The Fresno Pacific Sunbirds, ranked #14 in the NAIA, defeated the #4 Azusa Pacific Cougars 15-7 on Wednesday, and 11-10 on Thursday. Justin Kenney hit two home runs and batted in five in Wednesday’s game. Josh Jackson, Case Rigby, and Aaron Lynn hit home runs for the Sunbirds in Thursday’s game. The Sunbirds got seven runs in the top of the fourth off Cougar starter Christian Gagne, and the Cougars responded with five runs in the bottom of the fourth off Sunbird starter Jacob Burns. The winning run came in the top of the ninth, when Keeney drew a walk, stole second, went to third after a line drive was caught in right field, and scored on an error.

Stories from Fresno Pacific site: #14 Sunbirds explode for 15 runs in win over #4 Cougars
#14 Sunbirds take season series against #4 Cougars

The two wins close the gap in the Golden State Athletic Conference standings between the first-place Cougars and second-place Sunbirds to one game. However, Azusa Pacific has an easier schedule over the rest of the season.

Results of the NAIA Coaches’ Poll for April 9, 2008. Comments below.

First-place votes: Lubbock Christian 20, Lewis-Clark State 1
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Results of the NAIA Coaches’ Poll for April 2, 2008. Comments below.

First-place votes: Lewis-Clark State 15, Lubbock Christian 6
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Results of the NAIA Coaches’ Poll for March 26, 2008. Comments below.

First-place votes: Lewis-Clark State 11, Lee 10, Lubbock Christian 1

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Results of the NAIA Coaches’ Poll for March 19, 2008. Comments below.

First-place votes: Lewis-Clark State 11, Lee 7, Lubbock Christian 2
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Lewis-Clark State swept a three-game series with Division II Dixie State, 4-3, 12-11, and 19-6. The Warriors have won nine straight. In the second game, Brian Ward hit a single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to bring in the winning run; Michael Guerrero got the win to run his record to 3-0, 1.46 ERA. Ward hit a home run and had four RBI in the third game. The Warriors play a good College of Idaho team in mid-week, and play at Corban (Salem, OR) Friday and Saturday. Read the rest of this entry »

Lewis-Clark State defeated two Division I teams, Washington (8-6) and Gonzaga (8-7). The Warriors are 12-2, and they host Division II Dixie State this weekend.

Azusa Pacific defeated La Sierra, and swept a double-header against Vanguard. All three wins were lop-sided, and the Cougars are 17-1, 9-1 in the Golden State Athletic Conference. They play Fresno Pacific, Westmont, and Dixie State next week.
Lee swept three games against Faulkner. The Flames are 21-1, and have won 18 straight. They play at Berry on Friday and Saturday.

Lubbock Christian swept three games against Oklahoma Baptist, and only the first game was close. The Chaparrals are now 17-1. They play College of the Southwest and Saint Gregory’s this week.

Spring Arbor started their season with wins over Shawnee State and U. of Saint Francis. They will play in a tournament at Warner Southern this week.

Oklahoma City swept three games against Missouri Valley, and their record is 19-1. David Dennis has eight home runs for the Stars, and Mike Lee has an ERA of 0.87.

Southern Polytechnic swept Southern Wesleyan, and their record is now 17-2. They travel to Milligan onWednesday, and host Shorter on Friday and Saturday.

The Master’s split a double-header with Cal Baptist, and their record is 14-4-1. They play Westmont and Concordia-Irvine next week.

Trevecca Nazarene swept a double-header against Cumberland, 4-3 and 4-2. The Trojans are 11-3, and they play Freed-Hardeman next weekend.

U. of Mobile defeated Division I Southeastern Louisiana 13-1, and swept a double-header against Tougaloo. The Rams are 18-3. They play Tennessee Wesleyan on Wednesday, and LSU-Shreveport on Friday and Saturday.

Bob is a contributing writer to The College Baseball Blog and one of the best experts in the country on NAIA baseball. He site can be visited by clicking here.

Results of the NAIA Coaches’ Poll for Feb. 27, 2008. Comments below.

First-place votes: Lewis-Clark State 13, Azusa Pacific 4, Lee 3, Lubbock Christian 1

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Summary of results for the top NAIA baseball teams:

Lubbock Christian defeated Hardin-Simmons onTuesday, running their record to 10-1. The scheduled series with Division I Houston Baptist was cancelled due to weather. The Chaparrals host Cumberland for four games this weekend.

Oklahoma City swept three games with Oklahoma Christian, and their record is now 9-0. They play Rogers State this week.

Lewis-Clark State won three of four in a tournament they hosted. They defeated College of Idaho 8-3, Whitworth 7-0, Mayville State 6-4, the lost to College of Idaho 3-2 (10 innings). The victory over Whitworth avenged a loss a week earlier, and Michael Guerrero, Brian Bird, and Matt Stabelfeld combined for the shutout, striking out 13. The College of Idaho got their first win over their in-state rival since 2005 without getting an earned run. In the top of the tenth, Perry Hamilton hit a fly ball that was dropped by Warrior outfielder Chris Valencia. Hamilton went to third on a hit by Luke Howarth, then scored when the Warriors failed to complete a double play on a slow roller hit by pinch-hitter Jordan Lanman. Justin Marsh-Quinlan, who was stellar in relief, struck out two in the bottom of the tenth to preserve his first win as a Coyote. Marsh-Quinlan is a transfer from Olympic CC.
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Summary of results for the top NAIA baseball teams:

Lubbock Christian won three of four at Texas Wesleyan, and they are 9-1. They play four games against new-to-Division-I Houston Baptist Feb. 15-16.

Oklahoma City swept a double-header at Bacone on Saturday, and defeated Dakota Wesleyan on Sunday. The Stars are 6-0, and they play Oklahoma Christian and Lindenwood next week.

Lewis-Clark State defeated College of Idaho (formerly Albertson) twice, 10-0 and 4-3. They split with Division III Whitworth, losing 6-5, and winning 10-2. Whitworth’s win was their first over L-C State since 1999, and Chad Flett got the win for the Pirates. The Warriors host a tournament next weekend with Mayville State, College of Idaho, and Whitworth.

Bellevue did not play last week. They are 0-4 after being swept by Cal Baptist Jan. 31-Feb. 2. They play at Sterling next weekend. Read the rest of this entry »

Point Loma Nazarene has set up video webcasts of all their home games with B2 Networks. Two games that should be worth watching are against Azusa Pacific on Feb. 9. The first game starts at 11 AM PST.

Embry-Riddle is webcasting at least some of their home games with Eagle Vision. They have a series coming up with Tennessee Wesleyan on Feb. 1 at 4 PM EST, and Feb. 2 at noon EST (double-header).

Both services are pay-per-view. B2 Networks charges about $6.

By: Bob Broughton, tbirdbaseball.net
It’s difficult to handicap NAIA baseball before games have actually been played on the field, because the top NAIA teams rely heavily on JUCO transfers. My first prediction, however, is that this ranking will be more accurate than the one released by the NAIA in November. Here goes: Read the rest of this entry »