David Futrelle, Gardner-Webb

Honorable Mention All-American Scott Anderson, Hillsdale Free Will Baptist College Adam Brinkley, Bethel College Scott Crawford, Mount Vernon Nazarene College Joe Durski, Piedmont College Camron Laycock, Oakland City University Kyle Perry, Nyack College Dave Romain, Crichton College Chad Shindle, Dallas Baptist University Joey Siak, Gardner-Webb University Chad Simmons, Crichton College David Stevens, Hillsdale Free Will Baptist College Scott Townsend, Louisiana College Dan Vlacovsky, Malone College Brian Welp, Oakland City University

Scholar-Athletes Greg Guzzo, Trinity Christian College Mark Coulter, Mount Vernon Nazarene College Scott Sowers, Malone College Jason Smit, Trinity Christian College Player of the Year Eric Stults, Bethel Pitcher of the Year Andy Priola, Faulkner Coach of the Year Mike Hutcheon, Bethel Unlimited Potential Player of the Year Mark Coulter, Mt. Vernon Nazarene

All Tournament Team Aaron Adams, Indiana Wesleyan UniversityJason Blurton, Hillsdale Free Will Baptist CollegeStacy Boykin, Faulkner UniversitySam Bradford, Gardner-Webb University Espinal Edwin, Nyack CollegeNick Fletcher, Faulkner UniversityTom Gifford, Bethel CollegeMarcel Guavara, Bethel College Patrick Lantrip, Faulkner UniversityCamron Laycock, Oakland City UniversityJeremy Riffle, Bethel CollegeShane Roberts, Oakland City UniversityKyle Shultz, Greenville CollegeJoey Siak, Gardner- Webb University Nick Treadway, Bethel College

2001 Tournament

MARSHALL -- Sometimes, baseball games are not determined by inches, but rather by pitches. Or, in the case of the East Texas Baptist University Tigers, a single pitch.

The Tigers, playing in the National Christian College Athletic Association World Series championship game Saturday night in Celina, Ohio, held a 4-3 lead over Faulkner University with two outs and a man on in the top of the seventh. And that1s when fate struck down ETBU and senior lefthander Marty Mayfield. Faulkner first baseman Matt Ames hit a two-out, two-strike, two-run home run, and ETBU (30-15) stranded the tying run at third base in the bottom of the inning as the Eagles grabbed a 5-4 win in the national title game, denying retiring Tiger skipper Jim Kneipp a national championship in his final game.

"One strike away . . . it1s hard to believe," said Kneipp, who leaves ETBU after 18 seasons with another memorable finish. "It1s very disappointing, but I am not disappointed in my ballclub. They overcame some very tough situations this week and got into the national championship game by playing our kind of baseball. We just came up a little short."

One of those tough situations facing the Tigers at the World Series was the weather, which completely wiped out the double elimination format and turned the tournament into a one-day, single-elimination affair between eight teams on Saturday. The Tigers advanced to the semifinals with a 13-3 pounding of Malone College, led by a pair of three-run homers by Shaun Seago and Justin Terry and the pitching of NCCAA National Pitcher of the Year Gifford Whitehead. ETBU then qualified for the title game when senior righthander and 2000 NCCAA All-American Jared Landry, out for most of the season with an injury, tossed a no-hitter at Mount Vernon Nazarene College and got a two-out, two-run homer from Seago in the bottom of the seventh to post a 4-2 win.

That brought on Faulkner, an NAIA school from Montgomery, Alab., which had knocked off top seed and defending national champion Olivet Nazarene 5-3 in the other semifinal.

The Tigers, who had rallied from a 3-1 deficit to tie the score at 3-3, took the lead in the bottom of the sixth when Terry led off with a double and scored on Seago1s two-out double to the wall in center. Mayfield, who had come on in relief of starter Wes Mansfield in the fourth, struck out the leadoff hitter in the seventh before allowing an infield single. Mayfield then struck out the next hitter for the second out, bringing the Tigers to the edge of the title.

Ames, a sophomore first baseman for Faulkner, fell behind 0-2 before fouling off a pitch and then getting the call on a check swing. He then hit a low Mayfield breaking ball over the wall in left-center for the game-winning home run.

"I knew we were one pitch away from winning it," said Kneipp, "but I also knew we were one pitch away from being behind. That1s just baseball."

The Tigers put runners at first and third with two outs in the bottom half of the inning, but Faulkner coaxed a grounder to short from Terry to end the game.

The Tigers finish the season as the national runnerup in the NCCAA, becoming the third ETBU squad to finish second at a national tourney this season. The Lady Tiger basketball team and softball team finished second at their respective championship tournaments as well.

Whitehead (10-2) and Mayfield (8-7) were named NCCAA All-Americans following the tournament, with Seago being named honorable mention All-American. Seago, Mayfield and Landry were named to the All- World Series team as well.

Whitehead, in addition to being named the NCCAA National Pitcher of the Year, was also chosen as he NCCAA Central Region Player of the Year. He was joined on the All-Central Region team by Mayfield, Seago and junior rightfielder Nathan Haas.

Whitehead leaves ETBU as the Tigers' career leader in innings pitched and strikeouts, and he now ranks second on the all-time list in career wins. He also tied the mark for wins in a season, tying Landry1s record of 10 set in 2000. Mayfield also set a new single-season record for strikeouts, with 117. Kneipp leaves ETBU with a record 411 wins with the Tigers.

Championship Celina, Ohio May 17-19, 2001 Round 1 Results Malone vs. Greenville (7-1) Faulkner vs. Oakland City (9-0) East Texas Baptist vs. Gardner-Webb (3-2) Bethel vs. Spring Arbor (4-0) Greenville vs. Gardner-Webb (3-2) Oakland City vs. Spring Arbor (3-1) Round 2 Results Mt. Vernon Nazarene vs. Greenville (3-1) Olivet Nazarene vs. Oakland City (5-1) East Texas Baptist vs. Malone (13-3) Faulkner vs. Bethel (5-4) Round 3 Results East Texas Baptist vs. Mt. Vernon Nazarene (4-2) Faulkner vs. Olivet Nazarene (5-3) Championship Round Faulkner vs. East Texas Baptist (5-4) Awards All-American Beaver, Jason Mid-America Bible College Boughner, Anthony Ohio Valley College Clewis, Jason Emmanuel College Colling, Ben Olivet Nazarene University Crawford, Scott Mount Vernon Nazarene College Dever, Jared Malone College Heefner, Dan Olivet Nazarene University Konas, Clay Gardner-Webb University Mayfield, Marty East Texas Baptist Bible College O'Neal, Jason Spring Arbor University Senez, Eddie Emmanuel College Stevens, Dustan Indiana Wesleyan University Stults, Eric Bethel College Sykes, Tony Olivet Nazarene University Waddell, Mike Mount Vernon Nazarene College Welp, Brian Oakland City University Whitehead, Gifford East Texas Baptist Bible College All-Tournament Team Adair, Reed Faulkner University Ames, Matt Faulkner University Coulter, Mark Mount Vernon Nazarene College Crist, Brian Olivet Nazarene University Dever, Jared Malone College Landry, Jared East Texas Baptist Bible College Mayfield, Marty East Texas Baptist Bible College Priola, Andy Faulkner University Rowe, Adam Mount Vernon Nazarene College Seago, Shawn East Texas Baptist Bible College Stults, Eric Bethel College Zobrist, Ben Olivet Nazarene University

Tournament MVP Adair, Reed Faulkner University

Scholar Athletes Batthauer, Brian Olivet Nazarene University Bishop, Ryan Malone College Bolemon, Britt Emmanuel College Boston, Jonathan Malone College Clewis, Jason Emmanuel College Culp, Bill Geneva College D'Angelo, Dave Geneva College Freels, Eric Trinity International University (IL) Grater, Gary Geneva College Heefner, Dan Olivet Nazarene University Hicks, Brent Oakland City University Janicki, Ron Geneva College Lavin, Jeff Mount Vernon Nazarene College Pene, Robert Spring Arbor University Ruso, Derek Geneva College Wibbeler, Brad Oakland City University Wine, Jeff Mount Vernon Nazarene College

National Player of the Year Heimbach, Andy Mount Vernon Nazarene College Unlimited Potential Player of the Year Forman, Wayne Spring Arbor University Coach of the Year Barker, Brent Faulkner University

2000 Championship Championship Indiana Wesleyan University Marion, Indiana May 24-27, 2000 Round 1 Results Malone vs. Nyack (3-2) East Texas Baptist vs. Indiana Wesleyan (6-4) Faulkner vs. Emmanuel (4-0) Oakland City vs. Trinity Christian (13-6) Malone vs. Olivet Nazarene (15-3) Spring Arbor vs. Oakland City (13-2) Round 2 Results Emmanuel vs. Trinity Christian (9-0) Indiana Wesleyan vs. Nyack (12-0) Olivet Nazarene vs. Emmanuel (14-0) Oakland City vs. Indiana Wesleyan (6-2) Round 3 Results Malone vs. East Texas Baptist (9-2)