May 22, 2006

May 22, 2006      (#3656)
For immediate release…….        
 
Malone College Sports This Week

May 25-27 (Thu.-Sat.) - Men's and Women's Track & Field at NAIA Outdoor National Championships (Fresno, California)
 
Last Week at a Glance 
 
Baseball - Malone defeats:
                              * Mid-Continent (KY) University  4-2
                              * MidAmerica Nazarene (KS) University  15-4
                              * Spring Arbor (MI) University  3-1
                              * Spring Arbor (MI) University  6-0
                    Malone loses to:
                              * Spring Arbor (MI) University  3-2
                    FINAL RECORD:  42-18  (17-7 AMC North)
                               * - Malone won the NCCAA national title (Clearwater, FL May 17-20)

Men's Golf - Malone placed ninth (among 28 teams) at the NAIA National Championships (Olathe, KS May 16-19); Scotty Jones earns NAIA All-America honors

For statistics and standings of Malone teams, check out www.malone.edu/athletics and/or www.amcsports.org.
 
Baseball Wins NCCAA National Title

     The Malone College baseball team claimed its first ever National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) national championship in Clearwater, Florida May 17-20.  The Pioneers, after earning an at-large bid to the national event, were seeded #1 in the eight-team double-elimination tournament.  Malone won its first three games of the event before losing in the first championship game but bouncing back in championship game number two to take the national title.
     Malone defeated #8 Mid-Continent (KY) University 4-2 in the first round, and then overwhelmed #4 MidAmerica Nazarene (KS) University in the second round 15-4.  The Pioneers then defeated #2 Spring Arbor (MI) University 3-1 in the semifinals.  In championship game number one, Malone lost to Spring Arbor (which had defeated MidAmerica Nazarene to get back into the championship game) by the score of 3-2.  But in the second and deciding championship game, the Pioneers blanked Spring Arbor 6-0 to take home the NCCAA national championship.
     Malone finished the remarkable 2006 campaign with a final record of 42-18, breaking the previous school record for wins in a season by six games (the 1993 team was 36-9-1).  The 2006 squad also set new single season marks for runs, hits, runs batted in, stolen bases and saves.  In addition, a number of Pioneers broke individual Malone baseball records which helped to secure the first national title in the program’s 44-year history.
     In the tournament opener against Mid-Continent, Malone grabbed a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning thanks to a two-run single by Scott McIlvain (Fr., Marlington H.S.).  The Pioneers then added a run in each of the next two innings en route to the 4-2 victory.  Kory Heppeard (Sr., Van Wert H.S.) started on the mound and earned the win after six strong innings of work in which he allowed just two runs on six hits while striking out three.  Anthony Barson (Sr., Timken H.S.) earned his tenth save of the season after tossing a 1-2-3 top of the seventh.
     In the second round game against MidAmerican Nazarene, Malone exploded to plate 15 runs over the first four innings in a dominating 15-4 victory.  Bob Dubovec (Jr., Kenston H.S.) recorded his eighth win of the season (8-4) after tossing six innings, giving up just two runs (one earned) on eight hits.  The Pioneers pounded out sixteen hits in the contest as Dubovec helped his own cause at the plate by going 4-4 with three RBI.  Jonathan Lutton (Fr., Louisville H.S.) added three RBI on three base hits, including a double and a solo homerun.
     Malone kept rolling in the semifinal round, claiming a 3-1 victory over Spring Arbor (MI) University.  The Pioneers jumped out to the early lead with two runs in the top of the first inning on RBI singles by McIlvain and Dubovec.  These two runs would be all the scoring needed as Barson dominated from the mound, earning a complete game victory (7-2) after surrendering just one run on four hits while striking out ten Cougar batters.
     In the first championship game against Spring Arbor, Malone fell behind 3-0 after two innings before tallying a pair of runs in the top of the fourth inning to trim the Cougars’ advantage to just one.  The Pioneers were unable to complete the comeback, though, falling by the slim 3-2 final.  Ryan Hartong (Fr., Dalton H.S.) started on the mound and took the loss (3-2) after allowing just three runs on eight hits over 4.1 innings pitched.  Malone mustered just four hits in the game as Dubovec went 1-3 with an RBI single.
     In the second and deciding championship game, Heppeard started on the mound and tossed a gem, dominating Spring Arbor with a complete game shutout performance to give the Pioneers the 6-0 championship victory.  Malone grabbed the early lead, scoring two runs on a first-inning double by Zac Barson (Fr., Canton South H.S.).  These two runs were all Heppeard would need as he shut down the Cougar offense, scattering just three hits and striking out five over his seven innings of work. 
     NOTE:  Malone senior pitcher Korey Heppeard (Van Wert H.S.) was named the 2006 NCCAA National Tournament MVP for his outstanding play during the tournament.  He had two victories in the tournament including the 6-0 complete-game three-hit shutout win over Spring Arbor in the final game to secure the NCCAA national title for Malone.
 
Men's Golf Team Finishes Ninth At NAIA National Championships; Scotty Jones Earns All-America Honors
 
     The Malone College men's golf team, led by veteran head coach Ken Hyland, had two main goals coming into the 55th annual NAIA National Championships in Olathe, Kansas May 16-19 -- to make the three-day cut (when the 28-team field is reduced to 17 teams) and to finish in the top ten at the event.  The Pioneers accomplished both objectives by earning a ninth-place finish overall while one Malone athlete earned NAIA All-America accolades.
     With a 293 on day one, Malone jumped out to fifth place but struggled on day two with a 313 to fall into a tie for 12th.  But on "cut day", the Pioneers rose to the occasion and shot the second-best round of the entire tournament with an even-par 288 to move back into seventh place.  A 307 on the final day of the event placed the squad in ninth place overall as the team accomplished its objective at the national tournament with a top-ten finish.
     Malone tallied a four-day score of 1201 (+49) as Oklahoma City University took the team title at 1154 (+2).  Johnson & Wales (FL) University was second at 1170, Oklahoma Christian University took third at 1171, St. Ambrose (IA) University placed fourth at 1184 and Point Loma Nazarene (CA) University rounded out the top five at 1187.
     For Malone, Scotty Jones (Jr., East Palestine H.S.) earned just the 10th NAIA All-America honor for men's golf at the College and the first in five years as he led the Pioneers with a four-day score of 296 (+8) to finish 19th overall.  Jones posted rounds of 73, 78, 70 and 75.  In addition, Jones also received the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) NAIA Second Team All-America award as voted on by the coaches (top 8 are First Team and next 8 are Second Team).
     Darren Phipps (So., Lake H.S.) finished 30th overall with a 300 score (76-77-70-77) while Grant Gates (Jr., River Valley H.S.) was next for Malone in 49th at 303 (71-79-71-82).  Scott Shenker (Sr., Twinsburg H.S.) finished 69th at 309 (73-79-80-77) while Jordan Grubb (Jr., Lake H.S.) came in 88th at 320 (84-81-77-78).
     In addition, Malone also placed fourth overall in the NAIA Men's Golf Scholar Team recognition with an impressive team GPA of 3.56.  The team GPA is tallied by averaging the top five GPA's on your team.
 
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