Ranking the 8 baseball teams headed to Wichita for the NBC World Series final week
With eight teams remaining, the National Baseball Congress World Series has shifted to Wichita’s brand-new, downtown Riverfront Stadium for championship week.
Two games will be played at 6 and 8:30 p.m. every night this week until a championship game is set for Saturday night.
Monday evening’s games featured the semifinals of the winner’s bracket from last week’s games played in Hutchinson, as the Santa Barbara Foresters took on the Hays Larks and the Cheney Diamond Dawgs took on Lonestar Baseball.
As the tournament shifts to Wichita, here are the Eagle’s power rankings for the remaining eight teams left in the field.
1. Santa Barbara Foresters
No program has been able to sustain the level of success of the Foresters the past two decades. They’re the defending champions and have won eight of the last 15 championships. Santa Barbara looks every bit as formidable this summer, as it has outscored its opponents 23-4 to reach the winner’s bracket semifinals. As usual, the Foresters are stacked with high-major talent. The pitching staff is headlined by Justin Eckhardt (Texas) and Ben Abram (Oklahoma), while Tennessee commit Seth Stephenson leads the NBC World Series in batting average (.714) through the first week.
2. Cheney Diamond Dawgs
It’s been heartbreak for the Diamond Dawgs the last two summers, as they have lost in the championship game of the NBC World Series. Cheney is looking to make a push for its third straight appearance in the title game after winning both of its games last week in Hutchinson to advance to the winner’s bracket semifinals. The roster doesn’t have the high-major talent like some of the other title contenders, but the Diamond Dawgs have proven they have the chemistry and determination needed to beat the best. A pair of outfielders, Ryan Koval (Pittsburg State) and recent Derby graduate Jaxson Syring (Butler), have led the way with both hitting .667 so far. The pitching staff is headed by Cayden Castellanos (New Mexico) and Chandler Arnold (Dallas Baptist).
3. Hays Larks
The offense exploded in Hutchinson, as the Larks racked up 29 runs in their two wins to advance to the winner’s bracket semifinals. Hays has a good mix of junior college and high-major Division I talent on its roster like Cortland Lawson (Tennessee), who is hitting .571. And with a pitching staff that features left-handed ace Jake Fitzgibbons, a Tennessee freshman who struck out 10 in five innings in his debut, and Oklahoma sophomore Cade Brown, the Larks are likely to be playing deep into the NBC World Series. Although the organization has reached the title game five times, most recently in 2016, the Larks have yet to win an NBC World Series. The road this year will be a difficult one, as the Larks play the Foresters on Monday night and if they lose, they could see the Seattle Studs in an elimination game on Wednesday.
4. Lonestar Baseball
The surprise team in the winner’s bracket semifinals after upsetting the Seattle Studs, 10-8, in Hutchinson. In fact, both of the teams Lonestar beat in Hutchinson — the Studs and the Great Bend Bat Cats — have qualified for the final week in Wichita. The roster is solely Texas-born players with a handful of Division I talent like Reed Beverly (Texas A&M) and Johnny Hoyle (RIce), who are hitting .429 and .333 respectively. Houston’s Nathan Medrano is the ace, as he pitched seven scoreless innings for Lonestar in his start last week.
5. Hutchinson Monarchs
A Hutchinson team has never made the NBC World Series title game, so the Monarchs have a chance to make history if they catch fire on the backside of the bracket. It’s an uphill battle, as they would need to win four straight elimination games. Hutchinson has a strong Wichita State flavor on its team, as senior Ryan Stuempfig is the team’s ace and catcher Cooper Harris and first baseman Garrett Kocis are among the Monarchs’ top hitters. They also are coming off a strong summer, having won the Sunflower Collegiate League
6. Seattle Studs
Outside of the Foresters, no program has been better in the NBC World Series in the last decade or so. The Studs have won three (2019, 2015, 2013) of the last eight titles and also reached the finals in 2014, 2012, 2010 and 2008. The roster this year isn’t loaded with high-major talent like it usually is, as the Studs have gone to mostly Washington-born players this summer. They did suffer a surprising 10-8 loss to Lonestar Baseball in Hutchinson, but rallied on Sunday to advance through the loser’s bracket to Wichita. The lineup is led by Evan Scavotto (Portland) and Jonas Kim (Puget Sound), who both hitting .500 so far, while the rotation has featured Kyle Shimp (Iowa), Christian Peters (Portland) and Connor White (Portland). Winning four straight from the loser’s bracket is a difficult road, especially considering a Wednesday game would be against either the Foresters or the Larks, but the Studs have the reputation for making magic happen in Wichita.
7. Great Bend Bat Cats
After losing its first game of the tournament, the Bat Cats have rallied to win two straight elimination games by a combined total of 22-1. The roster is made up of primarily Kansas junior college and Division II players. Augusta’s Nolan Riley (Arkansas Fort Smith) and Maize South’s Jordan Maxson (Pittsburg State) have been two of the team’s top hitters through three games, while the rest of the production has come through the team’s pipeline to Temple, a junior college in Texas, that has sent Great Bend two of its top hitters in Kyle Gates and Zach Spinn and a top pitcher in Dawson Tourney.
8. Derby Twins
After losing to the Diamond Dawgs, the Twins bounced back on Sunday to punch their ticket to Wichita. An elimination game against the Studs on Tuesday is a challenge, but Derby has proven to have the mettle to challenge the best. Derrick Winn (Angelo State) has eight hits (.667 average) in three games, while Chuck Ingram (Wichita State), Jack Torosian (Hutchinson) and Isaac Kim (Pumuna College) have all been timely hitters so far. The pitching staff has a 1-2 Oklahoma State duo in Riley Taylor and Spencer Cochran.
NBC World Series schedule
Monday’s schedule
Game 21: Santa Barbara Foresters vs. Hays Larks, 6 p.m.
Game 22: Cheney Diamond Dawgs vs. Lonestar Baseball, 8:30
Tuesday’s schedule
Game 23: Seattle Studs vs. Derby Twins, 6 (elimination game)
Game 24: Hutchinson Monarchs vs. Great Bend Bat Cats, 8:30 (elimination game)
Wednesday’s schedule
Game 21 loser vs. Game 23 winner, TBD (elimination game)
Game 22 loser vs. Game 24 winner, TBD (elimination game)
This story was originally published August 9, 2021 at 2:44 PM.
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