By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports
Throughout the LSUS baseball team’s astounding undefeated season, coach Brad Neffendorf has repeatedly said the Pilots’ goal was not to be perfect, but to win a national championship.
This afternoon, that mission begins to take shape.
LSUS, the nation’s No. 1-ranked NAIA team with a 51-0 record, will host a regional next week. It’s the third straight year for LSUS to play a regional at home.
Today the NAIA will unveil its 46-team field and pairings for the postseason championship, which will begin with a series of regional “opening round” tournaments starting Monday. The NAIA Tournament bracket will be announced at 4 p.m. in a show live streamed at https://www.youtube.com/user/PlayNAIA?app=desktop or on the NAIA.org website.
LSUS, a veteran-laden team with 20 seniors and 18 juniors, will play next Monday evening in the double-elimination bracket.
The Pilots have reached a regional for the last 20 years (no regional was staged in 2020 due to the Covid pandemic) but have been stopped short of the NAIA World Series in each of the last two springs, getting upset at home in 2023 and last year.
The immediate goal is earning a sixth World Series trip to Lewiston, Idaho. LSUS has made that trek in 2003, 2011, 2012, 2021 and 2022. Neffendorf, who took over as skipper of the Pilots in 2020, has a 262-49 record as head coach highlighted by a third place in the 2022 World Series.
LSUS has claimed 11 regular-season conference titles, 15 conference tournament crowns and made 22 overall national tournament appearances.
This year’s club has broken NAIA records for consecutive wins to open a season and for consecutive wins during a season, and has set a new standard for consecutive wins by any four-year institution’s baseball team. The only remaining win standard is held by a junior college — Howard College’s 57-game winning streak.
To top that, LSUS will need to go unblemished through next week’s regional competition and continue winning in the World Series.
Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com