NGU Baseball Looks to Make More History in Cary
Posted on: June 4, 2023
Tigerville, SC (June 4, 2023) The Landon Powell led NGU baseball team is in the business of making history.
Capturing the university’s first NCAA Division II National Championship in 2022, NGU soared to new heights in 2023, thanks to the bat of John Michael Faile. The senior broke the NCAA Division II career RBI record in April and the NCAA Division II career home run record in May.
Now, NGU is back in Cary, North Carolina with a chance to make history by becoming the first team in 20 years to win back-to-back titles.
“We’re excited to be back,” Powell said. “If you’re the national champs, you want to be able to go defend that. That’s been a goal of ours since the start of the year and I’m really proud of those guys for what they’ve accomplished getting back to Cary. Now, it’s time to go take care of business.”
Returning a roster of experience and new talent, Powell said his team has what it takes to do it again.
“They’re ready and excited. We have a lot of returners coming back that had a really good run last year. We’re not overly confident, but we’re not scared. We’re experienced and battle-tested, and we’re right where we need to be.”
NGU will square off with Augustana on Sunday at 6 p.m. Augustana enters the tournament after winning the Central Regional, which included two victories against fourth-ranked Central Missouri. The Vikings have an overall record of 47-19.
“They’re a team that won the national championship in 2018, so we know they’re a really good program and we’ll have to be ready,” Powell said.
Powell said he plans to start Reece Fields on the mound, who was named MVP of the 2022 College World Series
“He’s had some success and we hope he can continue that this year,” Powell said. “It will be a very important game for us and hopefully we can get off on the right foot.”
Members of the NGU community gathered at Ray and Bea Dillard Field at Ashmore Park on Thursday, June 1, for a team sendoff.
“We’re very proud of what the coaches and players have done to build this program at North Greenville, and I’m grateful to the university for their support,” Powell said. “I hope we’re making everyone proud and we’re excited to try to go win the second national championship in school history.”
Full coverage of Sunday’s game can be found at nguathletics.com.
About North Greenville University
NGU offers more than 115 areas of study across certificate, bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral, and early college opportunities. Online. In-person. At our main campus in Tigerville, SC, the Tim Brashier Campus in Greer, SC, or several educational centers around the U.S. One university, many locations. Every day. Epic. Learn more.
