MOUNT VERNON, Ga. (BP)–Brewton-Parker College’s baseball team won its first national championship this spring, completing its 64-7 season with 31 consecutive victories and a five-game sweep of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) national tournament.
The top-seeded Barons outscored their five opponents by a combined 39-15 in their first trip to the national tournament.
Brewton-Parker, in Mount Vernon, Ga., is a 1,000-student college affiliated with the Georgia Baptist Convention.
“I guess everybody was right — we are the No. 1 team in the nation,” Brewton-Parker Coach Mike Robins said of his squad, which finished the season ranked first out of the 260 schools in the NAIA which sponsor baseball teams.
Third baseman Andy Kalcounos was named the NAIA World Series most valuable player. Kalcounos was 11 of 22 from the plate at the tournament, with 11 RBI. Three of those RBI were game savers for Brewton-Parker when Kalcounos’ three-run home run in late innings crushed the hopes of Cumberland College and advanced BPC on in the World Series.
Pitcher Derek Gooden, first baseman Jason Kinchen, shortstop Brook Trees and outfielder Eric Herndon also were named to the NAIA Baseball Championship All-Tournament Team.
The Barons swept the Georgia Athletic Conference Tournament and the NAIA Southeast Regional Tournament on their way to the national championship.
The Barons began the regular season with a 4-4 mark before starting a 28-game winning streak. After three losses split up by a single win, the Barons put together another winning steak that extended into post-season play. The Barons outscored all opponents for the season by a runs total of 586-196.
Kinchen and Hank Woodman were selected to the NAIA All-American First Team. Kinchen finished the season with a .476 batting average with 125 RBI, 30 doubles and 30 home runs. He also broke the school record for home runs and RBI in a single season. Woodman was 12-1 as a starting pitcher.
