IRVINE, Calif. – After a year away from postseason baseball, the Warriors are on their way back to Irvine for the 2024 GSAC Baseball Tournament. A record of 36-9 saw Jessup win more regular season games than any team in program history, and now they have their sights set on a conference championship to pair it with.
The 2024 season marks the fourth time in program history for the Warriors to appear in the GSAC Tournament. Jessup won the tournament in 2018 and then lost to Hope International in the championship round in both 2019 and 2022.
With their 17-7 mark in conference play, Jessup enters the tournament as the No. 2 seed. Hope International will be the top seed after winning the GSAC regular season championship. Arizona Christian, OUAZ, and Vanguard will also be in the five-team field.
Jessup will start their postseason run with a Monday matinee against the ACU Firestorm, a team Jessup went 4-2 against in the regular season. Both teams excelled at home in this series, with ACU claiming two of three in Glendale, and then the Warriors finished off the season series with a three-game sweep at McBean Park.
Success at McBean was a trend in 2024, as Jessup won a record 28 home games and never lost a series.
A win against the Firestorm would send the Warriors into the winner's bracket, where they would play on Tuesday at 2 p.m. for a spot in the conference championship round. The loser of Monday's matchup will play at 10 a.m. on Tuesday against the loser of the OUAZ-Vanguard game, with that being the first elimination game of the week.
The second elimination game will be at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, as three teams will remain at the end of the day. The two remaining one-loss teams will then meet Wednesday at 10 a.m. to decide the second team in the championship round, which will follow at 2 p.m.
Should the team with one loss win, the championship round will resume with the if-necessary contest on Thursday.
Jessup's 36-9 record entering the conference tournament puts them in a good position to earn the third NAIA Opening Round berth in program history (2018, 2019). The winner of the GSAC Tournament will get an automatic bid, while the others will hope for an at-large selection on May 9.
The Warriors come into Irvine led by one of the best bats in the NAIA,
Trey Furrey. Furrey leads the GSAC with his .510 batting average, and he sits in the top five in home runs (16), RBI (50), and stolen bases (17).
Bryce Petrilla is also in the top five in hitting (.432) and RBI (53).
Jessup will also feature switch-hitting catcher
James Williams III, who is batting .405 in her first season with the Warriors.
The starting rotation will see the usual suspects as right-handers
Haliama Swartman and
Anthony Perez are expected to throw, along with veteran lefty
Max Moreno. Jessup's bullpen features closer
Nolan Thebiay, who has six saves on the year, along with righties
Kevin Gutierrez and
Evan Williams, who both feature sub-3.50 ERAs.
All games from the OC Great Park Baseball Stadium will be streamed for free on the
GSAC Sports Network. Fans are also encouraged to subscribe to @JessupAthletics on YouTube or @Jessup_BASE on all major social platforms for detailed coverage and a behind-the-scenes look at the 2024 GSAC Tournament.
The NAIA Opening Round will begin on May 13. Host sites for the Opening Round will be revealed on May 1.
***
Jessup University is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), and the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC). For additional information regarding Jessup Athletics, visit www.jessupathletics.com; visit www.jessup.edu for more information on Jessup University. Follow Jessup Athletics on social media: Jessup University Athletics (Facebook) and @JessupAthletics (Twitter & Instagram).
