Lewiston, Idaho - A dream 14 years in the making is finally a reality: Arizona Christian is an Avista NAIA World Series participant. The path to Lewiston has been nothing short of thrilling, from program records falling left and right to two-out rallies to an unforgettable walk-off that kept the movie rolling. Now only nine teams stand between Joe McDonald's Firestorm and a Red Banner.

The Lewiston Bracket champions return to Harris Field, which will not play host to Lewis-Clark State College for the first time since 1998. Despite the Warriors' rare absence, a mixture of fresh blood and veteran programs promise an exciting finish to the 2024 national campaign.

Arizona Christian, the nine-seed, will open the double-elimination tournament against eight-seed and #20 Kansas Wesleyan. The two first-time qualifiers have the honor of competing in Game 1 of the 2024 Avista NAIA World Series this Friday morning. The winner will earn a Saturday showdown with one-seed and pre-tournament favorite Southeastern. 

With Hope International emerging from the Fayette Bracket, the Golden State Athletic Conference matched the Appalachian Athletic Conference with two teams each in the World Series field (Tennessee Wesleyan and Reinhardt). Four programs boast at least one Red Banner, Southeastern and Tennessee Wesleyan each possessing two. 

Arizona Christian enters the final site with a .327 BA (T-23 in NAIA), 5.12 ERA (T-44th in NAIA) and .962 FLD% (T-55 in NAIA) and .557 SLG (15th in NAIA). The Firestorm have racked up 479 RBI (8th in NAIA), 592 pitching strikeouts (2nd in NAIA) and 239 extra-base hits (8th in NAIA).

Game Details

RV Arizona Christian vs. #20 Kansas Wesleyan - Friday, May 24 at 8:35 AM
RV Arizona Christian vs. TBD - Saturday, May 25 at TBD

Harris Field - Lewiston, ID

*All Times Are Arizona Time

Live Coverage

Video - https://team1sports.com/naia/ 
Live Stats - http://naiastats.prestosports.com/sports/bsb/2023-24/boxscores/20240524_mz2p.xml 

Tournament Information

Schedule - https://naiastats.prestosports.com/sports/bsb/2023-24/World_Series_Schedule 
Bracket - https://www.naia.org/sports/bsb/2023-24/Files/2024_ws_bracket.pdf 
Ticket Information - https://naiaworldseries.com/buy-tickets/ 

World Series Field Breakdown (Alphabetically)

Arizona Christian - Lewiston Bracket Champion; 1st appearance
Cumberlands (KY) - Williamsburg Bracket Champion; 2nd appearance (2023, 24)
Georgia Gwinnett - Lawrenceville Bracket Champion; 7th appearance (2014, 18, 19, 21, 22, 23, 24); 1 title (2021)
Hope International - Fayette Bracket Champion; 2nd appearance (2017, 2024)
Indiana Southeast - Upland Bracket Champion; 2nd appearance (2021, 24)
Kansas Wesleyan - Shreveport Bracket Champion; 1st appearance
Reinhardt (GA) - Waleska Bracket Champion; 2nd appearance (2018, 24)
Southeastern - Lincoln Bracket Champion; 6th appearance (2018, 19, 21, 22, 23, 24); 2 titles (2018, 22)
Tennessee Wesleyan - Kingsport Bracket Champion; 7th appearance (2010, 11, 12, 16, 19, 22, 24); 2 titles (2012, 19)
William Carey (MS) - Hattiesburg Bracket Champion; 5th appearance (1969, 78, 2017, 23); 1 title (1969)

Arizona Christian

Jared Anderson hit a sky-scraping home run in the ninth to successfully pull off an 8-7 comeback victory over four-seed British Columbia and earn an NAIA Opening Round crown at Harris Field. The Firestorm trailed by as many as six runs (6-0) and did not possess the lead until Anderson's walk-off artistry. As soon as the right fielder's ball left the park, ACU officially earned its first trip to the NAIA World Series, the sixth of 10 teams to etch their name in the field this season.

The colossal come-from-behind win tied for the second-largest this season and also solidified a 3-0 sweep in the Lewiston Bracket. Joe McDonald's ball club outscored their three opponents 29-10, including an 11-0 shutout of one-seed and host Lewis-Clark State.

A remarkably steady five-man bullpen and standout defensive plays produced five consecutive scoreless innings and kept ACU's championship aspirations alive. Wednesday night featured individual moments of glory, but this was arguably the most clutch team performance in program history.

Marques Titialii answered the bell in the eighth (as he has countless times in his ACU career), smashing a three-run home run that knotted the game at 7-7. The senior's single in the seventh kept his hitting streak going strong at 16 games. In the three Opening Round contests, the left fielder was heralded the offensive MVP with the following stat line: .583 BA (7-for-12), 8 RBI, 2 HR. 

Trey Tarver was a staple in this one, going 4-for-5 at the plate (career-best hits in a single game) and inspiring a late charge by his team. Jaylen Edmonds closely followed with three base-hits and two runs on the base pads, his defensive presence equally invaluable with three putouts and four assists.

Junior Kane Kiaunis was the one who got the comeback off the ground, knocking in ACU's first run with a two-out double in the fifth frame. 

Though Eastyn Culp started slowly, relief efforts from Chay Esqueda (3.0 IP) and Harrison Howell (2.2 IP) paved the way for Jackson Hohensee to earn his fourth win of 2024 in the ninth.

ACU Key Players

Marques Titialii - .384 BA, 83 hits, 83 RBIs 
Sean Garcia - .360 BA, 45 hits, 20 RBIs
Andrew Ivy - .344 BA, 62 hits, 43 RBIs
Trey Tarver - .343 BA, 70 hits, 44 RBIs
Kane Kiaunis - .330 BA, 65 hits, 54 RBIs
Ryan Eastham - .328 BA, 43 hits, 37 RBIs
Jared Anderson - .326 BA, 71 hits, 41 RBIs
Jaylen Edmonds - .305 BA, 58 hits, 45 RBIs
Eli Elliott - 3.20 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 99 K
Adrian Santa Cruz - 4.09 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 100 K

Record Tracker (Team, Single-Season)

Already Broken - 544 runs scored (467, 2022) | 479 RBI (411, 2023) | 95 home runs (58, 2023) | 1075 total bases (923, 2023) | 592 pitching strikeouts (484, 2022) | 9 shutouts (4, 2012 & 2013)

Can Be Broken/Matched - Most wins: 36, 2019 (36 wins) | Highest BA: .334, 2021 (.327 BA) | Most doubles: 133, 2023 (129 doubles) | Highest SLG: .493 SLG, 2023 (.557 SLG) | Highest OB%: .418, 2023 (.430 OB%) | Most hits: 649, 2019 (631 hits) | Most walks: 267, 2023 (262 walks) | Highest FLD%: .961, 2012 (.962 FLD%)

Record Tracker (Individual)

Already Broken - Marques Titialii (career home runs (47), career RBI (192), career total bases (402), single-season home runs (24), single-season RBI (83), single-season total bases (171)) | Andrew Ivy (longest hitting streak (27 games) | Jaylen Edmonds (single-game RBI (12) and home runs (3)) | Eli Elliott (career strikeouts (286), career appearances (70) | Adrian Santa Cruz (single-season strikeouts (100)) | Ryan Eastham (career putouts (559), single-season putouts (370))

Can Be Broken/Matched (Single-Season) - Most runs scored: Justin Ramirez, 66 in 2022 (Marques Titialii, 63) | Most hits: Brent Smith, 87 in 2019 (Marques Titialii, 83) | Highest SLG: Marques Titialii, .706 in 2023 (Marques Titialii, .792) | Most doubles: Enrique Porchas, 21 in 2023 (Jared Anderson, 18) | Most stolen bases: Two tied, 24 (Deshon Thomas, 21) | Most pitching wins: Brett Aker, 10 in 2019 & 2021 (Adrian Santa Cruz, 9) Most pitching starts: Three tied, 16 (Eli Elliott, 15) 

Can Be Broken/Matched (Career) - Highest SLG: Enrique Porchas, .644 (Marques Titialii, .655) 

Thoughts From Coach Joe McDonald

"We are extremely grateful for this amazing opportunity to play in the World Series," Coach McDonald said. "We are here knowing the job is not done yet. I love this team!"

Series Notes

Arizona Christian is 3-0 in their all-time series against Kansas Wesleyan. There was a 10-year gap separating the first and second game (2012 and 2022), and all three contests were played in Glendale. Each of the past two meetings were in the Coach Calderone Invitational, an annual tournament that celebrated its fifth birthday this season. Most recently, the Firestorm defeated the Coyotes 13-7 on January 27, 2023 at Glendale High School. Tanner Vielguth led an 18-hit effort with five of his own, three runs and one RBI. Marques Titialii recorded one of two ACU home runs and Jordan Vickers (5.0 IP, 2 RA, 2 K) earned the win on the mound. Jarrett Gable, KWU's current lead hitter, slugged two hits and two RBI.

Kansas Wesleyan

The Kansas Wesleyan University Coyotes (48-10, 32-4 KCAC) will be making their first appearance in the Avista NAIA World Series after sweeping their way (3-0) through the Shreveport Bracket. The Coyotes outlasted host LSU Shreveport 2-1 to advance past the Opening Round for the first time in their sixth try. Despite falling to Oklahoma Wesleyan in the KCAC Baseball Championship, KWU earned a national berth thanks to an KCAC regular-season crown. 

Bill Neale, in his 10th season as head coach of KWU Baseball, guided the program to be ranked 20th in the final NAIA Coaches' Top-25 poll (May 8th). The Coyotes set program single-season records for wins (48) and conference wins (32). Home-field advantage was a reality for KWU, who posted a 26-2 record at Dean Evans Stadium in Salina, Kansas. Notably, the Coyotes swept conference opponents Tabor College and Oklahoma Wesleyan during the regular season, both programs qualifying for the NAIA Opening Round.

Heading into Lewiston, Kansas Wesleyan has constructed a .327 BA (T-23 in NAIA), 4.30 ERA (14th in NAIA) and .966 FLD% (T-33 in NAIA). Additionally, their 127 home runs is 2nd, 516 RBI total ranks 3rd, and .619 SLG takes 4th in the nation. Jarrett Gable is the top hitter (.386 BA, 93 hits, 76 RBI), Jarrett Brannen the top pitcher (3.94 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 77 K) and Tyler Favretto the top fielder (459 putouts, 46 assists, 1.000 FLD%).


Roll Storm!