LEE UNIVERSITY head coach Mark Brew, left, congratulates Mike Brown after he hit a home run at the Avista-NAIA World Series over the weekend. The Flames will return to the Lewiston, Idaho, diamond at 3 this afternoon to take on host Lewis-Clark State in an elimination game. The Warriors defeated Lee to win the 2008 national championship and hold a 4-2 edge in World Series games between the powerhouses.
The Flames (48-13) will face host Lewis-Clark State College (38-16), a 2-1 loser to Oklahoma City on Saturday night. It will mark the seventh time Lee and LCSC have tangled in the Series. The Warriors hold a 4-2 advantage.
Last year when the Flames finished second in the Series, they defeated Lewis-Clark 8-0, but back in 2008 the Warriors defeated Lee on back-to-back evenings to pull the title hopes away from coach Mark Brew’s club.
LCSC has almost always been a key factor in NAIA competition. Under the leadership of now retired coach Ed Cheff, the Warriors captured 16 World Series titles and hold a phenomenal 118-35 record in World Series competition. On the other hand, the Flames, making their sixth appearance in Lewiston, have posted 11 wins against 10 defeats.
“LC State is one of the most storied programs in the history of the NAIA. Coach (Gary) Picone has taken the reigns and has done an excellent job with the program in his first year. Watching them over the past few games it is obvious they still possess solid pitching. We will have to find a way to break through offensively and score some runs while continuing to get good pitching and defense,” said Lee head coach Mark Brew. “We have had some great battles with them over the past few years and I would expect much of the same tomorrow.”
Play begins on today with Concordia (Calif.) and Oklahoma Baptist squaring off at 11:30 a.m. (EDT). After the Flames and Warriors do battle, the action will shift back to the winner’s bracket. Embry-Riddle (Fla.) tests LSU-Shreveport and Lubbock Christian (Texas) will battle rival Oklahoma City in the nightcap.
Notes: The Flames attended an FCA breakfast, hosted by former Lee coach Davis Altopp on Sunday morning. Former University of Kentucky baseball coach Keith Madison delivered a powerful message to four teams, coaches and parents that attended the event….. The Flames then attended their annual morning service at the Clarkston (Wash.) First Baptist Church. It marked the fifth straight year that the Lee baseball team had attended the service…. Honorary coach Brad Cannon treated the players, coaches, parents to a barbeque lunch at the Lewiston Rodeo Grounds. Cannon, who has become a member of the Lee family, is the honorary coach for the fifth straight year…. It has been an unusual week in Lewiston. The temperatures has struggled to reach 70 and dropped into the 40’s at night. Rain showers moved in and out of the valley all day on Sunday.
