UTB/TSC Scorpions News
Baseball - 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, May 12, 2010
The waiting game continues.
 
With final exams over, UTB/TSC has resumed practice in preparation for the NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round May 18-21 at a location to be determined late Friday afternoon.
 
The Scorpions qualified for the NAIA national tournament for the first time by placing second in the Red River Athletic Conference Tournament May 6 in Fort Worth. UTB/TSC enters the national round with a season record of 30-22, setting NAIA school records for most wins in a season.
 
UTB/TSC's appearance in the national tournament is the first time in the NAIA era and the first time since the Scorpions advanced to the NJCAA World Series in 1977 when they competed as Texas Southmost College in the junior college level.
 
The Scorpions have not played in baseball in the second half of May since that tournament 33 years ago.
 
After drawing the fourth seed in the conference tournament, placing second came as a surprise to some, but Scorpion players were confident.
 
"At the conference tourney, our guys played well, they had a goal in mind and then went for it," Scorpion head coach Bryan Aughney said. "We were shorthanded, but only nine guys play at a time on both sides."
 
Now it's a wait until late Friday afternoon, when the Scorpions and the other NAIA National Tournament Opening Round qualifiers find out where they go. There will be nine sites around the country with five teams each playing in a double-elimination tournament.
 
Eleven sites around the country were identified as potential hosts, with nine of them getting official bids Friday. The possibilities for the Scorpions are:
  • Lubbock, Texas, hosted by defending national champion Lubbock Christian University. LCU is 42-11 and ranked fifth in the newest NAIA Top 25 poll released today. The Chaparrals are playing in the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament, which concludes Thursday. One of LCU's losses came to the Scorpions in February in Lubbock, but the Chaps won the final three games of the series.
  • Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, hosted by Oklahoma City University. The Stars are 43-13 and ranked sixth in this week's poll. OCU is a perennial powerhouse in the Sooner Athletic Conference and has appeared in the NAIA World Series.
  • Jackson Mississippi, hosted by Belhaven University. The Blazers are 40-15 overall and ranked 14th in this week's NAIA poll. Belhaven did not win the Gulf States Athletic Conference Tournament last week, but its third-place finish is not expected to impact its chance of hosting an Opening Round series
Wherever they go, the Scorpions may find themselves around some familiar faces, such as:
  • Texas Wesleyan University, the RRAC champion who defeated the Scorpions in two of three games at the RRAC Tournament. The Rams are 29-26 overall and are advancing to the Opening Round for the third straight year.
  • University of Houston-Victoria, the winner of the Association of Independent Institutions Tournament last week. The Jaguars are 31-20 overall and faced the Scorpions eight times during the year. UTB/TSC won five of the eight February games, including a four-game sweep at Scorpion Field.
  • Louisiana State University-Shreveport, which is not a familiar face but will be. The Pilots are 47-11 and ranked ninth in this week's NAIA poll. LSU-S won the GSAC Tournament last week, with one of its wins coming over Belhaven. The Pilots will join the RRAC in 2010-11.

The Scorpions will have little time to prepare for its Opening Round opponent, but so will everyone else.

"Everyone is in the same boat, but I think it's kind of exciting," Aughney said. "It will be tough for scouting reports and that stuff, but we will manage."
 
One big difference in the team roster for the NAIA Opening Round Tournament compared to the RRAC Tournament is team health. Four Scorpions were nursing illnesses or injuries and did not make the trip to Fort Worth, but all have been cleared to play next week.
 
"We were short-handed for the conference tournament, so It will be nice to make this trip with a full squad," Aughney said.