#18 Fresno Pacific vs. #20 Belhaven (Miss.), 12:30 pm (Pacific)
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The road to the NAIA World Series begins on Thursday for the second-seeded Sunbirds as they play an important first game vs. three-seed Belhaven. On paper, the teams look pretty evenly matched at #18 and #20 in the NAIA rankings. Both teams spent most of the season higher in the polls.

Thursday's game is crucial, as both teams want to avoid falling into the loser's bracket right off the bat. The winner likely gets a shot at top-seed Oklahoma City, the #2 team in the NAIA.

The Sunbirds have the option of throwing either Jesse Darrah (6-1, 2.60 ERA, 90 K) or Matt Mazzoni (7-1, 2.88 ERA, 64 K) while Belhaven will counter with either Allen Johnson (6-4, 2.69 ERA, 74 K) or Brett Blaise (8-1, 3.25 ERA, 60 K).

Both teams may want to save their ace (Darrah or Johnson) for a potential matchup with Oklahoma City, the NAIA's top offense, on Friday. That matchup doesn't happen without a win on Thursday however.

Each of the tournament's bottom seeds, Texas-Brownsville and Doane, held back their ace in game one. Both teams have one very good pitcher, then a big dropoff. This makes today's game between FPU and Belhaven more important because the loser will be forced to face one of the NAIA's top pitchers in an elimination game.

Follow @fpusunbirds on Twitter to get live updates throughout the game or check the livestats link at the top of this page.



#2 Fresno Pacific (30-19)
Location: Fresno, California
Enrollment: 1,040
Nickname: Sunbirds
Colors: Navy Blue & Orange
Conference: Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC)

Season Summary
FPU comes in ranked #18 in the NAIA, dropping three spots after losing both games at the GSAC Tournament last week. The Sunbirds finished third in arguably the toughest conference in the NAIA, going 23-13.

The team peaked in March, reaching as high as #6 in the national rankings after going on a 13-3 span that included taking three of four from conference champion Cal Baptist. FPU is the only team this season to have taken a series from the #3 Lancers.

After taking the first two games from second-place Biola in April the team appeared to have a good shot at winning the conference. But two road losses to the Eagles that weekend, followed by a home loss to lowly San Diego Christian the next week, derailed those expectations. FPU played well at the conference tournament, but two bullpen meltdowns led to an early exit.

FPU played one of the top-five toughest schedules in the nation and earned a key non-conference win over #17 British Columbia.

Players to Watch
The Sunbirds feature a potent lineup with a good combination of speed, power and ability to hit for average. Andrew Douglas has been the most consistent performer, batting .345 and leaeding the team in numerous categories including stolen bases.

Wes Dorrell has been equally as impressive when healthy, hitting .324 with a shockingly-low seven strikeouts in 185 plate appearances on the season. He leads the team with six home runs.

Jesse Darrah was far and away the best pitcher in the GSAC this season, looking nearly unhittable at times and leading the conference with 90 strikeouts. However the Sunbird ace has labored in his last two starts. Look for Darrah to get back on track in this regional against hitters that haven't seen him before.

The defense behind that pitching has been some of the nation's best. Their .974 fielding percentage is second in the NAIA behind Oklahoma City. Gold-glove shortstop Alec Mehrten has played a big role, but third baseman Scott Laird, catcher Michael Vaughn and outfielder Tyler Pryor among others have impressed.

Tournament History
The Sunbirds hosted a regional as the #2 seed last season, but were eliminated by top-seed British Columbia. In 2009, FPU traveled to Sioux City, Iowa for a regional and advanced to the World Series, despite losing the first game. The Sunbirds went 1-2 in their first World Series, including a walk-off home run by Dwight Nixon.


#3 Belhaven (43-16)
Location: Jackson, Mississippi
Enrollment: 2,951
Nickname: Blazers
Colors: Green & Gold
Conference: Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC)

Season Summary
Belhaven enters the regional ranked #20 in the NAIA. The Blazers finished 11-7 in a conference that featured six ranked teams, then won the SSAC tournament last week to earn an automatic bid to the regional. The team has an impressive 3.16 team ERA and .311 batting average.

The Blazers are also one of the few teams in the nation that can boast of a win over Oklahoma City. Belhaven defeated OCU 8-7 in 12 innings back in February.

Players to Watch
Outfielder Jimmy Gilford has been the sparkplug for the Blazers this season, he leads the team with a .382 batting average, 19 doubles and six triples. Outfielder Tyler Wrinkle is batting .360 and is tied for the team lead with five home runs. Ryan Saunders (.349), Lake Eiland (.348) and Anthony Doss (.340) are also major contributors.

The Blazer pitching staff is led by Allen Johnson (6-4, 2.69 ERA, 74 K). Brett Blaise (8-1, 3.25 ERA, 60 K) gives the team a solid number two. Josh Clarke has been a stellar closer, notching 10 saves with a 1.12 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 32 innings.

Tournament History
Last season the Blazers reached the NAIA World Series for the first time, hosting a regional and winning it to advance to Idaho. There the Blazers lost 9-1 to Point Loma Nazarene in the first game and were eliminated after going 1-2.