Over the weekend, The Master’s University track & field program tallied two NAIA All-American honors at the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships at the Mickey Miller Blackwell Stadium in Gulf Shores, Alabama, while Mustang baseball kicked off at the 61st Annual Avista-NAIA Baseball World Series in Lewiston, Idaho…
Baseball
On Friday, The Master’s University began its time at the 61st Annual Avista-NAIA Baseball World Series in Lewiston, Idaho, with a 7-3 victory over the University of Science & Arts (Okla.) in the opening game of the tournament.
Senior pitcher Jason Karkenny put in seven innings of work where he scattered four hits, allowed one earned run, and struck out nine to improve to 6-2. He retired nine of the first 10 batters he faced, shrugged off a three-run (two unearned) fourth inning by the Drovers, left the bases loaded in the sixth, and ended his seven-inning stint in style by striking out the last batter he faced.
Offensively, the No. 10 Mustangs rapped out 10 more hits against the No. 7 seed Drovers. TMU’s Jonah Jarrard (2-for-4, two RBIs) led the attack with David Sheaffer and Ryan Bricker also collecting two hits apiece.
Then, on Saturday, No. 2 seed Faulkner broke out the bats in a 13-5 victory. The loss snapped the Mustangs’ 10-game winning streak and dropped them into the consolation bracket of the national tournament.
Outhit 14-10, the Mustangs were paced by the 3-4-5 trio of Michael Sexton (3-for-5), Aaron Shackelford (3-for-4), and Sheaffer (2-for-4), who went a combined 8-13.
However, after a day’s rest, the Mustangs returned to action on Monday where they bounced back with a 9-2 victory over No. 4 seed Keiser (Fla.).
Michael Sexton led TMU past the Seahawks by going 3-for-5 at the plate with two extra base hits, four RBIs and one run scored. Robert Winslow (9-5) was named the winning pitcher after hurling 68 pitches against Keiser, scattering four hits, and giving up only two runs over five innings of work.
Now, on Tuesday at 3:00 p.m. the Mustangs (41-22) will play No. 1 seed Oklahoma City in the 14th game of the Avista-NAIA World Series.
Track & Field
Over the weekend, members from The Master’s University’s men’s and women’s track and field teams competed at the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships at the Mickey Miller Blackwell Stadium in Gulf Shores, Alabama.
Early Saturday morning, Josh Sherfey competed in the marathon and finished the event in 3:22:38.20.
Later on Saturday, TMU’s Alec Franco finished eighth in the men’s 3,000m steeplechase final at 9:32.65. Franco’s outstanding performance earned him NAIA All-American honors.
Rachael Ingoldsby competed in the women’s 3,000m steeplechase final where she finished in 12th place at 11:30.45. Ingoldsby’s performance in the steeplechase marked the third-fastest time in TMU program history.
In the men’s 1,500m final, Skyler Mikesell also earned NAIA All-American honors after finishing the event in eighth place at 3:54.40. Mikesell became the first Mustang in program history to earn NAIA All-American honors in the 1,500m.
Morgan Pedrick raced in the women’s 1,500m final where she placed 12th after clocking a final time of 4:54.61.
Finally, in the 5,000m, Abigail Frankian placed 11th after recording a time of 18:25.79.
“All of our athletes gave it everything they had,” commented TMU head coach Zach Schroeder. “For some of them, things didn’t quite work out the way we had hoped. For several of our guys, things went incredibly well, and we’re excited to bring home some NAIA All-American honors.
“We are reminded that our responsibility is to prepare well, but ultimately, the outcome is from the Lord. We are so thankful for the opportunity to compete to glorify God, to represent TMU, and to have shared so many special moments together as a team.”
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