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Richardson, Texas – The Concordia University Texas baseball team will make its first appearance in the American Southwest Conference Championship Tournament, which will be held at the UTD Baseball Field on the campus of the University of Texas at Dallas in Richardson, Texas from Friday, May 6 through Sunday, May 8. The Tornados, who were the second seed in the West Division, will face McMurry, the fourth-seeded team in the West Division, in their first game of the double-elimination tournament on Friday at 11 a.m.

A free live audio broadcast of all Concordia games will be available for Tornado fans with Sports Information Director Matthew Chmura calling all of the action. All games will be available for fans to follow through free live video, audio and statistics. Box scores, recaps, photos and postgame interviews from each game will also be available. To access all the links, visit the ASC Ultimate Tournament Central website at: www.ASCsports.org/Championships.

Action in the double-elimination event gets going on Friday with an 11 a.m. first pitch between McMurry and Concordia Texas. Texas-Dallas and Hardin-Simmons will battle at 3 p.m. later that day.

The losing teams from the first day will play an elimination game at 10 a.m. on Saturday, followed by a winner's bracket tilt at 1 p.m. with a ticket to the title game on the line. The win-or-go-home semifinal is set for a 4 p.m.

The championship game will take place at 1 p.m. on Sunday, with an if-necessary contest coming 30 minutes after.

To advance to the double-elimination tournament, the four squads had to win best-of-three series last weekend. All took care of business in three games at home except for McMurry, which swept nationally-ranked East Division champion Texas-Tyler on the road 6-4 (13) and 5-4. Texas-Dallas toppled Texas Lutheran 2-7, 4-1 and 3-1; West Division co-champion Hardin-Simmons outlasted Mississippi College 12-14 (10), 8-6, 12-11 (14); and West Division co-champion Concordia Texas out-dueled Louisiana College 1-3, 19-9 (7) and 10-0 (7).

Earning Most Outstanding Player awards from the first round series were: McMurry senior catcher Bradd Baker; Texas-Dallas junior right-hander Marvin Prestridge; Hardin-Simmons junior outfielder Troy Tarrant; and Concordia Texas junior left-handed pitcher Scott Hays.

Two-time defending conference champion Texas-Tyler will be unable to defend its crown. Texas-Dallas and Hardin-Simmons will be looking for their first league title. McMurry (1998, 2001, 2004, 2008) is a four-time ASC champion, while Concordia Texas hoisted the conference title once in 2002.

Concordia (27-15), which claimed a share of the West Division crown for the third time in program history, is making its first appearance in the championship round since falling in the title bout to McMurry in 2008. The Tornados have relied on defense and pitching as a formula for success, ranking third and fifth in the league in the categories, respectively.

Colin Butschek and Pedro Maldonado have been the team's top two starters on the mound. Butschek is 7-3 overall with a 3.76 earned run average, winning six consecutive starts over as many Friday nights at one point this season. He has fanned 60 batters while issuing only 12 walks. Maldonado has been the team's hottest hurler to close out the regular season, garnering ASC Pitcher of the Week laurels twice over the final three weeks. He has gone the distance in two of his last four starts, posting one shutout, and boasts a 4.48 ERA with a team-best 72 strikeouts. Scott Hays, who made four appearances and three starts in April, has not allowed an earned run to score in all three of his starts. He has allowed only eight hits and two runs, including one earned, over 12.2 innings and boasts an 0.71 ERA in limited time. Ryan Ullmann, Gerry Morrison and Bryant Hernandez have all been solid in relief.

The Tornados, who will enter the tournament with the second-best batting average among the four remaining teams, utilize a balanced offensive approach as six regular starters - Collin Janssen, Robert Brown, Brent Schaekel, Kyle Bieschke, Colton Gommert and C.J. Riojas - are hitting .299 or better and have drive in between 21 and 28 runs each. Janssen, a junior catcher who has also seen time on the mound, is hitting .365 with 24 runs batted in. Gommert and Brown have driven in a team-best 28 runs, while Bieschke has homered three times and registered 18 of his 23 RBI in the regular season in conference play. Schaekel has stolen 13 bases and hit an inside-the-park home run to cap the scoring in the decisive third game against Louisiana College on Saturday. Concordia batted .408 as a squad and exploded to plate 30 runs, including 29 over the final two games, against Louisiana College last weekend.

McMurry (17-25), which will be Concordia's first opponent, pulled off the shocker of the tournament's first round over the weekend by sweeping Texas-Tyler, the fifth-ranked team in the country, on its home field. The War Hawks were victorious Friday night's opener by a 6-4 decision in a 13-inning marathon before taking game two, 5-4, on Saturday afternoon and enter the championship round as winners of a league-best four titles. Jake Mullin leads the offense with a .367 average to go along with 31 RBI and three home runs, while Matt Thompson has been the squad's top power hitter and ranks first on the squad with six homers and 36 RBI. He is also hitting .327. Spencer Smith is the team's top starting pitcher with a 5-1 record, a 3.38 ERA and 34 strikeouts for a staff which ranks 11th among 15 teams in the ASC.

Game Information (Friday, May 6)
10:50 a.m. Pregame
11:00 a.m. Concordia vs. McMurry

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NOTES: The West Division has produced 11 ASC titles compared to the East's three. . . . The host team of the ASC tournament has prevailed seven of 14 times. . . . . The hosting rights for the championship round rotate each year between each division's top remaining seed. . . . . The only returning all-tournament selection from 2010 is Hardin-Simmons senior first baseman Taylor Berlin. . . . Ticket prices are $7 for adults, $3 for students and free for children 6-years-old and under. Each ticket is a day-pass and will provide admission to all games on that day only. No complimentary pass lists will be accepted. . . . Official short-sleeved tournament T-shirts will be available for $15, while programs will be $1 (cash or check only). . . . The address to UTD Baseball Field is: 800 West Campbell Road; Richardson, Texas; 75080.

PARKING: Fans need to be aware of the parking situation at UTD due to construction around the athletic venues. Visitors should avoid parking in Lot J, north of the field. It is suggested that fans park in the gravel parking lot just south of the baseball field. That lot may be accessed off west-bound Campbell Road approximately 100 yards past the main University entrance. For more information, visit this link: http://cometsports.utdallas.edu/sports/2009/1/9/ParkingStory.aspx?id=108

2011 AMERICAN SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE
BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT SERIES

-CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND-
May 6-8 (Friday-Sunday)
Richardson, TX / UTD Baseball Field
(Hosted by Texas-Dallas, highest remaining seed from East Division)

FRIDAY, MAY 6
Game 5: McMurry vs. Concordia Texas, 11 a.m.
Game 6: Texas-Dallas vs. Hardin-Simmons, 3 p.m.

SATURDAY, MAY 7
Game 7: Loser Game 5 vs. Loser Game 6, 10 a.m.
Game 8: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6, 1 p.m.
Game 9 (Semifinal): Winner Game 7 vs. Loser Game 8, 4 p.m.

SUNDAY, MAY 8
Game 10 (Championship): Winner Game 8 vs. Winner Game 9, 1 p.m.

If necessary, Game 11: 30 minutes after.