OKLAHOMA CITY – Despite the season being cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mid-America Christian baseball team put together its first winning season in the NAIA era by going 21-10 while setting the program record for most runs scored per game (7.4) and least runs allowed per game (3.5).
The Evangels made tremendous strides under fifth year head coach Adrian Savedra, posting the first winning season since finishing the 2007 campaign with a 24-20 record and making an appearance in the NCCAA Division II National Championships.
"I think we are all a little disappointed that the season got cut short, especially in light of having the best season in program history," said Savedra. "Having said that, I am extremely proud of our team, despite the shortened season."
The highlight of the 2020 campaign certainly came in the quality of the MACU pitching staff, allowing the second-lowest earned run average in the Sooner Athletic Conference at 3.53 and the lowest ERA the Evangels have posted in the NAIA era, topping the previous best of 5.00 set in 2018.
Leading the Evangels staff was redshirt senior starter Keisy Portorreal. The former SAC Pitcher of the Year and NCCAA All-American was stellar in his return from injury last season, posting the program's third-lowest ERA in a single season among pitchers to throw at least 20 innings at 2.21 while going 4-1 in seven starts. In 40.2 innings of work, the Santiago, Dominican Republic native effectively struck out 36 batters and allowed only nine walks to go along with a .203 opponent batting average.
"Keisy is going to go down as one of the most successful pitchers in MACU history," Savedra remarked. "I am excited that he will get to finish out his career with a full season next year. He set the tone for what was a strength on this team which was our pitching staff. They really did a good job of showing up every day and keeping us in ball games."
The Evangels added some very strong pieces around Portorreal on the 2020 roster, which included the additions of juniors Jaily Paredes and Frensly Leito as well as sophomore righty Ryan Wimbush.
A 6-5 righty from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Paredes became just the second Evangel in the NAIA era to allow a sub-one ERA with at least 20 innings pitched, joining former All-SAC Second Team honoree Wyatt Glasgow. Over 27.1 innings of work, Paredes gave up just a 0.99 ERA while posting a 2-1 record in eight appearances, walking just 10 and striking out 32 while allowing a .190 opponent batting average. Paredes earned NCCAA Pitcher Student-Athlete of the Week after tossing a one-hitter in 5.2 innings with 10 strikeouts in an 11-0 win over Bacone College on Mar. 7.
"Jaily really did a good job in whatever pitching role we asked him to do," Savedra said. "He still has room to grow as a hitter and we are excited that we will have him for two more years. We had several newcomers that really helped us this year. Leito, Wimbush, Andres Gonzalez and Joshua Fernandez as well as others really helped us to be competitive in every game."
On the offensive end, few were as productive as junior catcher Yan Ely Adames. The Evangels lone selection to the All-Sooner Athletic Conference Team led the squad in batting average (.385), extra base hits (15), slugging percentage (.598) and on-base percentage (.467) while ranking second in RBIs (31) and runs (27). His batting average set the sixth-most productive mark during the program's NAIA era while his on-base percentage ranks fifth in the record books.
On top of being an elite hitter, the Jarabacoa, Dominican Republic product provided some elite defense, making just one error in 142 chances for a .993 fielding percentage.
"Yan has always been able to hit, but he really matured as a defensive catcher," Savedra added. "He has always been a good catch and throw guy, but this season he showed his ability to handle the entire pitching staff. He will continue to be a presence in lineup for years to come."
Edgar Martinez and Felix Martinez also provided a major spark in the top half of the Evangels lineup. Edgar led the team in runs (33) and doubles (11) to go with a .365 batting average, 28 RBIs and eight stolen bases.
Felix was also showing flashes of his 2018 NCCAA All-American form, leading the squad in homers (6) and RBIs (38) to go along with a .287 batting average, 27 runs and a .500 slugging percentage. After struggling through the first six games of the season, hitting just .043, the slugger from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic raised his average 233 points before the season was abruptly ended.
"Felix was having a great year before our season got cut short," Savedra added. "We were just hitting our stride when the season was halted. I'm excited for these guys to come back hungrier than before knowing that we can compete with anyone in the country.
One of the silver linings due to the season being cut short is that the NAIA is allowing an extra year of eligibility and 2020 seniors will be allowed to complete in the 2021 season. All nine of the Evangels seniors have reported that they are planning to compete next year.
"Our expectations for next season is to compete to win our conference, in what we think is one of the toughest conferences in the country," Savedra commented. "We believe that we will be in a great position to make a run next year.
