This week in NCAA Division II Baseball, the National Finals are being played out in Cary, North Carolina. The #10 ranked Angelo State University Rams, winner of the South Central Championship, is part of an 8 team bracket that will determine the 2015 National Champion. {{more}}
Playing for the Rams are KHS graduates and ASU seniors Hayden Elrod (relief pitcher) and Cameron Massengill (starting catcher). ASU, who last appeared in the national tournament in 2007, is two games away from the championship game.
For Massengill and Elrod this is a surreal experience. As seniors at Kennedale High School, they were part of the 2011 Wildcat team that captured Kennedale?s first state baseball championship. Both were starters on that team with Elrod earning tournament MVP and All-State honors and Massengill earning All-State honors while hitting .463 for the year.
The Rams (42-17), who seem to like the underdog role, are playing in the elimination bracket. Just like the South Central tournament, they lost their first game but are fighting back. They opened this tournament last Saturday with a 4-0 loss to Henderson State (AR) before bouncing back to take a 5-0 victory and eliminating Wilmington, Delaware (36-15).
ASU will face Henderson State (32-20) again in another elimination game this Wednesday. The winner will play a semifinal game against the #2 Catawba Indians from Salisbury (NC), who are undefeated in bracket play. Catawaba (45-13) defeated Wilmington 3-2 and Henderson State 5-1 in earlier games.
ASU is definitely counting on the play of Massengill, who is considered one of the best catchers in ASU?s history. Cameron, while starting 57 of 58 games this season, has established a new single-season record by throwing out 26 runners attempting to steal while also providing 56 total hits and 24 RBI. In his two year career at ASU, he has thrown out 37 runners and has a career .296 batting average.Nationals tournamentbracket
