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CHICKASHA – Brian Vigo’s character surpasses that of a traditional student athlete. He works hard and keeps a positive attitude; He’s respectful of opponents and maintains good sportsmanship, even under less than ideal circumstances.

These aspects and more were what made Vigo a natural choice for an NAIA Champion of Character, an award to which he was named earlier this month.

In the Saddle — Assistant Coach Sam Hayden

CHICKASHA – The Drover baseball season, complete with broken records and national tournament invite, turned out to be the best season in school history, something Assistant Coach Sam Hayden was excited to see his first season back at the university.

“The season was unbelievable. From the start of the fall, we knew what kind of team we had,” Hayden said. “They were ready to go from the very beginning until the very end, so it was an...

Drovers’ season ends in extra innings

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Drovers played a strong ball game with 14 hits and six runs but fell to No. 2 Oklahoma City Stars in the 11th inning of an elimination game in the NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round on Friday night at OCU.

The Stars go on to Jamestown (N.D.) in another elimination game at 11 a.m. Saturday.

In the double-elimination tournament, the loss sends the Drovers (41-19) home with the season wrapped. The...

USAO eliminates Red Raiders, to face OCU

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Drovers continue to fight in the NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round as they defeat Northwestern (Iowa) and move on to play (2) Oklahoma City on Friday.

“It was a good day for us,” Ross said. “We played well and got the lead early. We were able to hang on for the win. It was a lot of fun.”

In Friday afternoon’s game, the Drovers scored all five runs in just two innings.

Drovers drop in first game, set to play Friday

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Drovers delivered a solid performance – and one player broke a school record -- in their first national tournament appearance, but ultimately fell to (15) Sterling College.

The tournament is double-elimination. The Drovers move on to play Northwestern (Iowa) at 11 a.m. Friday at Jim Wade Stadium at OCU, while Sterling will play either (2) Oklahoma City or Jamestown (N.D.) at 2:30 p.m. Friday.

Drovers prepared to play in nationals

CHICKASHA – Hours of practice, thousands of pitches and nearly four months of contests, the Drover baseball team earned their reward and the season’s No. 1 goal: The program’s first trip to the national tournament.

After are record-breaking season, the Drovers (40-17) are eager to play in the NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round, which is slated to begin Thursday at Oklahoma City University.

Ross, five players named All-SAC

CHICKASHA – The Sooner Athletic Conference recognized USAO five players as well as the Drovers’ head coach with major All-Conference baseball honors.

For the first time in his career, head coach Mike Ross was named SAC Coach of the Year, while five of his players earned All-SAC honors.

“With the quality of coaches in the league and the quality of teams, that I would be selected as Coach of the Year is a huge honor,” Ross...

Drover baseball receives first NAIA tournament nod

CHICKASHA – The Drover baseball team will be playing in the 2013 NAIA Baseball National Championship Opening Round for the first time in school history after qualifying for the tournament.

The Drovers will not have to travel far for the Opening Round. (23) USAO (40-17) will play (15) Sterling College (45-12) at 2:30 p.m. Thursday at Jim Wade Stadium on Oklahoma City University’s campus.

Drovers split Friday in SAC Tournament

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Drovers finished out the Sooner Athletic Conference 2-1 with both a win and a loss on Friday at Oklahoma City University.

Because Thursday’s tournament games were moved to Friday, the Drovers (40-17) played two games, crushing Mid-America Christian 14-1 before ultimately falling to (1) Oklahoma City 4-2.

The Drovers had no trouble against eighth-seeded Mid-America Christian in the Friday afternoon game.

...

In the Saddle — Heath Wilda

CHICKASHA – Senior Heath Wilda has been an instrumental part of Drover baseball’s record-breaking season but remains humble about his role in it all.

In a Sunday afternoon home doubleheader, the Drovers tied and then beat the school’s wins record, which was set in 2009. Being a part of the experience, Wilda said, was special for him and his teammates.

“It was a really good experience. Us 16 seniors were really excited to...

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