Dakota Wesleyan battled back on the final day of the 2009 GPAC Baseball Tournament in Hastings, Nebraska, to win twice and claim the league postseason title at historic Duncan Field. The Tigers eliminated host Hastings 6-2 and then defeated Mount Marty 9-8 in a winner take all, back and forth, title tilt that went 10 innings. The postseason championship earned Dakota Wesleyan, and first year head coach Steve Gust, a berth into the NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round May 12-15 at a site to be determined.

The Tigers will join GPAC regular season champion Nebraska Wesleyan, coached by Bill Fagler, in the NAIA field of 45 in ten days. The Prairie Wolves will carry a 28-11 record into the National Tournament.

The final day of play in Hastings featured three teams with one loss. Mount Marty earned the right to wait and host the championship game by being the last team to take their first loss of the tournament.

In the elimination game Dakota Wesleyan's Phil Johnson picked up the win for the Tigers and improved to 10-1 on the season. The title game was capped when Nick Loera's hit a game winning single in the bottom of the 10^th that plated Kyle Isaacson for the Tigers. Thomas Pickett was the winning pitcher for Dakota Wesleyan in the 15^th and final game of the week in Hastings. The Tigers are now 35-16. The win marked Dakota Wesleyan's second GPAC Postseason title, the first coming in 2004.

The 2009 NAIA Baseball National Championship will feature opening round playoff games at nine different sites. The opening rounds will take place May 12-15, with the nine opening-round winners advancing to the 2009 Avista-NAIA World Series, along with host school Lewis-Clark State, which will take place May 22-29 in Lewiston, Idaho.

Five teams will compete at each opening-round site in a double-elimination playoff format. The GPAC, in conjunction with the Sioux City Sports Authority, will host one of the opening round playoff series in Sioux City, Iowa, at Lewis and Clark Park. The entire 45-team field will be announced by the NAIA on Friday, May 8.

 

Day One - Thursday, April 30, 2009
(Games 1-8, All games seven innings)
Game 1-
at Duncan Field, 12:45 pm
(8) Sioux Falls 9, (1) Nebraska Wesleyan 2
Game 2-
at Smith Complex, 11:00 am
(2) Hastings 1, (7) Morningside 0
Game 3-
at Duncan Field, 4:00 pm (approx)
(4) Mount Marty 3, (5) Midland Lutheran 2
Game 4-
at Smith Complex, 1:30 pm (approx)
(3) Dakota Wesleyan 3, (6) Briar Cliff 2
Game 5-
at Duncan Field, 6:30 pm (Winner's Bracket) (approx)
(3) Dakota Wesleyan 2, (2) Hastings 1

Game 6-
at Smith Complex, 6:45 pm (Winner's Bracket) (approx)
(4) Mount Marty 4, (8) Sioux Falls 2

At Duncan Field, 8:45 pm (Elimination Game) (approx)
(6) Briar Cliff 6, (7) Morningside 1 (Morningside eliminated)
Game 8-
at Smith Complex, 9:00 pm (Elimination Game) (approx)
(1) Nebraska Wesleyan 4, (5) Midland Lutheran 3 (Midland Lutheran eliminated)

Day Two - Friday, May 1, 2009

(Games 9-13, All games 9 innings)
Game 9-
at Duncan Field, 9:00 am (Winner's Bracket)
(4) Mount Marty 16, (3) Dakota Wesleyan 7
Game 10-
at Smith Field, 11:00 am (Elimination Game)
(6) Briar Cliff 6, (8) Sioux Falls 1 (Sioux Falls Eliminated)
Game 11-
at Duncan Field, 12:30 pm (Elimination Game)

(2) Hastings 5, (1) Nebraska Wesleyan 1 (Nebraska Wesleyan eliminated)
Game 12-
at Duncan Field, 4:00 pm (Elimination Game)
(3) Dakota Wesleyan 10, (6) Briar Cliff 4 (Briar Cliff eliminated)
Game 13-
at Duncan Field, 7:30 pm
(2) Hastings 10, (4) Mount Marty 8

Day Three - Saturday, May 2, 2009
(Games 14 and 15, both games 9 innings)
Game 14-
at Duncan Field, 11:00 am (Elimination Game)
(3) Dakota Wesleyan 6, (2) Hastings 2 (Hastings eliminated)

Game 15-
at Duncan Field, 30 minutes following Game 14

(3) Dakota Wesleyan 9, (4) Mount Marty 8 (10) (DWU Wins GPAC Championship)

*Reminder - The tournament was played according to a NAIA Baseball Coaches Association Double Elimination Bracket, not a standard double elimination bracket