By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports
The undefeated LSUS baseball team surprised no one by sweeping through the Shreveport Opening Round bracket with three straight wins to earn the program’s first trip to the NAIA World Series since 2022.
The Pilots’ Day 1 opponent next Friday in Lewiston, Idaho, surprised everyone.
Grand View (Iowa) got four points in the NAIA’s final regular-season Top 25 poll, the same one starting with LSUS at the top.
The Des Moines-based Vikings entered the Upland (Indiana) Opening Round as the bottom seed, No. 4, and were drubbed 13-3 in their first game by top-seeded Taylor. But Grand View didn’t lose again and by far is the most improbable entry among the 10 World Series qualifiers.
With a 37-12 record, the Vikings are the 10th seed in Lewiston as they make their first World Series appearance in 34 seasons.
LSUS and Grand View will play the second game on opening day, at 11:30 CDT next Friday. On their side of the bracket are No. 4 Hope International (Cal.), the reigning national champion, and seventh-seeded Cumberlands (Ky.).
One subtle positive is that Lewis & Clark, the local NAIA power in Lewiston, did not reach this year’s World Series field. Also among the teams headed to Big Sky country is Loyola of New Orleans, winner of the Waleska (Georgia) Opening Round as the No. 2 regional seed.
LSUS held off Mid-America Christian (Okla.) 9-6 Wednesday at Pilot Field to secure the World Series berth.
The Pilots’ 54-game win streak is the longest by any four-year collegiate baseball team. The l best by any college squad is 56 by Howard (Texas) Community College, a two-year school.
But LSUS coach Brad Neffendorf and players have made their priority clear for the last several weeks – to get to the World Series and win it, not to go unbeaten. They will face the ultimate text in Idaho from May 23-31.
Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com