Baseball Celebrates Senior Day against Kansas Wesleyan

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Avila baseball rounded out the home half of its 2023 schedule and honored the ten key members of its large senior class at the Eagles' final home series of the season this Friday and Saturday at The Z against Kansas Wesleyan. There, the offense of the Coyotes (36-11, 24-6 KCAC), recently ranked the No. 22 team in the NAIA, shone through, helping the visitors spoil the Eagles' (18-29, 9-21 KCAC) party and extend their losing streak.

Some weather conditions didn't favor pitchers for either team in this series, but either way, the Coyotes boast one of the most potent offenses in the KCAC and they put it on full display at The Z this weekend. Avila was right there in the mix for a while in all three games, but it seemed that all three games followed the same script: the Coyotes struck first, and though the Eagles punched back every time, every time they did the Coyotes retaliated with an even stronger swing, ultimately knocking the Eagles back down to the mat and making comebacks almost impossible.

Both offenses showed out in Friday's series opener, and both teams took advantage of the long ball – in a big way. The first 17 runs of the game all scored off of home runs, and there were a total of 11 homers hit in the game by the two teams, a remarkable display of power that, while aided by the wind to an extent, was nevertheless historic.

Two homers help stake KWU to a 5-0 lead early before Kurt Trotter punched back with a powerful three-run blast to get the Eagles on the board. Will Dryburgh kickstarted his killer weekend with a three-run shot of his own before the Eagles answered right back again with homers from Reyes Willis and Paxton Andrade, bringing the score back to within 8-6.

Kansas Wesleyan took over from there, scoring the next eight runs, three of which came off two homers from Zach Olson. Jack Virden hit a clutch two-run shot in the bottom of the seventh to extend the game, but it mattered little because KWU scored four more in the top of the eighth and wrapped the game up early, 20-9, in eight innings. Trotter and Andrade combined for four hits and six RBI for the Eagles.

After Avila baseball hosted its alumni game on the field at The Z prior to Saturday's doubleheader, KWU took to the field and picked right back up where it left off, scoring in every inning of Saturday's opener to ultimately win a second game. Solo shots from Olson and Jarrett Gable staked the Coyotes to an early 3-0 lead, but the Eagles were once again right there in the mix early, thanks to a solo shot by Virden in the second and hard-earned run from Travis Curry in the third, making the score 4-2.

That's when the Coyotes took over. The visitors scored four straight over the next two innings to move in front, and then an error prolonged the sixth inning and Zach Beatty took advantage, launching a grand slam to dead center to put the visitors up by ten en route to a 17-3 win in seven innings.

All ten members of Avila's senior class got to see the field extensively on Senior Weekend, including top pinch-running option Tanner Yeisley and top bullpen catcher Tallon Vanetti, both of whom made their first starts of the season in game three of the series – and both of them notched hits and drew walks in the contest, keeping the Eagles within striking distance yet again.

Chase VanSteenburg did a good job of keeping the Coyotes at bay early on before a controversial blast down the right field line off the bat of Kendall Foster was ruled a home run, giving the visitors a 4-0 lead in the fifth. Still, Avila was right there in the mix early, and after both Vanetti and Yeisley singled in the fifth, pinch-runner Albert Guerrero came around to score to keep the Eagles within 4-1.

That's as close as they would get, because the long ball benefitted the Coyotes yet again, with backup catcher Kansuke Okada hitting a two-run shot and Foster following with one of his own – a no-doubter this time – and the Eagles had no answer. Kansas Wesleyan prevailed 8-1 in the scheduled 7-inning affair to wrap up the series sweep a year after the Eagles won the weekend series in Salina.

Bryce Culp made Avila baseball history over the weekend, running his season hit-by-pitch total up to 23, the most in a single season in modern Avila baseball history. His total breaks the previous record of 22 set by Avila Athletics Hall of Famer Nick Field, a mark he set in back-to-back seasons in 2011 and 2012.

Avila honored all ten members of its large senior class between games Saturday, including rotation mainstays Keaton Ashby, Briley Burrow, Jarret Dotson and VanSteenburg; bullpen staple Seth Kilbourn; lineup veterans Trotter, Reyes Willis and Isaiah Alvarez; and critical role players Vanetti and Yeisley. The ceremony concluded with Burrow escorting the vacant No. 10 jersey to join the rest of the group for a photo op behind home plate in honor of Noah Stanakis, the former Avila baseball player who passed away in December 2020. It would have been his Senior Day as well.

Avila baseball will conclude the 2023 season on the road next Friday and Saturday in Winfield, Kansas against Southwestern. Start times are still in the works, so stay tuned to avilaathletics.com for all the details about how to watch and follow along.