Baseball Earns Tourney Berth

April 30, 2007

WEATHERFORD, Okla. -- Southwestern Oklahoma State University muscled its way into the Lone Star Conference Post-Season Baseball Tournament joining five other league heavyweights in a double-elimination tournament beginning Saturday, May 5 in Abilene, Texas.

The Bulldogs, 22-30 on the year, earned the tournament’s fourth seed by finishing second in the LSC’s North Division with a 16-8 record. The tournament features the top three teams from both the LSC North and South Divisions. SWOSU will begin play Saturday at 11 a.m. against third seed Angelo State (40-16). Other first round games are top seeded Abilene Christian (44-11) against sixth-seeded Texas A&M-Kingsville (27-27) and North champ Central Oklahoma (38-16-1) against fifth-seeded Southeastern Oklahoma (29-26). The winner earns an automatic berth into the NCAA Division II Regional Tournament.

SWOSU will be making its second-ever LSC Tournament berth and its first since the 2002 season. The Bulldogs made a spectacular turnaround this year after a dismal 4-22 beginning. SWOSU went 18-8 down the stretch and spent time in first place of the LSC North.

Retiring SWOSU coach Charles Teasley said that reaching the LSC Tournament was quite an accomplishment considering all the adversity the team faced especially during the first half of the season.

“This team has come a long ways in the last month and a half," Teasley said.  “There is no pressure on us. No one is expecting us to do much. We’ve been the underdogs all season, and I don’t see that role changing in the tournament.”

Teasley’s squad is a combined 5-17 against the five tournament teams, including an ominous 0-for-12 against South Division teams.

“Everybody is 0-0 when this begins,” Teasley said.  “Nothing we did at the beginning matters, same for the end. We realize the importance of getting off to a good start and then making the plays at the end that win ballgames.”

The Bulldogs are expected to throw right-hander Chris Morrison against the Rams on Saturday. Morrison is 5-4 on the year and threw a two-hit, complete game shutout in his last start against East Central University.

Win or lose, SWOSU will next play Sunday at 3 p.m. against either Abilene Christian or Texas A&M-Kingsville.

All games involving SWOSU in the LSC Tournament will be broadcast live on KWEY 95.5 FM with Chuck Edwards calling all the action.