The defending NCCAA World Series champion Sunbirds begin their title defense with a best of three series against Bethesda beginning on Friday. The winner will take home the NCCAA West Region championship and advance to the World Series in Ohio, held May 20-23.

Bethesda (28-24) at Fresno Pacific (32-18)
Livestats

Game 1 - Friday, May 8, 11 am, FPU Diamond
Game 2 - Saturday, May 9, 12 pm, FPU Diamond
Game 3 (if necessary) - Saturday, May 9, 3 pm, FPU Diamond

*As an NCCAA playoff game, there will be no pass lists or FPU staff/student discounts available. General admission will be $3.
*As part of the NCCAA's commitment to Christian service, both teams will be participating in a canned food drive. Fans can contribute by bringing canned goods to the ticket window.

Game Notes
*Fresno Pacific ended the regular season by winning 11 of its last 12 PacWest games to finish 3rd in the conference, holding a tiebreaker over both Azusa Pacific and Point Loma due to head-to-head results.
*Bethesda comes into the playoffs on a hot streak as well, having won 15 of its last 19 games. The Flames' schedule has consisted of nearly all NAIA or unaffiliated teams, as Friday will mark just the team's third game this season against an NCAA opponent. Key wins this year include Menlo, Biola and Corban.
*The one opponent the two teams have in common is Point Loma. Bethesda lost to PLNU 2-1 and 10-0 in February while FPU took three out of four in a road series against the Sea Lions last month.
*In last season's NCCAA West Region championship, FPU went on the road to defeat Azusa Pacific by scores of 9-5 and 10-2. The Sunbirds then went on to 6-0 at the NCCAA World Series.
*The Bethesda baseball program is in its third season of existence and is making its first appearance in the postseason.
*This marks the first ever meeting between the two programs.
*The games will be played under special NCCAA playoff rules which include allowing for pinch-runners for the catcher, a 10-run mercy rule after seven innings and one-time re-entry into the lineup after substitution.

Previewing Bethesda

Bethesda has relied heavily on its offense this season, hitting .277 as a team and averaging more than six runs per game. The Flames' pitching, particularly the bullpen, has struggled at times, posting a 5.72 team ERA.

Key Hitters
Sr. Outfielder - Christopher Jacobs, .325 AVG, 5 HR, 35 RBI, 21 SB
Jr. Infielder - Jonathan Velasquez, .323 AVG, .425 OBP, 11 SB
Jr. Infielder - Dino Mares, .243 AVG, .424 OBP, 7 HR, 41 RBI
Jr. Catcher - Parker Franklin, .302 AVG, .410 OBP, 30 RBI

Pitching Staff
The Flames' pitching staff is led by senior ace Esau Madrigal (7-6, 4.12 ERA, 56 K, 6 CG). Madrigal has also hit .331 at the plate. Other possible starters include senior Jacinto Garcia (5-3, 4.48 ERA, 45 K) and sophomore Braxton Diaz (7-3, 4.65 ERA, 29 K). The team's top bullpen arm is freshman Adrian Peraza (2-2, 4.67 ERA), who's struck out 32 batters in 27 innings of work.

Previewing Fresno Pacific

The Sunbirds feature a strong lineup from top-to-bottom that is known for taking good at-bats and wearing down the opposition. The team has relied on its pitching, which ranks second in the PacWest with a 3.67 team ERA.

Key Hitters
*Junior outfielder Preston Scott leads the team in nearly every offensive category and comes in hitting .346/.419/.589 with 26 extra-base hits including seven homeruns and 46 RBI.
*Junior outfielder Baron Bower became the program's career stolen bases leader last week and heads into the series hitting .329 with a team-high .424 on-base percentage. The PacWest's top defensive outfielder, Bower also has five homeruns on the year.
*Steven Lozier has been on fire for the second half of the season. The senior outfielder has hit .356 with five homers and 13 RBI over the last 16 games, and sent the Sunbirds into the playoffs with a three-run walk-off homer against Holy Names in the final PacWest game.
*Seniors Michael Hostetler and Michael Tittle have been valuable pieces to the lineup, each hitting above or close to .300 all season. Tittle ranks second on the team with six homeruns and 32 RBI. The two are also tied for the team lead in stolen bases with 10 apiece.

Pitching Staff
The FPU staff is led by senior LHP Wilson Ashford, who holds nearly every pitching record in program history and enters this weekend's series with an 8-2 record and a PacWest-best 1.76 ERA. Senior LHP Drew Merlo (4-1, 3.25 ERA, 68 K) leads the PacWest in shutouts with three on the year. Senior RHP Eian Raeber (4-4, 2.92 ERA, 47 K) has been a big-game pitcher for the Sunbirds and is on a string of four straight quality starts.

The righty-lefty combo of Tanner Irwin (3-2, 2.20 ERA, 7 SV, 28 IP, 29 K) and Josh Medeles (2-1, 2.01 ERA, 4 SV, 49 IP, 49 K) has been devastating to opponents out of the bullpen.