(Ann Arbor, MI) Concordia Baseball won their first ever regular season championship following a 26-5 conference record. The Cardinals were awarded with the top seed in the tournament, and went 3-0 in their pod to advance to the WHAC Championship. Concordia is set to host the second seeded Madonna Crusaders on Monday and Tuesday for a best of three series.

WHAC Championship (Best of 3 game series)

Day 1 - May 8
Game 1: Madonna vs Concordia, 3 p.m.
Watch Live | Live Stats | Tickets

Day 2 - May 9
Game 2: Madonna vs Concordia, 1 p.m.
Watch Live | Live Stats | Tickets

Game 3: if necessary, Coin flip for Home/Visitors

Automatic Bids to NAIA Opening Round
1. Regular season champion
2. Tournament champion (Tournament runner-up if #1 and #2 are the same)

About the Crusaders

Head Coach Justin Karn is now in his third season with Madonna and led the team to a 33-15 record overall and 24-6 record in the WHAC, good enough to earn the second seed in the WHAC Tournament. The Crusaders won their pod of the WHAC Tournament in dominant fashion, winning their three games by a combined score of 47-10 over UNOH and Aquinas. Nate Blain leads the Crusader pitching staff with a 9-1 record and 3.27 ERA, helping him earn first team honors in the WHAC. Five WHAC First Teamers lead Madonna at the plate in outfielders Jace Matkin and Anthony Sharkas, designated hitter Bobby Cavin, third baseman Alex Garbacik, and utility man Brady Krzciok. All five have an OPS (On Base Percentage plus Slugging) over 1.000 on the season.

About the Cardinals

Zach Johnston won his second WHAC Coach of the Year as the team is now 46-6 overall with a 26-5 conference record. The Cardinals swept their pod of the WHAC Tournament, taking down Lawrence Tech and then Indiana Tech twice to advance to the championship series. Concordia received a bevy of All-Conference awards, highlighted by Drew Fleming earning Player and Newcomer of the Year, and Tyson Kleinfelter being named Pitcher of the Year on top of their first team honors. Timothy Pomaville, Jordan Sherman, and Jarrett Batanian all took first team honors as well. James (Jimmy) Wressel, Kyle Hebner, and Evan Jasiak won second team accolades, while Caleb Harmond, James (Jimmy) Wressel, and Tyson Kleinfelter won Gold Gloves.

In Case You Missed It (Previous Matchups)

The Cardinals and Crusaders clashed on April 8^th, splitting the two-game series.

Madonna won the first matchup, jumping out to a 6-1 lead by the end of the fourth inning. The Crusaders got to Drew Murphy with a home run, followed by a pair of fielder's choice plays in the first two innings. Anthony Sharkas drove in three runs while Jace Matkin plated a pair. Nate Blain pitched a complete game for the Crusaders, holding the Cards to just one run until the seventh inning when Concordia scored four runs. The rally was too little, too late for the Cards, as Madonna went on to win 8-5 in Game 1.

Logan Fleming started Game 2, giving up four runs to the Crusaders in the first two innings. Kenneth (Dave) Rozmys came in to pitch the next 6.1 innings, only allowing 2 earned runs while eventually getting credit for the win. Evan Jasiak earned his first save of the season, closing out the final five outs. The Cardinals surged back from a five-run deficit with six runs in the bottom of the second in a rally that started and ended with a Jordan Sherman solo shot and then 2 RBI single. Concordia tacked on a trio of insurance runs in the bottom of the seventh to help secure their 11-8 victory.   

Stats Comparison