PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State University baseball team has earned the No. 4 seed for the 2018 NCAA Division II Central Regional, which runs May 17-21 at Magnolia, Ark.

The Gorillas will meet fifth-seeded Augustana (S.D.) University at 10 a.m. (CDT) Thursday (May 17) at Walker Stadium at Goodheart Field on the campus of the host school, Southern Arkansas University.

Ticket prices for the Central Regional are:  $8 adult, $6 students w/ID & Seniors and $3 children (ages 7-12). Children 6 and under will be admitted free when accompanied by a paying adult. Single game tickets will be good for an entire day's action. There will be no tournament passes.

The contest will be broadcast live in the Four States on the Gorilla Sports Network on the radio dial at 100.7 FM, 107.9 FM and 1340 AM. Veteran broadcaster Eddie Lomshek will call the action. Fans can hear ESPN 100.7's live broadcasts anywhere in the world on the internet at: www.espn1007.com/go. The game also can be heard through the ESPN 100.7 app for phones or mobile devices.

The game also will be available via a free live web stream at livestream.com/accounts/10140781.

With a victory against the Vikings, the Gorillas will advance in the winner's bracket for a 5 p.m. match-up Friday (May 18) against the winner of No. 1 seed Southern Arkansas and No. 8 seed Emporia State University. With a loss, Pitt State will drop into the loser's bracket and face an elimination game against the loser of the Muleriders and Hornets game at 10 a.m. Friday.

2018 Central Regional Bracket
Thursday, May 17                                               Friday, May 18
Game 2 – No. 4 PSU (33-19) vs. No. 5 Augie (44-8), 10 a.m.     Game 5 – Loser game 1 vs. Loser game 2, 10 a.m.
Game 1 – No. 1 SAU (36-17) vs. No. 8 ESU (33-22), 1:30 p.m.    Game 6 – Loser game 3 vs. Loser game 4, 1:30 p.m.
Game 3 – No. 2 UCM (37-16) vs. No. 7 OBU (31-17), 5 p.m.       Game 7 – Winner game 1 vs. Winner game 2, 5 p.m.
Game 4 – No. 3 UCO (35-19) vs. No. 6 SCSU (29-15), 8:30 p.m.   Game 8 – Winner game 3 vs. Winner game 4, 8:30 p.m.

Saturday, May 19                                               Sunday, May 20
Game 9 – Winner game 6 vs. Loser game 7, 11 a.m.               Game 12 – Winner game 9 vs. Winner game 10, Noon
Game 10 – Winner game 5 vs. Loser game 8, 3 p.m.               Game 13 – Winner game 12 vs. Loser game 11, 3:30 p.m.
Game 11 – Winner game 7 vs. Winner game 8, 7 p.m.
                                                               Monday, May 21
                                                               Game 14 – Winner game 11 vs. Winner game 13, Noon
                                                               Game 15 – Winner game 14 vs. Loser game 14 (if necessary), 3:30 p.m.

The Record
Pitt State enters the NCAA Division II Central Regional with a 33-19 overall record.  The Gorillas posted a 2-2 record in the 2018 MIAA Postseason Tournament last week, before bowing out in the tournament semifinals.

Pitt State has eclipsed 30 wins for the eighth time in program history – the first time since 2004.  The Gorillas have a 4-8 overall record in NCAA Regional games. Pitt State posted a 2-2 record en route to reaching the 1999 NCAA Central Regional Final at Warrensburg, Mo., before falling, 6-2, to Rockhurst University.

Pitt State has compiled a 796-783 (.504) record in 39 years of intercollegiate play. The Gorillas fielded an NAIA program from 1962-72 and Pitt State restarted its program as an NCAA Division II member in 1991.

Pitt State is 4-0 all-time against Augustana with the last meeting coming in 2002.  The Gorillas are 1-2 vs. SAU, 37-75 vs. ESU, 14-73 vs. UCM and 11-17 vs. UCO.  Pitt State has not previously met OBU or SCSU.

Head Coach Tom Myers
Tom Myers is in his second year as head coach at Pittsburg State. He has compiled a 56-46 (.549) record in his short tenure leading his alma mater, after posting a 23-27 overall mark in 2017.

Myers became the fourth head coach in program history on May 11, 2016, after serving two years as Associate Athletic Director for Facilities at Pitt State.

Prior to joining the Pitt State administrative staff, Myers enjoyed a decorated seven-year career as head baseball coach at the University of Central Missouri, where he compiled a 311-91 (.774) record and led the Mules to four MIAA regular season titles, four MIAA Tournament crowns and three NCAA Division II Regional championships.

Myers led the Mules to the NCAA Tournament in six of his seven seasons and played for the regional title in five of those years. His teams captured three regional championships, making three appearances in the NCAA Division II World Series, including a fourth-place national finish in his first season, 2008.

Prior to taking the head coach job at UCM, Myers spent the previous four seasons as an assistant coach at Kansas State University and, before that, three seasons as an assistant coach at UCM, including the Mules' 2003 Division II national championship season.

Scouting the Gorillas
Pitt State is batting .334 as a team and scoring 7.9 runs per game heading into the Central Regional. Defensively, the Gorillas have a .964 fielding percentage and a 4.98 team ERA. The Gorillas lead the MIAA in batting average and rank second in the conference in runs scored and third in the MIAA in fielding percentage.

Senior shortstop Colton Pogue (3rd, .396), junior designated hitter Reece Garvie (11th, .368) and senior outfielder Joven Afenir (14th, 358) rank in the top 20 in the MIAA in batting average. Pogue leads the league in runs scored (62). He has a team-leading 18 doubles and nine home runs.

Pogue ranks seventh in Pitt State's top 10 list in single season runs. He needs 10 more runs scored to match PSU head coach Tom Myers' school record of 72 runs scored in 1998.

Senior outfielder Andrew Vogelbaugh is Pitt State's career record holder for hits (220), home runs (46) and RBIs (178). He has played in 182 career games for the Gorillas. Vogelbaugh is batting .265 with 11 doubles, eight home runs and 28 RBIs in 40 games played this season. He has missed the Gorillas' last 12 games with a foot injury.

Senior LHP Cooper Gardner is tied for second place in PSU history with 17 career victories (with Jason Clemensen, 2002-03). He has compiled 174 career strikeouts, needing one more strikeout to pass Daryl Cronk (1996-99) for sole possession of fourth place (174) on PSU's career strikeouts list. Gardner has a team-leading 7-3 record with a 3.10 ERA in 20 appearances this spring.

Senior RHP Cody White has a 2-1 record with a 2.74 ERA in 18 appearances this spring. He notched his 11th save of the season against Nebraska-Kearney in the MIAA Tournament to tie Derek Smith (11, 2004) for the school's single-season save record.

Ten members of the Pitt State squad earned All-MIAA honors.

Garvie, Pogue and senior second baseman Dallas Reed (.358 BA, 38 runs) all garnered first-team All-MIAA honors, while White received second-team All-MIAA recognition as a relief pitcher. White (.319 BA, 6 HRs) also was named to the third-team All-MIAA squad at third base. He was joined on the third-team All-MIAA list with Afenir (.358 BA, 53 runs) and Gardner.

Senior outfielder Hunter Clanin (.341 BA, 5 HRs), junior starting pitcher Brendan Stanek (6-5, 3.76 ERA), Vogelbaugh and senior catcher Josh Whisler (.290 BA, 49 RBIs) all were tabbed honorable mention All-MIAA.

Additionally, Afenir and White were named to the MIAA Gold Glove Team. White earned the Gold Glove distinction for his play at third base.

Junior LHP Brad Kinsey has made 11 appearances, including eight starts, on the season. Kinsey has a 4-0 record with a 3.43 ERA. He has made 50 strikeouts in 42.0 innings on the mound.