High caliber competition is in full swing in the men’s baseball PacWest competition and the Biola Eagles are right in the thick of the action. The squad is sitting right between longtime rivals Azusa Pacific University (APU) and new PacWest opponent Vanguard in the standings. All three are tussling for a shot at championship positioning, and the results could come all the way down to the wire.
THE STORY SO FAR
The Biola Eagles currently sit sixth in the PacWest standings with a respectable 10-10 conference record, only a hair behind fifth-place Vanguard’s 14-10 record. APU is just behind Biola at 11-11, with Biola having the edge due to the team’s overall record.
The team has shown great promise and competitiveness throughout this season so far. Freshman Luke Ballantyne’s six inning gem led the Eagles to a win against high-powered Point Loma. The squad followed that up by taking three out of four in their series against third-place Jessup, which included a record setting 25 run route in game two.
Coming out of the hotly contested APU series which splits the rewards of the four-game series, this year’s Eagles squad is ready to compete in some key series, starting with Vanguard.
THE VANGUARD SERIES
The standings are tight, with very little separating the fourth-place team from as far down as seventh. With a lot of season left to play, everyone in that top seven has to be confident in their chances at putting themselves in contention to get into the championship tournament. Only four teams get to go, though. Every game counts.
A four game freeway series will be played between Vanguard and Biola University in a 36-hour span through Friday, Mar. 28 and Saturday, Mar. 29.
CRUNCH TIME
The new PacWest rivals represent an obstacle on the path to the tournament they have worked so hard for this season, and it’s an opportunity that can’t be missed. It’s time to take care of business down South and come back home to close it out Saturday at the Eagle Diamond.
Major League Baseball kicked off their season on March 27, meaning baseball is back in action across the nation and it’s truly crunch time for the teams in the PacWest. If Biola wants to make the postseason for the first time as an NCAA Division II competitor, they must start with big wins this weekend.
