No. 14 Jags open NAIA Tournament vs. Keiser (FL)

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA. – UHV baseball has its sights set on more history this season.

The No. 14-ranked Jaguars (38-15) have set new single-season records for wins and shutouts (8), and are on pace to break the team ERA, strikeout and numerous other team records. They'll look to add the program's first-ever NAIA Baseball World Series appearance to the list of accolades this week at the Lawrenceville Bracket of the 2025 NAIA Baseball Championship Opening Round. It's UHV's fifth NAIA Tournament appearance and first-ever time receiving an at-large bid.

UHV, the No. 3-seed, squares off with No. 2-seeded Keiser (Fla.) at 2 p.m. CT Monday at Georgia Gwinnett College's Grizzly Baseball Complex.

"You look back over the regular season as a whole and you can't be anything but proud of the way the boys have handled themselves throughout the entirety of the season," said head coach Jonathan Stavinoha. "I'm excited for the next step here in the Opening Round. I think we match up very well and that we can compete in the Lawrenceville Bracket, and give ourselves a really good chance to go to the World Series."

It's the first time ever the Jaguars and Seahawks (35-15) have ever met on the diamond.

Despite facing an unfamiliar foe, Stavinoha says nothing will change in the team's approach and it's important to play their style of baseball.

"Keiser has always been a great team and well-coached," Stavinoha said. "They're gonna be able to hit the ball and do different things. But we've got to execute. If we execute and play our style of baseball, we're going to win most of the time. If we bring that attitude and effort into the matchup, I'm very confident in what we can do."

Despite losing their last two games in the Red River Athletic Conference Tournament, the Jaguars are still averaging 9.2 runs per game over their last six games.

Terry Burrel III (6), Jackson Purcell (6), DeeAndre Torres (5) and Jean Michael Gonzalez (4) are on extended hitting streaks. Cristian Garcia, who's .474 batting average ranks fifth nationally, has tallied six hits in his last two games and nine RBIs over the last six for UHV.

In the two losses to end the conference tournament against Louisiana Christian and Southwest, the Jaguars rallied to tie or take the lead after trailing by five or more runs in each contest. Stavinoha loves that his team has the confidence to be able to come back if needed, but stressed it's important to set the tone in the NAIA Tournament.

"I'd really like to set the tone early and jump out to big leads to put the pressure on somebody that way we can play our style of game," Stavinoha said. "That's what we like to do, but having the confidence to know we can come back from any deficit is a good thing to have. You're never out of a game if you can do that and give yourself a chance to win every single game no matter what."

Pitching is also magnified in the postseason.

UHV boasts the fourth-best pitching staff in the nation with a 3.64 team ERA. Both Jonathan Jones (108) and Brady Parker (107) have eclipsed the century mark in strikeouts, marking the first time UHV has had two pitchers do so in the same season. Justin Mireles earned his fourth save of the season in the RRAC Tournament, as well.

The pitching staff could face three Top 20 offenses in terms of batting average. Keiser ranks 19^th with a .335 average while top-seeded Georgia Gwinnett leads the nation at .383. Talladega (Ala.), the No. 4-seed, ranks 10^th at .354.

"Having great pitching is an equalizer," Stavinoha said. "Our starters didn't throw their best games at the conference tournament, but they're coming with something to prove here. They've waited all year for this and they're going to be ready to go. We're going to ride our staff and have the utmost confidence they'll come out, perform and shut the other team down to give us an opportunity to get to the World Series."