One game short in 2022. Just that close. The mission in 2023: get that final win. One year after reaching the championship series, the Madison College baseball team is back in Enid, Oklahoma, for the 2023 NJCAA Division II World Series and again have their eyes on the prize of the program's fourth national title.

The WolfPack are making their fifth straight appearance, 11^th in the last 14 years, and 12^th overall at the Division II national tournament. It's also the program's 17^th all-time appearance in a national tournament, and the Pack will be playing for their fourth national title and first since completing a three-peat in Division III in 1997. Game one comes Saturday night when Madison College, playing as the #4 seed, takes the field at David Allen Memorial Ballpark to square off with #5-seed St. Johns River State College. The winner advances to the quarterfinal round on Monday, while the loser will play again Sunday in an elimination game.

2023 NJCAA Division II World Series Information | Tournament Website | Tournament Bracket | Tournament Results Page

Since starting the season ranked #2 in the NJCAA Division II Poll, Madison College has remained a staple in the top ten all season. Much like the 2022 season, the Pack used a successful spring break trip to Arizona to springboard their season. An 8-2 experience in the desert started with a six-game win streak and included two losses to another World Series qualifier, Glendale Community College. A ten-game win streak carried the team from a rain-soaked late-March into April, and since splitting a road doubleheader at Black Hawk College on May 1, the WolfPack has put together a season-best 12-game win streak that includes a perfect 6-0 mark in postseason play.

The Madison offense has produced 8.25 runs a game, while the defense has limited opposing batters to just over four runs a contest. From March 24 to April 15, the WolfPack produced nine or more runs in 15 of 18 games, including nine straight. The defense has produced three shutouts and kept the opposition to two runs or less on 20 occasions. In the Region 4 Tournament, Madison College outscored the competition by a 54-16 margin.

Uncertain who was going to fill the void from the departure of 21 players of the 2022 squad, head coach Mike Davenport was able to call on several returning and new players throughout the season.
Sophomores Alex Hayes and Chris Byhre lead the pitching staff with records of 8-0 and 7-2, respectively, and both have earned run averages under 3.00. Hayes owns a team-best 76 strikeouts on the year, while freshman Grant Ross boasts four saves, a 2-0 record, and a 0.00 ERA over six plus innings. Three others have also registered a save. The pitching corps has received significant contributions from Andres Kleinsek, Michael Carpenter, Nick West, Ben Kasten, Liam Stumpf, and Kellan Short, among others.



At the dish, freshman catcher Will Johannes has provided the pop with a team-high 11 home runs, which ties for the fifth most in a single season in team history, 52 runs scored, and 50 runs batted in. Ross, who predominantly plays third base, owns the top batting average at .377, and is third in hits and second in stolen bases. Sophomore Gabe Roessler's 54 hits leads the Pack, with Johannes and Ross right behind with more than 50.

Saturday's opener will mark the first meeting with St. Johns River State College, who is making its first national tournament appearance. The Vikings arrive in Enid with a 44-17 record and are ranked five spots behind the WolfPack at #12. In all, nine of the ten teams in the field were ranked in the final poll, with several making their first appearance or ending a significant national tournament drought in 2023. The Pack has met four teams in the tournament field in prior trips to Enid, and is a combined 4-0 against #1 Heartland Community College, #6 Southeastern Community College, and #10 Frederick Community College.

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