WEEKEND UPDATE: OKWU Eagles surge to 30th diamond win
Oklahoma Wesleyan University baseball has achieved the status where stunning success is commonplace and annual expectations perpetually exceed the bar of excellence.
To put it simply, the Eagles zoomed to the 30-win level again.
With Friday's 20-6 fracturing of Tabor (Kan.) University, OKWU improved to 30-11 and pumped fresh momentum its quest to pursue a NAIA regional berth.
This is the 12th-straight complete season OKWU has reached 30 victories. (The 2020 campaign was cancelled after 28 games, due to the national virus shutdown. OKWU had a 14-14 mark at the cessation.)
Since the beginning of the 2011 season -- Kelley's second year with the Eagles -- OKWU has accumulated 540 wins (540-207, .723).
Prior to Kelley's arrival for the 2010 campaign, the Eagles had made their strongest 30-win bid in 2009 (28-26).
After dialing out a 25-31 record in 2010, Kelley unlocked the potential of OKWU baseball by steering the team to a 39-28 mark -- and the national championship in the National Christian Collegiate Athletic Association World Series -- in 2011.
Kelley departed OKWU after that season, but his hand-picked protegee Matt Parker managed OKWU to more than 300 wins and two NAIA World Series appearances from 2012-2018.
Parker departed after 2018, opening the door for Kelley's return.
From 2019 through Friday, Kelley's Eagles have amassed a 176-66 record and one NAIA World Series berth.
The 2023 team is about three-quarters through a bizarre campaign, which so far has been more discombobulated than a drunken kangaroo. The results have been wobbly -- a 10 game winning streak, three-straight losses to national power Southeastern (Fla.), a spurt of 12 wins in 14 games, two back-to-back conference losses, eight more wins -- and they remained stuck at 29 wins through four consecutive conference setbacks until Friday's trouncing of Tabor.
Throughout the shifting plates of seismic tremors, the Eagles have maintained their footing as a nationally-ranked team (No. 25), and a contender for one of the top two spots in the KCAC standings.
Tabor felt the full force of the Eagles' impact -- seven extra base hits and 15 singles.
Jordyn Smith put the capper on the Eagles' offensive tsunami -- a grand slam homer to fuel a 15-run fifth-inning uprising.
But, amazingly, OKWU's leading hitter Tommy Davis didn't join in the swingin'-for-extra-bases marauders.
He did all his damage with three singles and four RBIs.
Josh Logan was the rogue of slash, ripping two doubles, a homer and driving in three runs.
Drenis Ozuna bruised Tabor pitching with a double, two singles and two RBI's, while Nicholas Chavez hammered two doubles and a single.
Other ball-sniping OKWU hitters included A'Darius Council, Jesus Rojas and Aaron Gerdes with two hits each.
Derek Ray scored two runs.
For Tabor, Brayden Whitchurch and Jackie Jimenez each homered.
On the pitching bump, Matthew Atencio started for OKWU and cruised to the win despite giving up 14 hits and two walks. He K'd seven batters. Klayton Coffman finished up the final two innings._
OKWU annual records, 2010-23
2010: 25-31 (Kirk Kelley)
2011: 39-28 (Kirk Kelley)
2012: 42-25 (Matt Parker)
2013: 31-23 (Matt Parker)
2014: 58-8 (Matt Parker)
2015: 49-14 (Matt Parker)
2016: 41-23 (Matt Parker)
2017: 51-12 (Matt Parker)
2018: 53-8 (Matt Parker)
2019: 45-11 (Kirk Kelley)
2020: 14-14 (Kirk Kelley)
2021: 49-11 (Kirk Kelley)
2022: 38-19 (Kirk Kelley)
2023: 30-11 (Kirk Kelley)
This article originally appeared on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: Oklahoma Wesleyan University baseball team snaps losing streak
