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Drover Baseball and Softball teams conclude second consecutive year of historic success

October 01, 2019
drover baseball and softball
Drover Baseball and Softball teams conclude second consecutive year of historic success

Both the baseball and softball teams at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma have continued on last year’s incredible successes, making history again in 2019.

USAO’s softball team captured their second consecutive NAIA Softball World Series appearance as well as the SAC Regular-Season Championship.

Over the last two seasons the Drovers have an overall record of 116-9, concluding with a national championship in 2018 with a third-place finish following in 2019. The Drovers wrapped up the season with a perfect 36-0 record in Sooner Athletic Conference games, and an overall record of 59-4.

USAO’s 59 wins set a new program record for most wins in a single season. They also accomplished a feat that no 4-year college or university (NCAA DI, NCAA DII, NCAA DIII, NAIA) has ever achieved before, winning 59 consecutive games from May 5, 2018 until May 5, 2019. They also set a new NAIA record for longest streak in a single-season, winning their first 52 games of the 2019 campaign.

The Drovers won games against some of the best teams in the nation, holding a 13-4 record against teams that were ranked in the NAIA Coaches’ Top 25 Poll, and they were 15-4 against teams that qualified for the NAIA Softball National Championship Opening Round. The Drovers ended the season having outscored their opponents 465-89 (+376).

Drover Baseball concluded the 2019 season with a third-place finish at the NAIA World Series—the best finish in the team’s history—and ranked at No. 3 in the final NAIA Coaches’ Top 25 Poll. USAO won the SAC Regular-Season Championship as well as the SAC Tournament Championship, sending the Drovers to the NAIA World Series for the third time in the last four years. Their 49 winning-streak was also the most in program history.

The Drovers wrapped up this season with a conference record of 24-3 and an overall record of 49-12, even after forfeiting four wins due to an ineligible player, which would have given them an overall record of 53-8. They outscored their opponents by an overall score of 482-186 (+293) throughout the season.

USAO showed they were worthy of their No. 2 seed for the NAIA World Series, finishing the season with a 16-5 record against teams ranked in the NAIA Coaches’ Poll Top 25, and a 13-5 record against teams that qualified for the NAIA National Championship tournament. In the NAIA World Series Semi-Final game, the Drovers even defeated the eventual national champion, Tennessee Wesleyan University, 8-6.

Head Coach Mike Ross earned SAC Coach of the Year for the second year in a row, and Colton Williams earned SAC Pitcher of the Year as well as NAIA Pitcher of the Year for his sensational season. P.J. Garcia earned the SAC Gold-Glove Award for his tremendous defensive play at shortstop.

Learn more about the teams at www.usaoathletics.com.