2021 Baseball Millikin Regional Opener

Baseball Ben Greenberg, Sports Information Director

Baseball Set to Open NCAA Decatur Regional Thursday Against Transylvania

DECATUR, Ill. – Webster University will begin its quest for a return trip to the NCAA Division III World Series here Thursday afternoon as the No. 2 ranked and No. 2 seeded Gorloks will face fifth-seeded Transylvania University in the first round of the NCAA Division III Decatur, Illinois Regional hosted by Millikin University and held at the Workman Family Baseball Field. First pitch for Thursday's game is scheduled for 1 p.m. and is the second of three first round games in the Decatur Regional.
 
Along with Webster's game against Transylvania, the other first round games on Friday will feature No. 1 ranked and No. 1 seeded WashU (28-3) facing sixth-seeded Illinois College (21-17) at 10 a.m. and No. 3 seeded Denison (23-11) facing tournament host and No. 4 seeded Millikin (31-14) at 4 p.m. The tournament is double elimination and the championship round games are scheduled for Sunday, May 30 at 1 p.m., with a second game to follow at 4 p.m. The winner of the Decatur Regional will advance to the 2021 NCAA Division III World Series on June 4-9 at Perfect Game Field at Veteran's Memorial Stadium in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
 
The Gorloks are making its fourth consecutive and 14th all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament, including making its ninth appearance in the last 10 seasons (there was no tournament held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic). Webster enters the NCAA Tournament having recorded a 28-28 all-time record in the tournament, including a 28-23 mark in the NCAA Tournament under 15th-year Gorlok head coach Bill Kurich. Webster's 28 tournament wins are the most among the six teams in the Decatur Regional, while its 14 appearances are the most among the field of six team and tied for the 13th most among the 48 teams that qualified for this year's tournament.
 
Webster, who won both the Whitewater, Wisconsin Regional and the Concordia-Chicago Super Regional titles and advanced to the D-III World Series in 2019, enters the Decatur Regional sporting a 35-6 overall record and the Gorloks have won 10 straight games and 17 of its last 18 games overall with the lone loss being a 4-2 setback at home in the third game of four game St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference series against Fontbonne University on April 26. Webster earned the automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament after claiming its third consecutive and 11th all-time SLIAC Tournament championship title by sweeping Spalding in the league's best-of-three championship series last Friday at GCS Credit Union Ballpark in Sauget, Ill. The Gorloks opened the championship series with a come-from-behind 4-3 win in the first game and then picked up a 13-3 win in the second game of the series to claim the championship trophy.
 
Meanwhile, Transylvania comes into the NCAA Tournament sporting a 31-10 overall record and is making its first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2008 after posting an 11-2 win over Earlham College to win the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament on its home field. The Pioneers, who are coached by Zack Getsee, who was an assistant at Webster for Kurich from 2012-16, won both the regular season and tournament titles in the HCAC in the same season for the first time in school history. At the HCAC Tournament, the Pioneers, who have won six straight games, outscored their opponents, 43-9 and outhit their tournament foes, 57-28.
 
The Gorloks are making its fourth straight trip to the NCAA Tournament thanks to a pitching staff that is first in all of NCAA Baseball (at all levels) in ERA (1.92) and is tied with Wisconsin-Whitewater for the Division III lead in shutouts with nine on the year. Along with its strong pitching, Webster's defense is 11th in Division III in fielding percentage at .974. Webster's pitching staff has allowed just 97 runs (74 earned runs) in 347 innings of work and has tossed six complete games, nine shutouts and has recorded 376 strikeouts (9.2 per game) and walked just 106 (2.6 per game) opposing hitters. Webster's opponents are hitting just .196 against the Gorloks this season. On defense, Webster has committed just 37 errors in 1,431 fielding chances and has also turned 23 double plays.
 
While its pitching staff and defense have been a big key to Webster's success this season, the Gorloks offense has also played a strong role as they enter the NCAA Tournament hitting .305 as a team as they have recorded 404 hits, scored 309 runs, hit 72 doubles, nine triples, 28 home runs and have had 268 RBI. Additionally, Webster is 77-for-103 on stolen bases and has drawn 173 walks and been hit by 80, which is six shy of the school's single season record of 86 set by the 2012 World Series team. The 80 hit by pitches are eighth nationally in Division III. In its five games at the SLIAC Tournament, Webster offense really heated up as they hit .314 with 50 hits, 35 runs scored, 13 doubles, two triples, three home runs, 32 RBI, drew 15 walks and had six stolen bases in 10 attempts. At the SLIAC Tournament, Webster averaged 10 hits and 7 runs per game and allowed just 11 runs and 40 hits.

Leading the way for Webster's pitching staff is fifth-year senior All-American Matt Mulhearn (Chicago Heights, Ill./Marian Catholic). Mulhearn, who was named this year's SLIAC Pitcher of the Year, enters the NCAA Tournament as one of the top pitchers in Division III baseball as he leads Division III in both wins (12) and strikeouts (126) and is eighth in Division III in both WHIP (0.74) and complete games (5), is 10th nationally in starts (12) and is 11th nationally in strikeout-to-walk ratio (14.00). On the season, Mulhearn is 12-1 with an 0.99 ERA and in 91 innings of work, he has allowed 58 hits, 13 runs (10 earned runs), while walking nine and striking out a single season school and SLIAC record 126 batters. He has recorded double-digit strikeouts in seven of his 12 starts, including a school record 17 strikeouts in his no-hitter against Eureka on April 2. He has won five consecutive starts and has pitched at least eight innings in eight of his 12 starts on the year. In Webster's 4-3 SLIAC Championship series win against Spalding last Friday, Mulhearn tossed a complete game as he allowed 12 hits, three runs, walked three and struck out nine in his 156-pitch effort. Of his 156 pitches, 112 were strikes, while he threw just 44 balls.
 
In addition to Mulhearn, second-year freshman Jordan Smevoll (Dyer, Ind./Marian Catholic) has become Webster's No. 2 starter behind Mulhearn. On the season, Smevoll, who was named a Second-Team All-SLIAC selection and was the SLIAC Tournament MVP, is 9-0 with a 1.52 ERA. In 11 appearances and 11 starts, the lefthander has tossed one complete game and in 65 innings of work, he has allowed 47 hits, 12 runs (11 earned runs), walked 15 and struck out 60 and opposing hitters are hitting .197 against him this season. In his two starts at the SLIAC Tournament, Smevoll went 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA as he allowed just 10 hits and three runs, while walking one and striking out 13 in his 15 innings of work. He has pitched six or more innings in five of his 11 starts and has struck out six or more in seven of those 11 starts.
 
On the season, Webster's starting pitchers are sporting a 1.43 ERA as they are 24-4 on the year and in 227.1 innings, they have allowed 148 hits, 53 runs (36 earned runs), while walking 53 and striking out 261 (6.4 strikeouts per game).
 
The Gorloks bullpen has been equally effective this season as they are sporting a 2.86 ERA and they have tossed 119.2 innings and have allowed 94 hits, 44 runs (38 earned runs), while walking 53 and striking out 115. Webster's relievers are 11-2 on the season with eight saves.
 
Webster's bullpen has been led by freshman Alek Elges (Littleton, Colo./Mullen) as he enters the NCAA Tournament with a 4-1 record and a 2.93 ERA. In addition, he has recorded three saves on the year. Elges, who was Third-Team All-SLIAC selection, has made a team-best 15 appearances and in 30.2 innings, he has struck out 33 and walked 10 and opposing hitters are hitting just .168 against him.
 
In addition to Elges, three other key relievers have been third-year sophomore Joey Marko (Winfield, Mo./Winfield), fourth-year junior Andrew Padilla (Burbank, Ill./Reavis) and fourth-year junior Jake Anderson (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook). Those three are a combined 6-1 with a 1.78 ERA on the season. Marko is 4-0 with a save and a 1.52 ERA as he has made 12 appearances and tossed 23.2 innings and has recorded 18 strikeouts and walked just five, while Padilla is 1-1 with a save and a 2.66 ERA as he has made 12 appearances, including two starts and in 23.2 innings, he has struck out 23 and walked nine and Anderson is 1-0 with a save and a 1.15 ERA as he has made 11 appearances and in 15.2 innings, has recorded 25 strikeouts and walked 10 and opposing hitters are hitting just .115 against him.
 
Webster's offense, which is averaging 7.5 runs per game on the year, has six regulars in its line-up hitting over .300 on the year, including fifth-year senior All-American first baseman Kyler Kent (Pottsboro, Texas/Pottsboro) leading the way with a .367 average. In addition to Kent, the other Gorlok regulars hitting over .300 this season are fourth-year junior All-American shortstop Ben Swords (Freeport, Ill./Freeport), fifth-year senior second baseman A.J. Smith (DuQuoin, Ill./DuQuoin), third-year sophomore catcher Zach Goodman (Greenwood Village, Colo./Arapahoe), freshman leftfielder R.J. LaRocco (San Diego, Calif./Point Loma) and fourth-year junior right fielder Adam Lovell (Lafayette, Ind./Saint Joseph's College). Swords is hitting .345, while Smith is hitting .338, Goodman is hitting .333, LaRocco is hitting .317 and Lovell is hitting .301.
 
Swords and Kent lead the team in hits with 51 each, while Lovell leads the team in runs scored with 42, walks (24) and stolen bases with 17 and Smith leads the team in home runs (6) and slugging percentage (.579). In addition, Swords also leads in doubles with 15 and RBI with 34 and is tied with Smith for the team lead in triples with three and LaRocco, who was named the SLIAC Newcomer of the Year, has been hit by 16 pitches and has also had eight doubles, five home runs and 29 RBI.
 
On the season, Webster has recorded 100 multi-hit games, including Kent, Swords and Smith combining for 43 as Kent leads the team with 15, while Swords and Smith have each had 14 multi-hit games. In addition, Kent, Swords, Smith and LaRocco have combined for 33 of Webster's 57 multiple RBI games as Kent has had nine and the other three have each had eight multiple RBI games on the year. Five Gorloks have recorded at least seven doubles this season and six Gorloks have scored at least 20 runs, including five players – Lovell, Swords, Smith, LaRocco and fifth-year senior center fielder Aron Hopp (Lincoln, Ill./Lincoln College) – each scoring 30 or more runs on the year.
 
Webster is also on the top base stealing teams in Division III this season as the Gorloks are 77-for-103 on stolen bases and those 77 stolen bases are 35th in Division III. On the year, seven Gorloks have stolen at least seven basses, including three Gorloks stealing 10 or more bases led by Lovell, who is 17-for-24 on steals this year. In addition to Lovell, LaRocco is 13-for-14 on stolen bases, while second-year freshman outfielder Landon Vahle (Lee's Summit, Mo./St. Michael Archangel) is 10-for-12 on stolen bases.  
 
The Gorloks opponent on Thursday, Transylvania comes into the NCAA postseason hitting .346 as a team and that .346 batting average is 13th in Division III and the best among the six teams in the Decatur Regional and they have recorded 515 this season, which is second nationally in Division III. Along with hitting .346, the Pioneers have a team ERA of 4.90, which is the second highest among the six teams in the regional field. Transylvania is making just its second all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament and first since 2008.
 
Leading the way offensively for the Pioneers is senior infielder Hunter Chastian and freshman infielder Trent Youngblood. Chastain set a new single season school record for hits in 2021 with 79 and he also led the HCAC in batting average (.446) and recorded a .514 slugging percentage and his 79 hits are third-best in Division III, while Youngblood, who was named the HCAC Newcomer of the Year, is hitting .419 with 70 hits, 57 runs scored, 12 doubles, three triples, a .545 slugging percentage and 17 stolen bases. As a team, Transylvania has eight regulars in its line-up hitting over .310 this season.
 
The Pioneers pitching staff is led by senior Jake Schmidt, who was named the HCAC Pitcher of the Year this season. On the year, Schmidt is 8-0 with a 2.54 ERA and in 13 appearances and 11 starts, he has recorded 88 strikeouts and walked 25 in 67.1 innings of work. His 88 strikeouts are 12th most in Division III this season. In addition to Schmidt, senior Jared Leuthart is 5-2 with a 3.10 ERA as he has made 16 appearances out of the bullpen and has struck out 28 and walked 16 in 29 innings of work.
 
Thursday's meeting will be the eighth all-time meeting between the two schools with Webster holding a 5-2 edge in the series. The two teams last met in last season's season opener as the Gorloks collected an 8-3 win in 10 innings over the Pioneers in Memphis, Tenn. The Gorloks have won two straight games in the series.

TOURNAMENT QUICK NOTES: The six teams competing in this year's Decatur Regional have posted a combined record of 169-61 this season and have a combined 39-57 record in the NCAA Tournament with Webster winning 28 of those 39 games… The six teams in this year's Whitewater Regional have made a combined 30 all-time appearances in the NCAA Tournament, including Webster making its 14th all-time appearance this season… Three of the teams in this year's Decatur Regional (Denison, WashU and Webster) played in the NCAA Tournament in 2019… Only one team in this year's Decatur Regional field has advanced to the Division III World Series and that team is Webster, who has made four appearances in the World Series with the most recent coming in 2019… Two of the teams in the field are nationally ranked as WashU is ranked No. 1 in both the Perfect Game and D3Baseball.com poll, while Webster is second No. 2 and No. 3 respectively in the Perfect Game and D3Baseball.com polls. Additionally, Denison and Millikin are receiving votes in the D3Baseball.com poll… The six teams have a combined batting average of .311 and a combined earned run average of 4.14… Webster comes into the NCAA Tournament leading Division III in ERA (1.92) and shutouts (9) and is second in Division III in WHIP (1.00), while WashU comes in the NCAA Tournament sitting third in Division III in ERA (2.03) and fourth in WHIP (1.03)… Transylvania is 2nd in Division III in base hits (515), sixth in runs scored (397) and 13th in batting average (.346), while Illinois College is fourth nationally in home runs (53) and WashU is sixth in fielding percentage (.976)… Two of the teams (Illinois College and Millikin University) in the Decatur Regional are making their first-ever appearances in the NCAA Tournament this season… Three of the six teams in the field (Webster, Transylvania and Millikin) have each won 30 games this season.
 
Listed below is the 2021 Decatur, Illinois Regional Tournament hosted by Millikin University.
 
Thursday, May 27, 2021
Game 1 (10 a.m.) – No. 1 seed WashU (28-3) vs. No. 6 seed Illinois College (21-17)
Game 2 (1 p.m.) – No. 2 seed Webster (35-6) vs. No. 5 seed Transylvania (31-10)
Game 3 (4 p.m.) – No. 3 seed Denison (23-11) vs. No. 4 seed Millikin (31-14)
Friday, May 28, 2021
Game 4 (11 a.m.) – Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 (Loser eliminated)
Game 5 (2:30 p.m.) – Winner Game 1 vs. Loser Game 3
Game 6 (6 p.m.) – Winner Game 2 vs. Winner Game 3
Saturday, May 29, 2021
If four teams remain after Game 6
Game 7 (11 a.m.) – Winner Game 4 vs. Loser Game 6 (Loser eliminated)
Game 8 (2:30 p.m.) – Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6
Game 9 (6 p.m.) – Winner Game 7 vs. Loser Game 8 (Loser eliminated)
If five teams remain after Game 6
Game 7 (11 a.m.) – Loser Game 5 vs. Loser Game 6 (Loser eliminated)
Game 8 (2:30 p.m.) – Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5
Game 9 (6 p.m.) – Winner Game 6 vs. Winner Game 7
Sunday, May 30, 2021 – Championship Round
If two teams remain after Game 9
Game 10 (1 p.m.) – Winner Game 8 vs. Loser Game 9
Game 11 (4 p.m.) – If Necessary game
If three teams remain after Game 9
Game 10 (1 p.m.) – Winner Game 8 vs. Loser Game 9 (Loser eliminated)
Game 11 (4 p.m.) – Winner Game 9 vs. Winner of Game 10
Winner advances to the 2021 NCAA Division III World Series at Perfect Game Field at Veteran's Memorial Stadium in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on June 4-9, 2021.
 
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Players Mentioned

Zach  Goodman

#19 Zach Goodman

C
6' 0"
Sophomore
L/R
Aron Hopp

#00 Aron Hopp

OF
5' 11"
Graduate Student
R/R
Kyler Kent

#3 Kyler Kent

1B
6' 0"
Graduate Student
L/R
Adam Lovell

#2 Adam Lovell

OF
5' 8"
Junior
L/R
Joey Marko

#20 Joey Marko

P
6' 1"
Sophomore
R/R
Matt Mulhearn

#12 Matt Mulhearn

P
6' 3"
Graduate Student
R/R
Andrew Padilla

#18 Andrew Padilla

P
6' 0"
Junior
R/R
Jordan Smevoll

#51 Jordan Smevoll

P
6' 0"
Freshman
L/L
A.J. Smith

#22 A.J. Smith

OF
6' 2"
Senior
L/R
Ben Swords

#13 Ben Swords

3B
6' 0"
Junior
R/R

Players Mentioned

Zach  Goodman

#19 Zach Goodman

6' 0"
Sophomore
L/R
C
Aron Hopp

#00 Aron Hopp

5' 11"
Graduate Student
R/R
OF
Kyler Kent

#3 Kyler Kent

6' 0"
Graduate Student
L/R
1B
Adam Lovell

#2 Adam Lovell

5' 8"
Junior
L/R
OF
Joey Marko

#20 Joey Marko

6' 1"
Sophomore
R/R
P
Matt Mulhearn

#12 Matt Mulhearn

6' 3"
Graduate Student
R/R
P
Andrew Padilla

#18 Andrew Padilla

6' 0"
Junior
R/R
P
Jordan Smevoll

#51 Jordan Smevoll

6' 0"
Freshman
L/L
P
A.J. Smith

#22 A.J. Smith

6' 2"
Senior
L/R
OF
Ben Swords

#13 Ben Swords

6' 0"
Junior
R/R
3B