FfOSWEGO, N.Y. – The Oswego State baseball team has earned the fourth-overall seed at the 2018 NCAA Division III Baseball Championship World Series, matching up with fifth-overall seed University of Texas at Tyler at 10 a.m. central time (11 a.m. eastern) on Friday in the first game at Fox Cities Stadium in Appleton, Wisc. At the eight-team final site, the bracket is separated in to two, four-team, double-elimination pools, with the winner of each pool facing off in a best-of-three series for the national championship.
It is the second-consecutive year the Lakers will compete in the World Series, after being the No. 1 overall seed in the 2017 tournament. Oswego and Concordia University Chicago (Ill.) are the only repeat showings from 2017, while five programs are making their first-ever appearance at the World Series.
One of those teams making its first appearance is the Lakers' opening opponent, Texas-Tyler. The Patriots have won five-straight elimination games and were the last team to punch its ticket to Wisconsin, as they scored four runs in the bottom of the ninth against Rhodes College to clinch a 5-4 victory and the Central Regional on Monday.
Of the seven other programs in the World Series, Oswego has only faced one in its long history, and that team was Concordia-Chicago in last year's final weekend.
The Lakers come into the World Series as one of the hottest teams in the country, winning each of its last seven tilts. In that span, Oswego is outscoring its opponents 69-19 while batting .327 as a unit. It has not been all offense, however, as the pitching staff has a 2.57 ERA over the 63 innings and the defense has committed just four errors.
Oswego is led on offense by six players all hitting .300 or better, with
Kevin Hylas pacing that group at .370. SUNYAC Player of the Year,
Mike Dellicarri, and New England Regional Most Valuable Player,
Ryan Enos, are both batting .358 while senior
Myles Kutscher is just one percentage-point back at .357. Rounding out the .300 hitters are seniors
John Barnes (.323) and
Zach Whelan (.300).
The pitchers are headed by senior starters
Robert Donnelly and
Reston Pettit. Donnelly ranks in the top-10 nationally in earned-run average (1.22) and complete-games tossed (8.0). Pettit owns a 2.40 ERA and has suffered just one loss in 2018 while striking out 51 batters.
For information pertaining to the World Series, click on one of the links below:
@OswegoAthletics | FB: Oswego Athletics | IG: oswegoathletics
