PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State University baseball team will travel to Warrensburg, Mo., to compete in the final round of the 2023 MIAA Baseball Championship, May 11-13.

The Gorillas, the No. 4 seed in the tournament, will meet top-seeded University of Central Missouri at Noon (CDT) Thursday (May 11) at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field on the campus of UCM. Second-seeded Missouri Southern State University will face No. 6 seed Northeastern State University at Noon Thursday at 4 p.m. Thursday.

Single day tickets are $10 and may be purchased on site at the Crane Stadium box office. All-Tournament passes are $25.

All tournament games involving the Gorillas 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 broadcasters Eddie Lomshek and Mike Snow will call the action. Fans can hear ESPN 100.7's live broadcasts anywhere in the world on the internet at: www.espn1007.com. The games also can be heard through the ESPN 100.7 app for phones or mobile devices.

With a victory against the Mules Thursday, the Gorillas will advance in the winner's bracket for an 11 a.m. match-up Friday (May 12) against the winner of the MSSU-NSU match-up. With a loss, Pitt State will drop into the loser's bracket and face an elimination game against the loser of the Lions and RiverHawks game at 3 p.m. Friday.

2023 MIAA Tournament Bracket

Thursday, May 11       
Game 1 – No. 1 UCM (38-13) vs. No. 4 PSU (33-18), Noon 
Game 2 – No. 2 MSSU (40-13) vs. No. 6 NSU (24-26), 4 p.m.      

Friday, May 12
Game 3 – Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 11 a.m.
Game 4 – Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 3 p.m.
Game 5 – Winner game 3 vs. Winner game 4, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, May 13
Game 6 – MIAA Championship, Noon
Game 7 – (If Necessary)

The Record
Pitt State enters the tournament action with a 33-18 overall record. The Gorillas advanced to the semifinals of the 2023 MIAA Baseball Championship by taking two of three games from No. 5 seed University of Central Oklahoma in a quarterfinal series played in Pittsburg, May 5-7. Pitt State posted a 12-7 decision over the Bronchos on May 5, before UCO countered with a 10-9 win Saturday (May 6). The Gorillas clinched the series with a 6-4 victory on Sunday (May 7).

UCM (38-13) swept a pair of games over No. 8 seed Rogers State University to advance to host the semifinals. MSSU (40-13) needed three games to advance over Newman University and NSU (24-26) upset No. 3 seed Washburn University in three games.

The Gorillas compiled a 5-4 record in regular season action against the three surviving squads. Pitt State posted a 3-0 record against NSU and 1-2 marks against UCM and MSSU.

PSU in the MIAA Tournament
Pitt State is making its 14th all-time appearance in the MIAA Postseason Tournament. The Gorillas have compiled a 27-27 record in MIAA Tournament play, capturing the 1999 MIAA Baseball Championship with an unblemished 5-0 record. Pitt State reached the 2021 MIAA Championship Game at Joplin, Mo., falling to UCM, 11-2, in the title game.

Scouting the Gorillas
For the season, the Gorillas are batting .314 as a team and scoring 8.9 runs per game. Pitt State ranks second in the MIAA in runs scored and fourth in the conference in batting average. The Gorillas lead the MIAA in doubles (140) and rank second in the league in home runs (88), slugging percentage (.558) and on-base percentage (.421)

Pitt State's pitching staff carries an 6.13 ERA (6th in the MIAA), while registering and MIAA-leading 459 strikeouts in 437.1 innings of work. The Gorillas fielders sport .9725 fielding percentage (2nd in the MIAA), committing just 49 errors in 1785 total chances.

The opposition is hitting .268 against the Gorillas thus far and scoring 6.7 runs per game. Opponent pitchers have an 8.18 ERA.

Junior catcher Nixon Brannon leads the squad offensively. He was voted the MIAA co-Most Valuable Player (with Newman's Jenner Steele) last week.

Brannon is hitting .390 with 50 runs scored, 21 doubles, 15 home runs and 69 RBI to his credit. He ranks second in the MIAA in RBI, fourth in doubles, fifth in batting average and seventh in home runs. He currently ranks seventh in D2 in RBI per game (1.44 pg).

The San Angelo, Texas native, who transferred to Pitt State from NCAA Division I Incarnate Word, set a school record with a 22-game hitting streak between Mar. 14 and Apr. 21.

Junior shortstop Cade Clemons is hitting .335 with 50 runs scored, 13 doubles, three triples, 18 home runs and 52 RBI. The Lee's Summit, Mo., native is third in the MIAA in home runs. He has reached base safely in 45 of the last 47 games. Clemons was a second-team All-MIAA selection

Junior outfielder Karson Coffee, also a second-team All-MIAA pick, is batting .348 with an MIAA leading 22 doubles, 11 home runs and 47 RBI. The Bentonville, Ark., native has scored 47 runs and he's 12-for-14 in stolen base attempts on the year.

Sophomore first baseman Austin Warkins (Haysville, Kan.) is hitting a team-leading .405 with 59 runs scored, 22 doubles, seven home runs and 39 RBI. He shares the MIAA lead in runs scored with Coffee, ranks second in the conference in BA and fourth in the league in run scored.

Junior third baseman Daegan Brady (Topeka) is hitting .276 with 35 runs scored, nine doubles and 19 RBI, while senior outfielder Brett Daley (Council Bluffs, Iowa) is batting .242 with 40 runs scored, nine doubles, eight home runs, 35 RBI and 10 stolen bases.

Warkins, Brady and Daley all garnered honorable mention All-MIAA recognition.

Graduate LHP Zac Shoemaker was selected the MIAA Pitcher of the Year. The Aurora, Mo., native has compiled a 9-2 record in 14 starts with a 4.00 ERA and 100 strikeouts in 72.0 innings pitched this season. He is tied for 13th place in NCAA Division II in victories and ranks 16th nationally in strikeouts (12.50 K/9 IP).

Senior LHP Ben Des Rosiers garnered second-team All-MIAA honors, while sophomore RHP Tanner Leslie was an honorable mention All-MIAA pick. Des Rosiers (Castle Rock, Colo.) is 8-0 on the season with a 4.28 ERA and 76 strikeouts in 67.1 innings pitched. Leslie (Haysville, Kan.) is 4-3 with a 5.06 ERA and two saves in 17 appearances.

Sophomore RHP Parker Weddle (Kansas City, Mo.) has made a team-leading 21 appearances, posting a 2-1 record with a 3.94 ERA and four saves with 34 strikeouts in 29.7 innings pitched. Weddle was an honorable mention All-MIAA selection.