SLIAC Baseball Tournament Preview - Updated Schedule

[Game one vs. Spalding, set for Thursday, has been postponed due to field conditions at Greenville. New tournament schedule has been posted below.]

(Some information courtesy of SLIAC Sports Information)

The Webster University baseball team heads into the 2017 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament as the #1 seed after finishing first overall during the regular season at 18-4. Host Greenville College, Spalding University, and Westminster College makes up the rest of the field for the tournament, which will be played on May 12-14 in Greenville, IL.

Webster had won the tournament eight of the previous nine years it was completed before being upset the last two seasons, with Greenville and Westminster taking home the trophy in 2015 and 2016. The winner advances to the NCAA III Championships. The Gorloks have won the conference regular season title for the last 11 years.

The tournament is a double elimination format with games running from Friday, May 12 through Sunday, May 14 (if needed). Admission is $5.00 for adults and $2.00 for children and students from conference schools (ID required). Webster students will be admitted free with an I.D. For directions to Greenville's field, click HERE. The schedule is as follows:

Friday, May 12
Game 1- Webster 3 Spalding 1
Game 2- Westminster 5 Greenville 0
Game 3- Westminster 8 Webster 5
Game 4- Greenville 6 Spalding 1

Saturday, May 13
Game 5- Greenville 17 Webster 15
Game 6- Westminster (14-8, 21-11) vs. Greenville (16-6, 28-15)

Sunday, May 14
Game 7- If Necessary, 1:00 p.m.

Broadcast Information
The 2017 SLIAC Baseball Championship game will be broadcast live courtesy of College Casts. To listen go to the tournament page and click on the Audio Link located next to championship game or go HERE

Tournament Tidbits

Webster's Josh Fleming leads all of NCAA Division III players with a 0.46 earned-run average this season and also ranks seventh in strikeouts.
Greenville's Travis Ralls leads the SLIAC in batting average and is second in home runs and stolen bases while also ranking fourth in runs batted in.
Spalding pitcher Jimi Keating leads NCAA Division III with 119 strikeouts, while teammate Kyle Olliges is 5th with 101.
Westminster's Tanner Branneky became the Blue Jays career leader in home runs, hitting his 26th, and surpassing the mark held by his brother.

	Webster University 'GORLOKS' Titles: 8 Webster will rely on its strong rotation over the weekend, finishing the regular season with a conference-best 2.59 team earned-run average and recording 10 shutouts including seven in conference play. The Gorloks staff is headed up by junior Josh Fleming. Fleming is 7-0 with a 0.47 earned-run average and 98 strikeouts, in 76.2 innings this spring. In addition to Fleming, the rest of the staff is a team strength, with four other pitchers recording at least 30 innings of work. Senior Kyle Uhrich has a 7-1 record while striking out 14.66 batters per nine innings. At the plate, the Gorloks are hitting .280 as a team and averaging 5.3 runs per game, with Uhrich again playing a key role. Uhrich hit .298 this spring while tying for the team lead with four home runs and driving in 24. Uhrich led the NCAA Division III with 17 home runs in 2015. Matt Wolnik, batting clean-up for the Gorloks, hit .362 and has scored 31 runs this year while leading the team with 29 RBIs. Connor Wardlaw (.320) and Ben Dinter (.310) are other regular starters with an average over .300.
	Greenville College 'PANTHERS' Titles: 1 Greenville used a final weekend sweep to jump into first place and grab the top seed in the East. The Panthers offense led the league in runs scored this year, crossing the plate 289 times; an average of 7.3 per game. They are hitting .304 as a team and finished 2nd in the league with 33 home runs. Anchoring the lineup is junior catcher Travis Ralls. Ralls led the conference with a .420 average this year, adding 8 home runs and 39 RBI. Lead-off hitter Jesse Getz is hitting .400 with 16 stolen bases while drawing 22 walks this season. Senior Mike Hardin finished the regular season with a .305 average and six home runs with 38 RBI. Their pitching staff finished 3rd with a 3.82 earned-run average while recording four shutouts. Sophomore Jonah Moore made a team-high 10 starts this year, going 8-1 on the mound, with a 3.46 E.R.A. Austin Rexroad and Klaiton Wolff, both freshman, are key out of the bullpen. Rexroad holds a 2.67 E.R.A. with 28 strike outs in 27 innings while Wolff holds a 1.93 E.R.A. with 21 strikeouts in 18.2 innings pitched and seven saves.
	Spalding University 'GOLDEN EAGLES' Titles: 0 After jumping into the Regional Rankings, the Spalding nine closed out the regular season on a downswing; losing their final four games. The Golden Eagles have been led by their starting duo of Jimi Keating and Kyle Olliges. Keating worked 92 innings this spring, finishing with an 11-1 record and a 1.47 E.R.A. Olliges was 9-2 with a 2.83 E.R.A. over 82.2 innings pitched. Offensively the Golden Eagles bring big bats into the tournament, hitting a league-best 44 home runs during the regular season to bolster their 7.0 runs per game average. Kam Bruner leads the attack with a team-best .394 average, hitting seven home runs to go with 42 RBI. Blake Patterson carries a .343 average into the tournament, tying for the team lead with seven home runs while driving in 36. The Golden Eagles have six players with at least four home runs this season with 13 total players hitting at least one long ball.
	Westminster College 'BLUE JAYS' Titles: 4 Last year's tournament champion, Westminster needed a win on the final day of the regular season to secure a spot into this year's tournament. The Blue Jays played just 30 games this spring but still feature one of the top offenses in the conference; averaging 7.5 runs per game. They are hitting .305 as a team while finishing 3rd with 30 home runs. Senior Tanner Branneky is in the middle of the Blue Jay attack, hitting .414 with nine home runs and 33 RBI. The Blue Jays lineup features six players hitting over .300 this season. Blake Strebler carries a .396 average with six home runs and 27 RBI into the tournament while Nick Bohlman is hitting .345 with 10 stolen bases. The Blue Jays pitching staff is young, with just one upperclassman seeing significant innings. Freshman Sam Huesgen led the team with 80.2 innings pitched, finishing with a 2.90 earned-run average and 83 strikeouts. Sophomore Alex Dickneite holds a 3.30 E.R.A. while leading the team with seven wins.

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