Westmont Baseball Defeats Lewis-Clark State 7-6 to Claim NAIA National Championship

(LEWISTON, Idaho) It wasn’t the prettiest of games, but it had the most beautiful of endings. A fly ball to right at historic Harris Field was caught by Bryce McFeely for the final out and the celebration was on. Westmont won the 66th Avista NAIA World Series, defeating the hosts, Lewis-Clark State (37-18), by a score of 7-6.

Dog pile. National Champions. World Series Winners. Uncontainable Joy.

There were high fives, there were hugs and there were tears of utter happiness.

A team – brothers, really – had done what they had set out to do months ago. They had to overcome many challenges and adversity. They had to adjust to a new head coach (Tyler LaTorre) and deal with injuries. They had a rough start to the season in the first game and they had a rough first series in the conference play. However, they believed in each other and came to embrace their new coach.

“We have gone through so many ups and downs,” said senior captain Robbie Haw. “One thing we told each other is that we were going to stick together. Regardless of the decisions we would make, we would make sure the culture of Westmont would stay. That was the main thing.

“We didn’t lose anyone. It was a testament to everyone being on the same page together. Whenever there was miscommunication or frustration with what was going on, everyone was together on it. We communicated with each other and we got through it.

“It was awesome knowing that coach Ruiz wasn’t leading. He changed the entire culture. You can give him credit for this win here. He is the one that generated the culture here. He is the one that taught us how to win,

how to have fun and how to be brothers. LT (LaTorre) enforced that. He didn’t try to change it or flip in on its head. He did an unreal job. It was such a joy to be a part of seeing both those guys coach.”

“We fought,” said senior pitcher Chase Goddard of the Warrior’s perseverance throughout the season. “We were getting poor rankings and we just fought and kept fighting. I don’t know how many runs we have scored in the eighth (67), but it goes to show how tough and gritty these guys are.”

“To be able to do what we just did with a brand new head coach who came in wanting to win was incredible,” expressed the team’s other senior captain, Paul Mezurashi. “I think it speaks to  the character and to the future of this team. As seniors, we were left with one job – to keep the legacy and make sure the standard is still set high. I think we were able to do that.

“It started with the guys who came before – guys like Toby Dunlap, Grant Gardner, Travis Vander Molen, Drew Bayard and Sean Coyne. They set the standard for me and all of us. This is a credit to them as well.”

In the game, Lewis-Clark State got on the board first when Isaiah Thomas led off the second with a home run over the left field fence. 

Westmont did not let the Idahoan Warriors lead for long. In the bottom of the second, McFeely led off with a single to center field. Parker O’Neil reached on a throwing error that allowed McFeely to take third and O’Neil to occupy second. One out later, Liam Critchett knocked a two-RBI single up the middle to put the Warriors from Montecito in front 2-1.

After Brady Renck tripled off the left-center field fence to start off the bottom of the third inning, Ryan DeSaegher singled through the left side to bring Renck home and increase the Warrior lead to 3-1.

Westmont added two more runs in the bottom of the fourth. Haw walked with one away, then gained second on a single to right by Renck. DeSaegher’s ground ball to second produced another error by LC State that plated Haw and gave the Warriors runners at first and second. McFeely furthered Westmont’s cause with a single through the left side, making the score 5-1.

The game took a turn in the top of the fifth when LC State’s Charlie Updegrave delivered a three-run home run to left field, drawing the Lewiston-based Warriors to within one.

Chase Goddard, who had started the game for Westmont on just three day’s rest, struck out the next two batters to end the inning, then left the game with a 5-4 lead.

“I started to get tired on short rest for the first time, but I felt good and I wanted to get us a win,” said Goddard, who allowed four runs on seven hits. He struck out six and walked just one.”

In the top of the sixth, Aiden Holly took the mound for the Warriors. A single, a walk and a wild pitch gave LC State runners on second and third with one out. However, like Goddard, Holly struck out of the next two batters to get out of the jam. Altogether, Westmont pitchers struck out 11 batters.

With two outs in the bottom of the sixth, McFeely looked to have grounded into the final out of the inning when he hit a bouncing ball back to LC State’s pitcher, Drake George. George fielded the ball, but his throw to first was errant, allowing McFeely to reach third. The ball was retrieved by Updegrave, but his throw back into the infield was also misdirected and allowed McFeely to score.

Up 6-4, in the top of the seventh, Westmont found itself dealing with some traffic on the bases. With two outs,senior Gabe Arteaga was called upon to pitch for the Warriors. The threat appeared to be over when Pu’ukani De Sa popped the ball up. However, the ball disappeared into the twilight sky and fell into the infield for a single while one run scored. A second run crossed the plate on a Warrior error before Joe Canty grounded out to third to end the inning with the score tied at six.

The score remained tied until the bottom of the eighth. With Haw on first – the result of an error – and two away, Lewis-Clark elected to intentionally walk Ryan DeSaegher.

That brought up McFeely who earned a seven-pitch walk, loading the bases. Parker O’Neil stepped to the plate and watched two pitches go by – both balls. On the third pitch, O’Neil swung, but fouled the ball out of play. O’Neil took two more pitches outside of the strike zone and found himself trotting to first base with an RBI as Haw crossed the plate to put the Warrior up 7-6.

Now with a one-run lead, Arteaga headed back to the mound for the top of the ninth. After striking out the first batter, Arteaga walked Sa. Then, Arteaga coaxed Jakob Marquez into flying out to center, putting the national championship just one out away. On the second pitch to Leo Rivera, popped the ball up to right field.

“I feel like every big, last out goes to McFeely,” said Arteaga. “So, once it went to the right side, I knew it was over. I knew Feely had it.”

Indeed he did. Cue We Are the Champions. 

“I couldn’t believe that was the moment,” said Haw of the final out. “Pure joy and happiness.”

“We did it,” was Goddard’s first reaction. “It’s awesome. It’s a great feeling.”

Arteaga was awarded the win – his third of the year against one loss. He pitched two and one-third scorelessinnings, giving up two hits (including the one lost in the sky), struck out two and walked one.

“I knew I had to fill up the zone and that my defense was helping me out,” said Arteaga. “We have had solid guys behind us all year. It gave the staff confidence all year to go out there and fill up the strike zone.”

Following the game, an emotional LaTorre was filled with gratitude for his first season at Westmont. “There are many people that are a part of this – the president of the school, Dr. Beebe, our athletic director and former head coach Robert Ruiz, and the whole athletic department. The journey of this team was set forth years ago. Robert Ruiz was brought in to save the program and he did that, getting us to Lewiston last year.

“Players came back this year with a new head coach. None of our guys left. None of them wanted to transferanywhere else. Elijah Ontiveros, our assistant coach, communicated with them and they trusted in him when he told them about who was coming in.

“I am truly indebted to Elijah and Robert Ruiz and Dave Odell and our entire athletic department for pushing me to be the best coach I could be. I am so humbled to be a part of this athletic department.

“It is a community. This group of players are not alone. At Westmont they are not alone. They have faith in something greater than themselves. They have family members that push them to go on their journey and their faith walk. That shows on the field. Our guys have faith. Even if we had lost on the field, our guys have faith. That is the Westmont Way. It is balanced – it is school, it is spiritual, it is social and it is athletics. These guys are not just playing baseball, they are playing for something bigger.”

That something bigger was expressed by Arteaga, who will be the pitching coach at Santa Barbara High School next year. “These guys changed who I am on and off the field. It changed my life.”

“Nine months ago, my life changed when I got the opportunity to coach here,” said La Torre. “Not only for myself, but for my family. Moving to the Santa Barbara area changed my life, my perspective and the way I coach. It’s all for these players. I’ll do anything for these guys and I know they will do the same for me. They never lost belief in anything we were trying to do. It means the world.”

The Warriors beat five of the tournament’s 10 teams, going 5-1 in Lewiston. When added to the GSAC Tournament and the Opening Round Tournament victories, Westmont went an impressive 11-1 in postseason play. By winning 48 games, the Warriors set a new program record, exceeding the previous record, set just last year, by three.

In a postgame award ceremony, two Warriors were named to the All-Tournament Team. DeSaegher, who hit .375 (9 of 24) over six games and drove in 11 runs, was named as the All-Tournament third baseman.

Lucien Wechsberg, who made three appearances, was named as a pitcher to the All-Tournament team. Wechsberg pitched five and two-third innings and recorded two saves. He did not allow a run and surrendered just five hits. He struck out seven and did not permit a walk.

With the final out, Westmont ended its more than seven-decade sojourn with the NAIA by claiming its 10th national championship. It is the first national championship for baseball and the first by a men’s team in 51 years. The only previous men’s team to win a national title was men’s soccer in 1972.

Eight women’s teams have claimed the NAIA’s red banner: women’s soccer five times (1985, 1999, 2001,2002, 2003), women’s basketball twice (2013, 2021) and women’s tennis once (1982).

Tomorrow, Westmont will return home. When the Southwest Airlines flight lands at 8:15 p.m. at the Santa Barbara Airport, the team will exit the terminal with a trophy and a red banner declaring that they are the 2023 Avista NAIA World Series Champions.