2019 Embry-Riddle Postseason Home Page
CLEVELAND, Mississippi - The Embry-Riddle baseball team has a long and storied postseason tradition in it's history, but right now, that's all it is: history. All 19 of the Eagles' prior postseason appearances came during ERAU's NAIA era (1989-2015), including 13 trips to the NAIA World Series. Embry-Riddle will look to begin its NCAA postseason era on a strong note when they participate in the 2019 South Region II Tournament hosted by Delta State this weekend.

The Eagles (29-20) got the fifth and final at-large bid to the South Region and will be the No. 7 seed in the eight-team tournament. ERAU opens on Thursday at 7 p.m. (CT) / 8 p.m. (ET) against second-seeded and host Delta State (39-12). No. 3 Eckerd (30-17) will take on No. 6 Valdosta State (30-21) at 3:30 p.m. (CT) in the first game of the tournament on Thursday.

Embry-Riddle has enjoyed a special season in just the second year of postseason eligibility, despite being picked 11th by the Sunshine State Conference coaches in the preseason poll. The Eagles took series over Palm Beach Atlantic, Florida Tech, Florida Southern, Rollins, Lynn and No. 1 Tampa. The sweep of the Spartans back in early April was the first home sweep suffered by UT since 1981 and catapulted ERAU into its first-ever NCAA II national ranking at No. 14 (NCBWA) on April 14.

As a team, the Eagles have been fairly balanced in 2019, posting a .299 team batting average with 39 home runs and 77 doubles. The Eagles led the SSC this season with 20 triples. ERAU's pitching staff had their best team ERA since jumping to NCAA II in 2016, finishing the regular season with a 4.25 ERA with 366 strikeouts and a .257 batting average against. The Blue and Gold has also enjoyed its best fielding clip as a squad in several years at .964.

Kirk Sidwell has paced the team offensively with a .374 average on 71 hits. His 12 doubles leads the team, and he has created 63 runs in his senior season. 

Luis Olivier has been the Eagle mainstay behind the dish and has done it both offensively and defensively, posting a .352 average on 69 hits with nine doubles, eight homers and a team-best 50 RBIs and 40 runs scored. Olivier has also thrown out an SSC-leading 22 base-stealers, and has a .988 fielding percentage.

Cole Habig saved his best season for his final campaign, hitting .336 on 51 hits. He has played RF, 3B and SS over his senior season, starting in 41 games for ERAU.

Zach Howard will graduate from the program as the all-time leader in home runs (42), hitting 13 of them this season. His 48 RBIs rank second on the team, while his 35 runs are fourth.

Garrett Goodall (8-2) has had a breakout season on the mound, posting a 3.07 ERA in a team-best 82.0 innings. The Nanaimo, British Columbia native has struck out 65 batters.

Troy Naab (8-2) has a 3.52 ERA and an impressive .184 batting average against, fanning 65 batters and allowing just 38 hits in 61.1 innings of work.

Dominic Jeancola is the team's closer, working 44.2 innings with eight saves and a 2.62 ERA. His 1.18 WHIP is the best on the team, while striking out 40 batters.

Thursday's meeting between the Eagles and tradition-rich Delta State will be the first-ever between ERAU and the Statesmen. ERAU is 15-11 against Eckerd all-time, but the Tritons swept the Eagles back in April at Sliwa Stadium. If the Eagles take on former Head Coach Greg Guilliams and his Valdosta State squad, it would be the 12th meeting all-time as VSU is 9-2 against the Eagles, including a season-opening three-game sweep of ERAU in Daytona Beach.

The winner of the South Region II Tournament will play the winner of the South Region I Tournament, hosted by Tampa. That pod includes the top-seeded Spartans (36-14), No. 4 West Florida (36-16), No. 5 Nova Southeastern (32-15) and No. 8 Spring Hill (29-20). The two Region winners will meet up in the South Region Super Regional May 24-25 at the higher seed.