(SAN DIEGO) For the second time in three years, PLNU baseball conquered the West Region.
With a thrilling Super Regional victory over Cal State Monterey Bay, Point Loma clinched a second-ever trip to the NCAA Division II World Series in program history.
The Sea Lions were ranked No. 1 in the region when the first rankings of the year were released and lived up to that billing throughout a dominant regular season and postseason performance.
While the team began and finished the year atop the west, PLNU had to overcome several obstacles along the way to reach the pinnacle of the region once again.
A sinkhole in right field forced the team to play games away from Carroll B. Land Stadium for the first month of the season.
Point Loma then went 11-3 in the first month of the season, playing two series on the road and originally scheduled home games at three different colleges or universities in town.
At the start of PacWest play, PLNU lost a four-game series to Westmont, with the Warriors going on to lead the conference standings by as many as four games.
The Sea Lions won 18 of their last 20 games to close out the regular season and win a third-straight conference title.
As the No. 1 seed in the PacWest Tournament, Point Loma lost its first game of the double-elimination conference championships.
PLNU then won four-straight games to win its first conference tournament title in the tournament’s second year, scoring 43 runs in the championship round against Concordia.
Then in the Super Regionals against CSUMB, the Sea Lions had their backs against the wall once again after losing the first game.
Needing to win two-straight elimination games, PLNU’s postseason hopes were quickly fading with the Sea Lions trailing 5-7 in the ninth inning of Game 2.
Enter Hunter Otjen.
Otjen hit a game-tying two-run homer to send the game to extras, with Point Loma ultimately winning in 13 innings to force a winner-take-all third game, which the Sea Lions also won to punch their ticket to the World Series in Cary, North Carolina.
There, PLNU’s remarkable season came to an end after Point Loma won its first game and lost its next two.
However, that did nothing to dim what was yet another remarkable season on the point, with the Sea Lions claiming a second West Regional championship.
Scott Anderson (shortstop), James Sashin (relief pitcher), and Dylan Miller (starting pitcher) all earned AllAmerican honors.
Anderson was named the West Region Player of the Year while Sashin led all of NCAA Division II in saves with 18, setting a new single-season program and PacWest Conference record.
Anderson, Sashin and Miller were joined on the All-West Region Team by Eric Smelko (outfielder), Jake Entrekin (designated hitter) and Esai Santos (second baseman).
Each of those six earned First Team All-PacWest honors, with Austyn Coleman, Bryson Hashimoto, Otjen, Ray Cebulski and Christian Williams also being recognized with AllConference accolades.
The eleven All-PacWest selections set a new singleseason PLNU record.
Along the way, Anderson set program records for career hits, runs scored and RBIs.
Miller, the PacWest Co-Pitcher of the Year, finished his steller Sea Lions career ranked second in program history in wins and strikeouts.
While the team may be losing 16 seniors to graduation, if this season and this program have proven anything, the Sea Lions will still be back.
