5/26/23
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – Having won its last six postseason games, Lackawanna College baseball will look to stay hot on the grandest stage of them all, when the Falcons open their 2023 NJCAA DII Baseball World Series campaign on Saturday, May 27^th, against West District champion Glendale CC at 5:00pm ET from David Allen Memorial Ballpark in Enid, Oklahoma.
 
The 8^th-seed Falcons, the Region XIX champions, are making their fifth appearance, all occurring in the last 12 years, and third trip in five seasons under head coach Mike McCarry. Lackawanna is 1-8 all-time in the World Series, with its only win coming in the 2012 tournament.
 
The 9^th-seed Gauchos from Glendale CC are the Region I champions and will be making their first appearance on the big stage since 2003, a 20-year absence.
 
The game is the third of four scheduled games in Oklahoma on Saturday, and is currently scheduled for a 4:00pm CST (5:00pm ET) first pitch. The winner of the contest will play on Sunday, May 28th, against top-seed Heartland CC at 8:15pm ET. The loser will play in an elimination game on Sunday at 5:00pm ET.
 
Every game of the 2023 NJCAA DII Baseball World Series is available for streaming via the paid-service NJCAA Network. You can access the Lackawanna-Glendale stream HERE. There are also live stats available to follow along with via the link HERE.
 
About The #8 Falcons
Lackawanna College (38-15), after starting 7-9 this season, has gone 31-6 since then, winning 12 games in a row at one point, and has now won six straight playoff games. The Falcons most recently captured the NJCAA East District championship last weekend, going undefeated against three quality opponents to get to this point. It started last Friday, when the Falcons overcame a pair of three-run deficits to grab victories over UConn Avery Point and Delaware Tech. The win over UCAP saw Lackawanna come back from down 3-0 to tie the game at 4-all heading into the bottom of the seventh, where the offense exploded for eight runs to end the game early on the run rule at 12-4. In game two, the Squares from Delaware Tech held a 5-2 lead into the eighth inning, but the Falcons scored five runs to turn the game on its head, then closed things out to pull out the 7-5 victory. You can read the recap HERE.
 
Then, on Saturday, the Falcons met the champions out of Region XV, SUNY Sullivan CC, for the district championship. Lackawanna didn't quite have its usual offensive firepower, but strong pitching and terrific defense kept the Falcons in front, as they downed the Generals 4-2 to win the East District championship. You can read the recap HERE.
 
The Falcons are hitting .335 on the year so far, posting a combined .991 OPS, with a .455 on-base percentage. The Falcons have scored 508 runs, while giving up 306, and have scored ten or more runs in 26 games this season, 24 of which have been wins. Lackawanna College has 193 extra-base hits, including 109 doubles and 51 homeruns, and the Falcons have been deadly on the base paths, going 169-for-183 on steals this year. Lackawanna leads Region XIX in triples (33) and is first in stolen bases. Lackawanna has drawn 311 walks this season, but has struck out 312 times. They have also been hit by 74 pitches. The Falcons pitching staff holds a 6.20 ERA so far this season, giving up 306 runs, 262 earned, on 368 hits in 380.1 innings. The Falcons have struck out 375 batters and are holding their opponents to a .245 batting average this season.
 
Corner infielder Ian Murphy (West Deptford, NJ) is a .368 hitter this year, and leads the Falcons with 67 total hits on the year. Murphy, a first-team All-Region XIX selection this season, has a 1.037 OPS on the season in 51 games, and is slugging at .582 for the Falcons this season. Murphy is tied for fourth on the team with seven homeruns this season, and he has a team-best 61 RBI on the year, collecting 25 extra base hits and scoring 57 runs, third on the team this year. Murphy's 18 doubles are tops on the team. Murphy has also drawn 25 walks this season, fifth on the squad, and is one of 12 Falcons with ten or more walks, and one of nine with 20 or more. Murphy has 21 multi-hit games this season, and was a combined 5-for-13 with three runs scored, three RBI, and a solo homer in three games last weekend in the district tournament.       
 
Outfielder Christian Rush (Perkasie, PA) holds a .348 batting average through 52 games on the year, compiling 63 hits, second on the team. Rush is a first-team All-Region XIX selection, and has a 1.075 OPS, with a team-high seven triples and nine homeruns, tied for first on the team, with 55 RBI on the year. Rush is second in RBI behind Murphy this year. His 60 runs scored are second on the team this year. Rush is 30-for-31 in stolen bases this season, second on the team. He has drawn 26 walks, tied for third-most on the squad, but has struck out a team-high 39 times this year. Rush has 18 multi-hit games this year, and was a combined 3-for-10 with four runs scored and a triple in three games last weekend.  
 
Outfielder Zachary Walsh (Spring Brook Twp., PA) holds a .377 batting average so far this season, and is third on the team with 60 hits. Walsh is a first-team All-Region XIX selection, and the Region XIX Player of the Year this season. He has a 1.170 OPS, and has scored a team-high 69 runs. Walsh has 38 RBI, and 21 extra base hits this season, including eight homers, third on the team. He has drawn a team-best 50 walks, and has stolen 52 total bases this year, first on the team and first in NJCAA DII. Walsh has a .535 on-base percentage, but has struck out 36 times, second-most on the team this year. Walsh has 17 multi-hit games this year, and was a combined 5-for-11 with five runs scored, two RBI, and a solo homer in three games last weekend.  
 
Catcher and DH Michael Miller (Lafayette Hill, PA) is hitting .424 in his 43 games this year, and has an OPS of 1.211. Miller was selected as a first-team All-Region XIX selection at DH for this season, and his 56 hits are fourth on the team, while he's scored 38 runs on the year. Miller has 19 extra base hits this season, with a tied-for-first on the team nine homeruns and ten doubles on the year. He's driven in 43 RBI this year, and has a slugging percentage at .705, with a .506 on-base percentage. He's drawn 20 walks and has been hit by five pitches so far this season. Miller has 18 multi-hit games, and was a combined 2-for-12 in three games last week with a pair of RBI.   
 
Shortstop Brayden D'Amico (Bethlehem, PA) has a .331 batting average in his 50 games this year. D'Amico, a second-team All-Region XIX selection, has a .937 OPS and has 53 hits, fifth on the team this year. D'Amico has scored 43 runs, fifth on the squad, and has 13 doubles this season, driving in 43 runs this year, tied for fourth on the Falcons this season. D'Amico has a .462 on-base percentage, getting hit by a team-high 15 pitches and drawing 28 walks, second on the team. D'Amico has 13 multi-hit games this season and is on a six-game hitting streak. He went a combined 3-for-11 with two runs scored, a triple, and three RBI for the Falcons last weekend in three games.  
 
Catcher and occasional first baseman Eric Ludwick (Bethlehem, PA) is averaging .313 on the year, with an OPS at .961 this season. Ludwick has 46 hits on the season, scoring 44 runs, fourth on the squad, and he has driven in 53 RBI, third on the team this season. Ludwick has 26 walks this season, tied with Rush for third on the team this year, and has 17 extra base hits, with seven homeruns, seven doubles, and three triples this year. Ludwick has eleven multi-hit games on the year, and was a combined 1-for-6 in three games last weekend.
 
Utility player Spencer Butz (York, PA) is hitting .317 on the year in his 38 games, with 30 starts this season. Butz has a 1.045 OPS, and has a .481 on-base percentage this season. Butz has 32 total hits, and has 32 RBI this season. He's also scored 36 runs for the Falcons this year. Butz has 12 extra base hits, including three triples and five homeruns, and has drawn 22 walks, while getting hit by eleven pitches this season. Butz has also stolen 19 bases, third on the squad. Butz has eight multi-hit games this season, and was a combined 2-for-8 in three games last weekend with an RBI, coming on a single in the victory over Sullivan CC last Saturday.  
 
Second baseman Michael Rickert (Moosic, PA) is hitting .363 in his 36 games this season, posting a 1.038 OPS. Rickert has 29 total hits, and has scored 20 runs. He has six doubles and five triples on the season, and has driven in 20 RBI. Rickert has drawn 18 walks, and has a .475 OBP, while stealing nine bags on the year. Rickert has seven multi-hit games on the year, and was a combined 1-for-8 with a double and an RBI in three games last weekend.  
 
Catcher Cole Casamento (Limerick, PA) is a .306 hitter in 40 games this year, compiling 26 total hits and a .816 OPS on the year. Casamento has scored 18 runs and has eight doubles, driving in 22 runs this year. Casamento has drawn ten walks and stolen six bases this season. Cole has five multi-hit games on the year, and was a combined 2-for-6 with two runs scored a double, and four RBI last weekend in three games. Casamento had the big hit against Delaware Tech last Friday, hitting a three-run double to give the Falcons the lead.
 
Outfielder Mitchell Jolikko (Middletown, DE) is a .356 hitter in his 38 games this year, posting a 1.082 OPS on the year. Jolikko has scored 35 runs and has 22 RBI this year, compiling nine extra base hits, including five doubles. Jolikko has drawn 21 walks this season and has stolen 13 bases, and has a .520 OBP this season. Jolikko has five multi-hit games on the year, and was a combined 0-for-1 with two runs scored in three appearances off the bench last weekend in three games.
 
On the mound, the Falcons are led by Kyle Scott (Westminster, MD), who is 7-2 on the year in 13 starts. Scott, a second-team all-Region XIX selection this year, and now a two-time second-teamer, was the Region XIX Pitcher of the Year in 2021. Scott has a 3.78 ERA in 66.2 innings pitched, giving up 37 runs, 28 earned, on 48 hits, while striking out a team-best 105 batters and walking 32. Scott has held his opponents to .188 on the season, but has seven eight pitches and has hit a team-high 12 batters this season. Scott has six games where he has struck out ten or more batters this season. Scott tossed a season-high 14 strikeouts in a 12-0 win over Monroe CC back on April 7^th. Scott didn't get the win in his last start, where he gave up five early runs to Delaware Tech in a game the Falcons eventually won, 7-5. He settled down after that rough start, striking out 13 and not walking anybody in seven innings.          
 
Aiden Starn (Pennsville, NJ) has pitched 58.2 innings so far this season, and has a 6-2 record with a 4.76 ERA this year. He's allowed 36 runs, 31 earned, on 62 hits, with 55 strikeouts and 25 walks this year. Batters are hitting .266 against Starn in his 12 appearances. Starn has had four straight quality starts in his last four appearances, giving up two runs, one earned, on seven hits in a complete game 9-2 win over Sussex on April 23^rd, where he struck out a season-high eight batters, and then following that up with another complete game, this one on the road at Mercer, giving up one run on seven hits while striking out a pair in a 4-1 Falcons win on May 1^st. He then gave up two runs on five hits and struck out seven in six innings against Morris in a 4-2 win for the Falcons, then followed that up last Friday by giving up four runs on five hits and striking out five in seven innings to get the win over UConn Avery Point.  
 
Reliever Ty Morris (Manchester Valley, MD) has thrown 39.2 innings so far this season, posting a 4.31 ERA and a 7-0 record in his 15 appearances. Morris has given up 22 runs, 19 earned, on 43 hits, striking out 25 and walking 14 on the year. Teams are hitting .274 against Morris this season. Morris was superb in his last two appearances, going six innings of relief for the win against Delaware Tech back on May 13^th, not allowing a run and scattering four hits, and pitching four innings of relief, giving up just one hit and striking out three for the win against Sullivan this past Saturday. 
 
Matthew McElligott (Columbus, OH) has thrown 34.1 innings of work this year in a team-high 20 appearances, with two starts this season. He's got a 5.24 ERA, giving up 21 runs, 20 earned, on 26 hits, while striking out 33 batters and walking 27. McElligott is holding his opponents to a .202 batting average on the year. McElligott made back-to-back appearances last weekend in the district tournament, going 1.2 innings of scoreless relief against Delaware Tech for the win, and then going an inning of scoreless relief with a strikeout for the save against Sullivan the next day for the district title.
 
Nathan Russell (Drexel Hill, PA) has thrown 32 innings of work so far this season, making 16 appearances, and three starts, posting a 6.47 ERA and going 3-0 this season, with a save. Russell has given up 23 runs on 30 hits, while striking out 26 and walking 19 this year. Russell's opponents are averaging .246 at the dish against him this year. After pitching almost exclusively out of the pen all year, Russell's last three appearances have come via start, including the East District championship game last Saturday against Sullivan, where gave up two runs on five hits and struck out three batters in four innings of work.  
 
Reliever Jace Cunnane (Clarkstown, NY) has thrown 25.1 innings this season, posting a 2.84 ERA in 14 appearances, going 2-0 and posting five saves. He's given up eleven runs on 21 hits, while striking out 19 and walking just nine batters this year. Cunnane is holding opponents to a .210 batting average this season. Cunnane had a three-inning save two weeks ago, and was called into action last week for a one-out save against Delaware Tech, coming in with batters on and getting the out to preserve a Lackawanna come back victory.  
 
Reliever Ty Federici (Lehman, PA) has made ten appearances and is 3-2 with an 8.10 ERA so far this season. In his 20 innings pitched, Federici has allowed 24 runs, 18 earned, on 31 hits, while striking out 18 and walking eight. Batters have hit him hard this season, with a .326 batting average against him. Federici started in his last pitching appearance three weeks ago, giving up three runs on four hits and striking out three through three innings of work against Duchess.
 
Lackawanna College is coached by Mike McCarry, now in his fifth season at the helm for the Falcons. McCarry has taken the Falcons to the NJCAA DII World Series three times in the last five years, taking the Falcons to Region 19 crowns in 2019, 2021, and 2023, on their way to the World Series tournament in Enid, OK. McCarry, who played under Jamie Shevchik at nearby Keystone College in the early 2000's, has been coaching baseball since 2006, having spent time at Central Bucks West HS, then moved onto the collegiate ranks a few years later when he arrived at LaSalle University, where he was the Head Assistant – Pitching Coach and Recruiting Coordinator. While at LaSalle, McCarry helped the Explorers develop a relationship with NJCAA schools, bringing in four NJCAA All-Americans in his time. After LaSalle, McCarry moved on to be the pitching coach at Stephen F. Austin University in Nacogdoches, TX. McCarry is 133-75 in his 4+ seasons with the Falcons, winning three Region XIX championships and coaching three NJCAA All-Americans, as well as several All-Region selections in his time at Lackawanna.
 
About #9 Glendale CC
The Gauchos (32-28) are the Region I champions, and are the West District representative in this year's tournament. Glendale had rocketed out to a 9-2 start on the year, and sat at 21-9 just past the midway point of the season, but a mid-season swoon hit the Gauchos, who lost 13 of their next 16 games. They hovered just above .500 heading into the playoffs. In the Region I semi-finals, Glendale split the first two games against GateWay CC, a team the Gauchos had already split four games with on the year. In the fifth and decisive game, Glendale took an 8-0 lead after just 2.5 innings, scoring seven runs in the seventh alone. The Geckos from GateWay closed to within 8-5, but Glendale added two in the sixth and a run in the seventh to give itself some breathing room on its way to clinching a Region I championship berth. Waiting for the Gauchos in the championship round was Chandler-Gilbert, a team that had beaten Glendale three out of four meetings in the regular season, including a two-game sweep just two weeks beforehand. On the road, Glendale fell behind 2-0 through seven innings, but got a huge three-run double in the eighth to snatch the lead, then added a run in the ninth to take game one, 4-2. The next day, Glendale hit the front and held a 3-2 lead after five innings. The Coyotes responded with a pair of runs in the sixth to tie things up, but the Gauchos exploded in the last three innings at the plate, scoring a combined nine runs to build an insurmountable lead at 12-3, clinching their first NJCAA World Series appearance since 2003. The game with the Falcons will be the first game for Glendale CC in two weeks.
 
As a team, the Gauchos are hitting .298 this season, with a combined .816 OPS. Glendale has scored 359 runs in 60 games, averaging just under six runs per game. The Gauchos have amassed 162 total extra base hits, including 101 doubles, 36 triples, and 25 homeruns. Glendale has struck out 401 times this year, and has 239 total walks, with 127 stolen bases as a team. The pitching staff has a 5.23 team ERA, giving up 359 runs, 286 earned, on 513 hits in 492 combined innings of work. The Gauchos have struck out 460 batters this year, an 8.41 strikeouts per nine innings average, and have walked 253 batters this season.
 
Outfielder Andrew Biddle leads the Gauchos with 85 total hits this season, hitting a team-best .359 at the plate on the year. The sophomore has scored 55 runs, far and away first on the team, and leads the squad with 23 extra base hits, 16 doubles, and 43 RBI. Biddle has drawn 26 walks, fourth on the team, and has a team-best 44 stolen bases this season. Biddle has a .920 OPS, boosted by a .431 OBP and a .489 slugging percentage. Biddle has 26 multi-hit games this season, and was a combined 6-for-10 in two games against Chandler-Gilbert two weekends ago, including a 5-for-6 outing in the championship clincher, driving home five runs and hitting a triple.
 
Infielder Erubiel Ortiz has 63 total hits on the year, posting a .330 batting average. Ortiz has scored 35 runs, second on the team, and has ten doubles and six triples, while posting 32 RBI. His 31 walks are second on the team, and he has a .905 OPS on the year. Ortiz is second-worst on the team in strikeouts, posting 43 so far this season. Ortiz has 16 multi-hit games on the year, and was a combined 6-for-10 in two games against Chandler-Gilbert two weekends ago, with two runs scored, a double, and an RBI in the pair of victories.
 
Infielder Brayan Espinoza has 62 total hits this season, third on the squad, and a .328 batting average. Espinoza has scored 29 runs this year, and is second on the Gauchos with six homeruns. His 41 RBI are second on the team, and he's got 14 extra base hits, including seven doubles. Espinoza has a .824 OPS this season, including a .471 slugging percentage, and has nine stolen bases for the Gauchos this year. Espinoza has 21 multi-hit games on the season, and was a combined 2-for-10 with two runs and two RBI, hitting a homerun against Chandler-Gilbert in a pair of games.
 
Outfielder Jacob Bauler has 58 total hits this season, and is hitting .297 this year in 58 games. Bauler has scored 30 runs this year, and has a team-high seven triples and 17 total extra base hits, driving in 28 runs. Bauler has seven stolen bases and eleven walks this year, and has been hit by a team-high 12 pitches this season. Bauler has struck out a team-high 52 times this season. Bauler has put up 15 multi-hit games on the year, and went a combined 3-for-9 in two games against Chandler-Gilbert two weeks ago, scoring a run and driving home another against the Coyotes.
 
Infielder Carson Baker has 56 total hits on the year, and is hitting .350 in 49 games this season. Baker has scored 33 runs, third on the squad, and has ten doubles, three triples, and four homers, driving in 35 RBI. Baker has drawn 29 walks, third on the squad, and has a team-best .460 OBP this season, helping give him a .985 OPS. Baker has 15 multi-hit games on the year, and was a combined 3-for-10 in two games against Chandler-Gilbert two weeks ago, scoring a run, driving in a pair, and hitting a double.
 
Catcher Preston Lucas has 48 total hits on the year, and is hitting .284 in his 55 games this season. Lucas has scored 28 runs this year, and is second on the Gauchos with 12 doubles this year, driving in 35 runs, tied with Baker for third on the team this season. Lucas has a team-best 35 walks this year, but has struck out 39 times for Glendale on the year. Lucas has 14 multi-hit games on the year, and was a combined 2-for-4 with a run scored, three RBI, and a double in two games against Chandler-Gilbert.
 
Outfielder Aiden Estill-Nash has 42 total hits on the year, and is hitting .268 in his 51 games this season. Estill-Nash has scored 30 runs this season, and has 15 RBI. Estill-Nash has five doubles, and has drawn 20 walks this season. He also has 18 stolen bases, second on the team this year. Estill-Nash has 28 strikeouts this season. He has ten multi-hit games on the year, and was 3-for-3 in the second game against Chandler-Gilbert, scoring a pair of runs in the win. He did not play in the first game the day before.
 
Brock Jessup leads the Gauchos out of the pen, pitching a team-high 80.1 innings and going 6-7 in his 16 appearances, posting a 5.04 ERA. Jessup has allowed 49 runs, 45 earned, on 99 hits, striking out a team-best 71 and walking 28. Jessup has eight games with five or more strikeouts, and had a season-high eight punchouts in a loss to Yavapai College back on March 28^th, where he had eight strikeouts in five innings, but gave up five runs on eight hits. He didn't get the win in his last start, but he pitched well, giving up just two runs on ten hits in 6.2 innings against Chandler-Gilbert in the first game of the championship series. He had five strikeouts, but walked a season-high four batters.
 
Jose Velasquez is second on the team in innings pitched, pitching 50.1 innings on the year, going 3-4 in 16 appearances with a 6.26 ERA on the campaign. Velasquez has given up 37 runs, 35 earned, on 60 hits this year, striking out 46 and walking 20 this season. Velasquez has two games with five strikeouts this season, including a season-high six strikeouts in just 3.2 innings of work in relief against South Mountain CC back on March 25^th. Velasquez has made three straight starts, but hasn't gotten the decision in any of those games. Velasquez was the starter in the clincher vs. Chandler-Gilbert two weeks ago, giving up one run on five hits in 4.2 innings, striking out three and walking three.
 
Noah Marks is 4-2 this season in a team-high 20 appearances, three of which have been starts, posting a 3.80 ERA in 42.2 innings of work. Marks has given up 27 runs, 18 earned, on 50 hits, striking out 32 and walking just ten. Marks, in one of his three starts, had a season-high eight strikeouts in a 15-9 win over Phoenix College back on March 3^rd, giving up seven runs on eight hits in five innings. He earned the win in each of the playoff clinchers, pitching 5.2 innings of no-hit ball, striking out four in relief to get the 11-5 win over GateWay, and then pitched 4.1 innings, giving up two runs on four hits in the 12-3 win over Chandler-Gilbert to send Glendale to the NJCAA DII World Series.
 
Ruben Macias is 3-4 this season in 19 games, posting a 3.29 ERA in 38.1 innings of work. Macias has given up 22 runs, 14 earned, on 29 hits, while striking out 30 batters and walking 15. Macias has started a handful of games in the latter half of the year, and his best game came against Mesa CC on April 7^th, where he struck out six batters in six innings, giving up a run on three hits in an 11-2 victory. His last start came against GateWay in game two of the three-game series on May 5^th. He got tagged with the loss, giving up four runs on five hits in five innings of the 7-2 loss.
 
Colten Graham is the leading reliever to close things out for the Gauchos, posting nine saves and going 2-0 in 18 appearances with a 1.46 ERA. In 24.2 innings of work this year, Graham has been very, very good, giving up just four runs on 16 hits, while striking out 29 batters and walking just nine. Graham's longest outing came against Cochise College back on March 7^th, striking out a season-best six batters in 4.1 innings. In his last outing, Graham got the win over Phoenix College on April 28^th, giving up three hits in 1.2 innings of relief of a 16-10 win for the Gauchos.
 
The head coach for the Gauchos is Ed Trujillo, now in his sixth season in charge of the program. However, Trujillo has been with GCC much longer, having coached in some capacity with the program for nearly 35 years. Coach Trujillo is an Arizona native who spent two years at Glendale before heading to Westmont College to play, where he set plenty of college records. He started his coaching career at Santa Barbara City College while still playing at Westmont, then joined the GCCC staff in 1989, and has been there every since. In his six years, the Gauchos have been prolific in producing players who advance to the next level, as well as several players that ended up getting selected in the MLB draft. Trujillo holds a 151-162-1 overall record in his time in charge at Glendale.
 
The Other Teams
The tournament is a ten-team tournament, and here are the other squads:
 
(1) Heartland CC (53-5)
The Hawks are the top-ranked squad in the field, and the champions out of Region 24 and the Central District. Heartland has scored 710 runs on the season, tops in the country, and had a 26-game winning streak at one point this season. Heartland will play the winner of Lackawanna and Glendale CC.
 
(2) Lansing CC (47-10)
The Stars from Lansing are the second-ranked squad in the field, and also get a bye to await the #7/#10 winner. Lansing started the year 3-5 before rattling off 20 wins in a row. Lansing survived a strong challenge from Kellogg CC in the Region XII championship to secure the Great Lakes District bid to the World Series.
 
(3) East Central (37-18)
Despite being the three seed, the Warriors are perhaps the most surprising squad in the field, after upsetting top-ranked LSU Eunice to get here. East Central knocked off a pair of challengers to get to the Region 23 championship, then stunned the Bengals with an 8-5 win in game one. The second game went to LSU Eunice, forcing a third and final championship, which East Central won 8-2 to knock out the top-ranked Bengals and punch its ticket to be the Gulf District representative. ECCC gets sixth-seed Southeastern Iowa in its first game on Saturday at 2:00pm ET.
 
(4) Madison College (44-10)
The perennial contending Wolves are back once more, after finishing as the runners-up a season ago. Madison enters on a 12-game winning streak, and won an impressive six straight Region IV tournament games to get here, including knocking off McHenry County College in a pair of games to secure the Midwest District championship. The Wolves get their World Series underway on Saturday night at 8:15pm ET against fifth-seed St. Johns River State.
 
(5) St. Johns River State (44-17)
The Vikings are out of Florida and represent Region VIII and the South Atlantic District in this year's tournament. St. Johns River rolled through the Region tournament, winning five straight games, including a pair of wins over Lenoir CC in the championship series to clinch their spot in Enid. SJR will take on Madison on Saturday night at 8:15pm ET.
 
(6) Southeastern Iowa (46-16)
The Blackhawks are the Region XI champion and the North Plains District representative this season. They survived a rugged Region XI tournament, taking down perennial power Kirkwood CC in an opening round win, and then beating Iowa Central CC in two tight games to get to the championship series against Williston State College. The Tetons took game one, putting Southeastern Iowa on the ropes. The Blackhawks rebounded for a pair of big wins, including a 3-2 win in the deciding game to secure their place in Oklahoma. The Blackhawks take on East Central at 2:00pm ET on Saturday.
 
(7) South Arkansas CC (45-16)
There are only two NJCAA Districts with more than two regions competing for the district title: The East District (4 regions) and the Plains District (3 regions). The champions from the Plains and Region 2 are the Stars, who actually competed in Enid, OK two weeks ago as part of the Region 2 and Plains District tournament. The Stars were the top-seed and survived a scare from 7^th-seed Northern Oklahoma College in extra innings to make the championship series, where they bounced back from a 17-3 loss to second-seed Western Oklahoma in game one to take a 6-4 game two win and punch their ticket right back to Enid. The Stars take on Frederick in the first game of the weekend at 11:00am ET.
 
(10) Frederick (37-13)
The Cougars clinched their third-straight trip to Enid with another impressive campaign, winning 15 games in a row at one point and surviving a strong challenge from CCBC Catonsville to capture the Region XX and Mid-Atlantic District championship for a ninth time, and third-straight season. The Cougars had risen as high as eleventh in the NJCAA DII rankings before a late-season slide, but turned the offense back on in the playoffs, scoring 46 runs in just four games, three times crossing double-digits and scoring 18 in the championship clincher over Catonsville.
 
Game Details
The game between Lackawanna and Glendale CC is the third of four scheduled games in Oklahoma on Saturday, May 27^th, and is currently scheduled for a 4:00pm CST (5:00pm ET) first pitch. The winner of the contest will play on Sunday, May 28^th at 8:15pm ET against top-seed Heartland CC. The loser will play in an elimination game at 5:00pm ET on Sunday against the loser from the Madison/St. Johns River match-up.
 
Every game of the 2023 NJCAA DII Baseball World Series is available for streaming via the paid-service NJCAA Network. You can access the Lackawanna-Glendale stream HERE. There are also live stats available to follow along with via the link HERE.