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Leathernecks’ Title Hunt Begins Wednesday

Western Illinois meets Omaha in the first round of the Summit League Tournament.

Tournament Details: Oral Roberts will play host to the 2019 Summit League Tournament (May 22-25) at J.L. Johnson Stadium in Tulsa, Okla. The four-team field includes Omaha, South Dakota State, the host ORU and Western Illinois, and the winner will receive the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. 

All games will be streamed live on thesummitleague.org. 

First Round (May 22) 
No. 1 Omaha vs. No. 4 Western | 12 p.m.
No. 2 South Dakota State vs. No. 3 Oral Roberts | 6 p.m. 

The tournament format is a double elimination.

Parking/Tickets: The following ticket options will be available for the 2019 Baseball Championship.

All-Session | Box $75.00; Reserved $60.00; General Admission $45.00
Single Game | Box $20.00; Reserved $15.00; General Admission $10.00

All-session tickets are available by calling the ORU ticket office at 918-495-7546 or by visiting mabeecenter.com. Single-game tickets go on sale May 22 at 10 a.m. Parking for the general public will be available in Lots F-1, F-2, and G.

Race to the Finish: The fourth and final spot of the Summit League Tournament was decided in the last game of the regular season, and Western Illinois secured it thanks to a 13-3, win-and-in victory over Purdue Fort Wayne.
 
The Leathernecks recorded at least one run in each of the first five innings, while left-handed pitcher Alex Dorethy held the Mastodons hitless.

School History: Western crowned its league schedule with 16 wins, which is the most ever in school history. Dating back to 1985, the team had previously recorded no more than 14 league wins in a single season, and the feat last accomplished a year ago.

On the Hunt: Western seeks its first-ever Summit League Championship title, after finishing runner-up on four different occasions; the Leathernecks most recently advanced to the title game in the 2014 season, where it fell to North Dakota State, 9-0. Matt Risdon, a Western alum and assistant coach, was a member of that 2014 team. 

A Little History: Omaha swept the first series meeting, but the Leathernecks avenged the setback by taking two out of the three at Alfred D. Boyer Stadium. 

2019 Series Leaders vs. Omaha 

•    Kevin Raisbeck recorded a team-best seven hits (7-for-23; .304) while Deion Thompson brought in the most runs with seven RBI
•    Javin Drake has pitched 16 complete innings against the Mavericks, and has given up only two runs (one earned); he struck out 17
•    Jace Warkentien has seen the second most action on the mound versus UNO with 12 innings pitched, eight runs (five earned), and nine Ks

Drue's Crue: It has never been about the records for the Leatherneck outfielder, but Drue Galassi has joined some elite company. This season, he entered the programs all-time rankings at ninth all-time in home runs (19) and eighth in RBI (102). 

The junior is currently one shy of tying for ninth all-time in triples, where he currently manages eight in his four-year career. 

Simply the Best: Javin Drake just strikes hitters out. In fact, the junior pitcher has 105 Ks this season, two shy of setting Western's single-season record. 

Drake has struck out at 10 batters in four starts this year, including a career-high 12 at Oral Roberts (May 4). He currently guides all Summit League pitchers in the category, sitting 26th in the nation.

Streaks: Kevin Raisbeck has reached base in 25 consecutive games, which is the Leathernecks' longest streak since former catcher Adam McGinnis recorded 27 back in 2017. 

Raisbeck joined the Leathernecks ahead of the 2019 season, after transferring in from Ellsworth Community College, and is currently second on the team in batting average (.298) with 51 hits and a team-best 36 runs. 

They'll Run: Western Illinois has never been shy on the base paths, and currently leads The Summit League with 70 stolen bases. 

Deion Thompson leads the team with 15 while Drue Galassi adds 13. On the opposite side of the equation, catcher CJ Schaeffer Jr. has caught a league-leading 21 runners stealing.

Once, Twice, Three Times The Pitcher of the Week: No. 42 Javin Drake is currently ranked No. 26 in all of Division I baseball with 105 strikeouts. At home against Omaha, Western Illinois' right-handed pitcher fanned seven in a complete game shutout over Omaha, and with the success, came his third career Summit League Pitcher of the Week honor (May 13).
 
2019 Summit League Honors
February 25
Player of the Week: Kevin Raisbeck
March 11
Co-Pitcher of the Week: Javin Drake
April 8
Player of the Week: Drue Galassi
Pitcher of the Week: Javin Drake
May 6
Player of the Week: Kevin Raisbeck
May 13
Pitcher of the Week: Javin Drake
 

 
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