[ SOURCE: The Lewiston Tribune ]

In just its sophomore season, the HIU men's baseball team has gone 35-16 en route to a berth in the Avista NAIA World Series. The Royals, whose home field is found at Valencia High School in Placentia, CA, qualified for the Series last week by edging out Middle Georgia State 12-11 to win an Opening Round tournament in Lima, Ohio.

"We have players that are committed and dedicated to being excellent on and off the field," said Pfohl in explaining his young program's rapid advancement. "They've been able to accelerate that process a lot faster than we'd ever anticipated."

HIU comes to Lewiston boasting a 9-4 season record against opponents ranked in the NAIA top 25. Among fellow participants in the Series, the Royals have previously faced only The Master's, a GSAC rival against whom they have gone 3-2 in five meetings.