WEEK 12: NAIA BALL BIG SERIES OF THE WEEK
Salina, Kansas – With just two weekends left in the regular season, two of the best from the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference will meet in Salina, Kansas, to help determine who gets the advantage in clinching the regular season title and punching their ticket first to the national tournament. As the season comes down to the wire, so does the KCAC, with an automatic qualifier bid on the line, and both of these teams separated by one game.
HISTORY
Oklahoma Wesleyan leads the all-time series over Kansas Wesleyan 24-19. When these teams meet in Salina, Kansas, the series is tied 8-8. In their last ten matchups, Kansas Wesleyan holds the advantage, going 6-4 over Oklahoma Wesleyan. In 2023, Kansas Wesleyan went 4-1 over Oklahoma Wesleyan in their five matchups, all either on the road or at a neutral location.
SCHEDULE – All times local
Saturday, April 20th at 2 pm
Saturday, April 20th at 5 pm
Saturday, April 21st at 1 pm
How to Watch
THE TEAMS
Kansas Wesleyan (35-8/26-4) has built off a strong 2023, where they were an Opening Round finalist, and carried all of that into 2024. The Yotes are hitting .332 as a team in the wildly offensive KCAC this season. They’ve hit 98 homers and 228 total extra-base hits on the year. The KCAC is stacked with offenses that can mash at the plate, and KWU is definitely one of them. On the mound, Kansas Wesleyan has a staff earned run average of 4.37 in 331.1 innings pitched this year. Two starters have already surpassed 10 starts on the year with 54-plus innings pitched. As a team, they have a K/9 (strikeouts per nine innings played) of 10.05. Kansas Wesleyan currently holds a one-game lead on Oklahoma Wesleyan headed into the weekend. Next week, the Yotes will travel to Missouri to take on Avila.
Oklahoma Wesleyan (30-13/25-5) did not make the postseason in 2023 despite winning 38 games and having a record of 38-16 (the multiple conference auto bid giveth and taketh away). The Eagles are back to their offensive ways with a .337 team average, which is currently the second-best in the conference. OKWU has amassed 490 hits, 408 runs batted in, 70 homers, and 188 extra-base hits in 43 games this year. On the mound, the Eagles’ staff has an earned run average of 6.55 in 338 innings of play. Oklahoma Wesleyan sits one game behind Kansas Wesleyan with two weeks to play. After this matchup, the Eagles will travel to Ottawa, Kansas, to face the Braves in the regular season finale.
STAFF PICKS
Robby- KWU
Conner- KWU
Taylor- KWU
Tyler- KWU
