eliminated the Diamond Gents by a score of 13-4 to end a stellar 2017 campaign.

The Diamond Gents completed a memorable run through the loser's bracket in Cleburne by winning three-straight elimination games over three days to win their second SCAC tournament title in three years after claiming the title in 2022. The Diamond Gents opened the SCAC Tournament with a 6-4 victory over Southwestern University, then fell 5-2 to TLU in their second contest. Centenary then responded with a 7-6 win over No. 1 seed and regular-season champion Trinity University that eliminated the Tigers and outlasted TLU 10-8 in 11 innings to force a decisive winner-take-all game.

Centenary head coach Mike Diaz moved into third-place all-time in Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference history with 144 SCAC regular-season wins with a win on April 20 against TLU in Seguin, Texas, passing Jim Mallon of Southwestern. Diaz, now in his 14^th season at the helm, became the all-time winningest coach in program history last season with his 292nd win on April 16, 2023 at home versus Schreiner University and is now 318-227-1, having passed former HC Ed McCann (1999-2010) for the all-time wins mark in school history. He won his 300^th game on Feb. 13 in Centenary's season-opening win over Rhodes College.

Season Recap:

The Diamond Gents enter the NCAA Tournament as one of the country's top offensive clubs as they rank 84^th nationally in batting average (.310) and were the top offense in the SCAC all season. Centenary has scored 291 runs and average 7.1 runs per game while boasting a .405 on-base percentage and slug .414. The Diamond Gents have hit 20 home runs and have 100 extra-base hits which includes 71 doubles and nine triples. The Diamond Gents have scored 10+ runs in a game 15 times this season and have posted at least 10 hits in a game in 27 of 41 games this season. Their 442 hits are tied for 67th nationally.

Nine Diamond Gents were named to the All-Conference team this season and seven players were named to the 2024 Championship All-Tournament Team. Centenary was picked to finish second in the conference this season in the preseason poll released on Jan. 31 based on balloting from the league's head coaches. The Diamond Gents secured the final first-place vote and finished with 51 total points and it was the highest predicted finish for Centenary since the Maroon and White were picked to win the title prior to the 2018 campaign. The Diamond Gents proceeded to do what the head coaches expected as they finished second this season behind only league champion Trinity University. Centenary, which received two votes in the 2024 D3baseball.com/NCBWA Preseason Top 25 Poll released on Jan. 17, have been picked to finish fourth or better in the conference in each of the last eight seasons. The Diamond Gents have notched nine 20-plus win seasons since 2013. They have also won 13 or more conference regular-season games in four-consecutive seasons. The Diamond Gents have finished first, second, or third in the conference in every season except one (fourth – 2021) since joining the SCAC in 2013.

Senior SS Jobee Boone (Opelousas, La.) and sophomore LF Carson Livesay (Lafayette, La.) were named to the All-SCAC First Team and freshman 1B Alex Miller (Cypress, Texas) was named the Freshman of the Year and earned Second-Team All-SCAC honors. Miller is the third consecutive Centenary player to win the honor following junior LHP Tyler Herrera (Spring, Texas) in 2022 and sophomore RHP Aidan Reichek (Bellaire, Texas) last season.

Sophomore LHP Cody Myers (Friendswood, Texas) was also named Second-Team All-SCAC and five players were named Honorable-Mention All-SCAC - senior RF Austyn Benoit (Welsh, La.), senior P Blaine Hardy (Shreveport, La.), sophomore 3B Clay Menard (Berwick, La.), sophomore CF Collin Pitts (Lufkin, Texas), and freshman DH Walker Wicklund (Shreveport, La.). Herrera and freshman 3B Gage Morris (Livingston, Texas) joined Benoit, Livesay, Miller, Myers, and Wicklund on the All-Tournament Team.

Top Performers:

Alex Miller excelled in his rookie season and was appropriately named the 2024 SCAC Freshman of the Year. Miller is hitting .350 with a .423 OBP and slugging .546 and has belted a team-high seven home runs with a team-leading 46 RBI. He has totaled 43 runs scored, nine doubles, a triple, and eight stolen bases in nine attempts. Miller has walked 17 times in 163 at-bats while only striking out 10 times and recorded 20 multi-hit games this season.

Miller, named SCAC Hitter of the Week on Feb. 27, was also named the Div. III Rookie of The Month by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) on Feb. 28 after he batted .462 (12-for-26) with nine runs, eight RBI, five walks, three homers, and two doubles in the month of February. He posted four multi-hit games over the seven he played in, headlined by a 3-for-5 day with two doubles, a run scored, and RBI in a 13-3 win at Occidental on Feb. 24. Miller went 5-for-13 with four runs, four RBI, and two homers in the Gents' three-game sweep of Occidental. He began his career with a 14-game hitting streak and finished the season by going 7-23 (.304) in the conference tournament with five RBI, seven runs scored, and a pair of extra-base hits. Miller was also excellent defensively, finishing with a .991 fielding % with just three errors in 350 total chances and 19 assists.

Carson Livesay had a stellar sophomore season as he established himself as one of the conference's and country's top all-around players. He led the team and ranked fifth in the SCAC with a .372 batting average and was the league leader in both hits (61) and runs scored (51) and ranked in the top five in both OBP (.490) and slugging % (.567). Livesay belted six home runs (second on the team) and added 12 doubles and a triple and finished with 31 RBI. He was the conference leader in total bases (93) and ranked in the top five in walks (30) while only striking out 29 times in a team-high 164 at-bats.

Livesay stole a team-best 19 bases and was only caught five times as he was ranked in the top five in the league in the category. He was red-hot for the Diamond Gents in the conference tournament as he finished 9-18 (.500) at the plate with three multi-hit games, a homer and a double, scored eight runs, had four RBI, walked twice, stole two bases, and only struck out once in five games in the tournament. He posted 19 multi-hit games including five 3-hit games, a 4-hit game, and one game with a career-high five hits.

Jobee Boone had a superb season for the Diamond Gents as he ranked in the top 10 in the conference in batting average (.352) and hits (57) while posting a .427 on-base percentage and slugged .414. Boone had 29 RBI, scored 31 runs, and had five doubles, a triple, and a home run. In 162 at-bats, Boone struck out just 13 times while drawing 15 walks. He finished with 10 stolen bases in 14 attempts and recorded 17 multi-hit games this season with six three-hit performances and one four-hit game. He opened the season with a 12-game hitting streak and got at least one hit in 21 of his first 22 games.

Boone was especially impressive in conference games, as he hit .406 with 18 RBI and in 69 at-bats, he only struck out three times. Boone was the team leader in hits during the regular season and top five in batting average and was named the SCAC Hitter of the Week on April 1.

Cody Myers had a sensational sophomore season as he established himself as the team's ace and one of the league's and country's top pitchers, finishing an impressive 10-3 with a 2.13 ERA in 15 appearances and 12 starts with a team-leading three complete games. Myers allowed just 26 runs (21 earned) and 79 hits in 88.2 IP with a 1.18 WHIP and 8.73 K/9. He tied for third in wins, 27th in strikeouts, and ranked 34th nationally in ERA.

Myers had an ERA under 1.00 for the majority of the season and ranked in the top 10 in the conference in IP and opposing batting average. Myers made three appearances in the SCAC Tournament and picked up a pair of wins, one in a starting role and one in relief. Myers started Centenary's SCAC Tournament opener against Southwestern University on May 3 and picked up the win as he allowed just four earned runs with a BB and five K's in 7.1 IP. On May 5, he picked up the victory in relief in an elimination game, pitching 1.1 innings against nationally-ranked Trinity University. Myers allowed no runs on one hit with a BB and a K as Centenary edged the top-seeded Tigers 7-6. He then started the SCAC Tournament title game and went four innings and allowed just one earned run with a BB and a K in the Diamond Gents' 9-5 win.

Myers, named the SCAC Pitcher of the Week in consecutive weeks (March 25 and April 1) fanned 10+ batters in game four times and struck out a season-best 13 twice (March 18 at Dallas and April 12 at St. Thomas) as his 13 K's are tied for the second-most in a single game in the division III era (2012-present). He worked at least seven innings nine times and did so in seven-consecutive starts from Feb. 23-April 12.

Walker Wicklund had an impressive rookie campaign as he hit .370 in 81 at-bats and 32 games. He finished with 30 hits, 14 runs scored, 15 RBI, four doubles, and a homer. He had a .450 OBP and slugged .457 and had 10 multi-hit games which included a four-hit performance and a pair of three-hit games. Wicklund was 8-18 (.444) in the SCAC Tournament with three RBI, four runs scored, a double, four walks, a stolen base, and did not strike out the entire weekend.

Sophomore 3B Clay Menard (Berwick, La.) was named Honorable-Mention All-SCAC after making the First Team last season. Menard, who missed the final four games of the SCAC Tournament with an injury, hit .317 this season (.479 OBP/.381 slugging) with 40 hits, 36 runs scored, 26 RBI, four doubles, and two triples. Menard was one of the league's most patient and disciplined hitters as he walked a team-high 35 times while striking out just 17 times and stole 12 bases in 14 attempts.

Austyn Benoit is hitting .327 with 52 hits, 33 RBI, 30 runs scored, and a team-leading 17 doubles in 159 at-bats and 41 games played. Benoit, who was named Honorable-Mention All-SCAC for the second season in a row, also hit three home runs, had a triple, stole seven bases, and walked 16 times while only striking out 22 times. Collin Pitts was named the SCAC Hitter of the Week on April 8 and batted .298 this season with a .321 OBP and slugged .397 with 45 hits, 27 RBI, and 17 runs scored. He hit a homer and had six doubles and three triples with two stolen bases. Gage Morris came on strong late in the season as he earned his spot on the All-Tournament Team by collecting five hits, four RBI, and two doubles in Cleburne. For the season, Morris hit .290 with nine hits, seven RBI, three runs scored, and two stolen bases.

Senior C Jake Gonce (Katy, Texas) hit .292 (.365 OBP/.336 slugging) with 40 hits, 26 runs scored, 18 RBI, three doubles, a home run, and four stolen bases. Gonce was also a solid defensive catcher all season, finishing with a .982 fielding % and caught 11 runners attempting to steal. Freshman 2B Braeden Morse (Pearland, Texas) played in 34 games and hit .230 in 74 at-bats with 17 hits, nine RBI, 11 runs scored, three doubles, and three stolen bases.

Blaine Hardy is 4-1 with a 5.08 ERA in 14 appearances and 10 starts while Tyler Herrera is 2-2 in 14 appearances and 11 starts. Sophomore RHP Jacob Broussard (Houston, Texas) has all four of Centenary's saves this season and has made 21 appearances, working 31.1 innings pitched with 33 K's. Aidan Reichek is 3-2 in 17 appearances and two starts and junior P Zachary Malone (Hallsville, Texas) has made 15 appearances and two starts.

Centenary and ETBU have met 115 times with the Maroon and White holding a 72-43 edge in the all-time series. The teams have played each other every season since 2012 and met twice last season with each picking up a win during the month of April. The Tigers defeated the Diamond Gents 7-5 in Shreveport and Centenary responded with a 10-1 win in Marshall a week later. Cody Myers picked up the win for the Diamond Gents in the 10-1 game as he started and went five innings, allowing just one earned run on five hits with no walks and four strikeouts. He faced 20 batters and threw 88 pitches (57 strikes).

Friday, May 17
Game 1 (11:00 a.m.) - #1 ETBU (36-8) vs. #4 Centenary (23-18) | LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS
Game 2 (2:30 p.m.) -  #2 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (30-13) vs. #3 Concordia Texas (27-16)  | LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS

Saturday, May 18
Game 3 (11:00 a.m.) -  G1 Loser vs. G2 Loser (Elimination Game)  | LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS
Game 4 - (2:30 p.m.) - G1 Winner vs. G2 Winner  | LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS
Game 5 - (6:00 p.m.)  - G3 Winner vs. G4 Loser (Elimination Game)  | LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS

Sunday, May 19
Game 6 (11:00 a.m.) - G4 Winner vs. G5 Winner
Game 7 (2:30 p.m.) - if needed

*Winner moves onto Super Regional Round*

Purchase Tickets Here: https://bit.ly/BuyGoETBUTigersTICKETS

See the complete Diamond Gents' season schedule here: https://www.gocentenary.com/sports/bsb/2023-24/schedule

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