Former Hancock Baseball Stars to Play in NAIA World Series for Top Seeded Oklahoma Baptist University

Two former Allan Hancock College baseball players will play in the 2015 Avista-NAIA Baseball World Series. Felipe Gonzalez and Nathan Thompson, who graduated from Santa Ynez High School and played for Hancock in 2013-14, are both juniors at Oklahoma Baptist University. The Bison earned the top seed for the NAIA World Series which starts this Friday, May 22, in Lewiston, Idaho. OBU opens against either Concordia or St. Thomas on Saturday, May 23, at 6:30 p.m.  Last year, the Bison finished fourth in the nation.

The Bison enters the tournament 52-6 after winning the Shawnee Regional Bracket as the number one seed. The Bison lead the NAIA in scoring (9.1 runs per game).  

Gonzalez has started 53 games for the Bison. He ranks sixth among regulars with a .341 batting average and 41 RBI. The Santa Ynez High School graduate has scored 40 runs, hit 12 doubles, two home runs and drawn 30 walks.  Gonzalez has 16 multi-hit games this season for the Bison, including four games with three hits. He was a two-time All-Western State Conference selection for the Bulldogs.

Thompson has appeared in 15 games during his first season with Oklahoma Baptist, including seven starts. He enters the World Series with a 5-1 record and 3.55 ERA. He has struck out 67 hitters in 50.2 innings, and allowed just 43 hits.  The left-handed pitcher struck out a career-high 11 hitters in a win over Wayland Baptist. Thompson was a two-time All-Conference First Team pitcher for the Bulldogs. He ranks eighth all-time in Hancock history for career innings (173.1) and career strikeouts (143).

The NAIA World Series is a 10-team, double-elimination tournament. Nine of the 10 teams, including Oklahoma Baptist, earned their spots in the tournament by winning one of the nine National Championship Opening Rounds.  World Series games scheduled for next Wednesday, May 27, through Friday, May 29, will air live on ESPN3.