The 2023 Crusaders had another historic season in which the team made a return trip to the College World Series. Lets take a look at what went down for the 2023 squad.
In consecutive seasons, the Crusaders have won 50+ games, hosted and won both a regional and Super Regional, and advanced to the College World Series in Cary, NC. The 2023 squad finished with a record of 50-11 and had many great accomplishments along the way.
There's no place like home…..
There was magic once again in Tigerville, SC this past season, as the Crusaders were a remarkable 31-1 on the home turf. Over the past two seasons the team has posted an eye-popping 104-21 overall record while going 56-6 at home. "Our goal is to win every game when we set foot on the field. We know that is virtually impossible in the game of baseball, but that is still our expectation. Over the past two seasons, I've been very pleased with the mental toughness that the guys have shown daily. Protecting our home field is something that we take pride in as a program, and Ive been very pleased with the results over the past couple of seasons." (Landon Powell)
Since the inception of the "Super Regional" format for Division II baseball in 2019, North Greenville has hosted every 'Super' (2019, 2022, 2023). In 2020 and 2021 there was no super regional due to Covid.
Leaving on a jet plane…
The 2023 season kicked off at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas for the Houston Winter Invitational. The defending national champions sent the reigning Conference Carolinas and Herff Jones Male Athlete of the Year, Reece Fields to the mound against the number 13 ranked team in the nation (Central Missouri). He would go 5 strong innings to pick up his first win of the year, as the Crusaders won in dominating fashion 12-1. Newly acquired Clemson transfer David Lewis, hit his first home run of the year; an opposite field 3 run blast. Lewis would drive in 4 runs in his Crusaders debut.
The Crusaders trailed 9-5 in the 6th inning of the following game against Arkansas Tech before scoring six unanswered runs for the first come from behind victory of the season. This game marked the first outing of the year for 'The Nightmare' (Mike Rodriguez) as he pitched two dominant innings striking out 5 batters to close out the game.
The third and final game of the tournament saw the Crusaders trailing once again. Down 4-0, the boys would come alive with a 7 spot en route to a 7-6 victory against a scrappy Cal State Chico squad. The big moment of the game occurred when team captain and All-American Hero Cory Bivins blasted a 2 out, go ahead 3 run bomb into the Crawford boxes in left field.
Momentum
The Crusaders walked away from Houston with momentum after a 3-0 start. They would carry this momentum for the first half of the year winning 28 of their next 31 games including conference series victories against Barton (sweep), Francis Marion (2 of 3), Emmanuel (sweep), Erskine (sweep), King
(sweep), and UNC Pembroke (sweep). Solid pitching, timely hitting, and the long ball played a big part in the early season success.
The Machine
During this stretch, Crusaders superstar and Czech national sensation, Marek Chlup (AKA 'The Machine') departed from the team to participate in the World Baseball Classic in Tokyo, Japan. The defending Conference Carolinas Player of the Year, turned heads when he turned around a Roki Sasaki (Team Japan) fastball that clocked in at 102 mph leaving his bat at 109 mph for a double. He also appeared on the MLB network detailing his journey in baseball. Despite not having Chlup in the lineup, the guys continued to win with multiple guys stepping up to fill the void.
Adversity
The first challenging part of the year came when the squad traveled to Mount Olive for a 3 game series. Always a difficult place to play, coupled with a very talented roster, Mount Olive would go on to win 2 out of 3 to take the series. The following Tuesday, the Crusaders travelled to Lenoir Rhyne for a challenging road matchup against a nationally ranked team. The Crusaders dropped the game 5-3 and were on a 3 game losing streak for the first time in two and a half years.
'The Speech'
"Landon Powell is known for a lot of positive things in the game of baseball. If you play for him, you know that he is famous for delivering quality speeches. After losing three games in a row for the first time in two years, he delivered a great speech and the rest is history." (3x All American Catcher John Michael Faile)
After the speech, the team would go on to win 13 of their next 14 games to finish the season as the number 1 team in the nation and the regular season Conference Carolinas champions.
The Crusaders were amongst the national leaders in team pitching as well as hitting as the regular season concluded. NGU led Conference Carolinas in all major categories, finishing the regular season with a record of 44-6, which included an undefeated record at home (26-0). A conference best 26-4 record in one of the toughest conferences in Division II baseball was also a great achievement.
Aint no party like a postseason party…
As the number 1 overall seed in the Southeast Region, NGU was ready to host the 2023 regional. Two of the hottest teams in the country (Georgia Southwestern State/Mount Olive) made their way to Tigerville to compete for the right to take another step on the road to Cary.
Regional (Tigerville, SC)
Game 1 v. Georgia SW State. Trailing 5-3 heading into the last inning, Carter Dierdorf led off the frame with a double and then Monteith followed with an infield single. This would set the stage for John Michael Faile to do what he always does. He smashed a 1-0 fastball over the right field fence for a walk off victory to kick off the 2023 regional.
This would set the stage for a best of 3 series vs. Mount Olive. Mount Olive was one of the hottest teams in the country, had already beaten the Crusaders in the regular season, and were playing with a lot of confidence.
Game 2 v. Mount Olive- Despite two home runs from David Lewis, and homers from John Michael Faile and Cory Bivins, the Trojans bested the Crusaders 13-7 to capture game 1 of the series. Sophomore transfer Caleb Freeman tossed 4 scoreless innings of relief. This was the one and only loss on the home turf during the 2023 season.
Game 3 v. Mount Olive- With their backs against the wall, Landon Powell decided to hand the ball to Freshman Brody Fowler. Fowler, a state champion at Eastside High school, pitched his best game of the year, earning the nickname 'Big game Brody Fowler'. Fowler went 7 strong innings allowing only 3 earned runs, in a game in which the Crusader bats would explode, banging out 16 hits on their way to an 11-5 victory and setting up a winner take all final game.
Game 4 v. Mount Olive- Timely hitting and a heroic effort from The Nightmare (Mike Rodriguez) vaulted the Crusaders to a 9-2 victory to clinch the regional championship. Rodriguez worked 5 innings, striking out 6 batters, only allowing one hit with zero walks.
On the other side of the Southeast bracket, Belmont Abbey swept through the Newberry regional setting up a Super Regional Showdown in Tigerville versus the Crusaders.
Super Regional, Tigerville, SC (Crusaders v Crusaders)
Game 1 v. Belmont Abbey -The boys came out swinging, tallying 9 extra base hits enroute to a 16-8 victory in game 1. Pat Monteith, John Michael Faile, and David Lewis went a combined 11-15, with 5 home runs, 2 doubles, driving in 12 runs.
Game 2 v. Belmont Abbey- John Michael Faile hit his team leading 19th and 20th home runs of the year in the clinching game of the 2023 Super Regional. Faile drove in 5, while junior shortstop Jalen Vazquez hit a HR and had 3 RBI. Mike Rodriguez closed out the game throwing 3 strong innings as the Crusaders won the game 10-7, advancing to the College World Series for the second straight year.
College World Series (Cary, NC)
Game 1- v. Augustana- An outstanding effort from the defending World Series MVP (Reece Fields) led the way to a game 1 victory. Fields went 7 strong innings, striking out 8, while allowing only 1 run. The bullpen was also tremendous as Matthew Taubensee and Mike Rodriguez threw the final 2 innings without allowing a run. John Michael Faile and Marek Chlup drove in 2 runs a piece as the Crusaders won their 5th consecutive game in Cary dating back to 2022 with a final score of 4-1.
Game 2- v. Angelo State- Team captain Noah Takac saved his best for last in the biggest matchup of the 2023 Division 2 baseball season. He pitched a gem, but was ultimately outdueled by the NCAA pitcher of the year (Kade Bragg), in a 6-2 defeat. The Crusaders could only muster 2 runs, courtesy of a 5th inning 2 run blast by Jalen Vasquez.
Game 3- v. Southern New Hampshire- A four run 8th inning from Southern New Hampshire proved to be to much, as the Crusaders could only tally 4 runs on 7 hits, falling in the final game of the year with a
final score of 8-4. Pat Monteith went 3-4 driving in 2 runs in the loss. Senior Andrew Kaminsky pinch hit in the top of the 9th inning and blasted a 412 foot HR for the final at bat of his career.
Individual Accolades
Three-time All-American John Michael Faile (aka The King) solidified himself as an one of the best NCAA baseball players of all time. He became the NCAA D2 record holder for HR's and RBI's during the 2023 season. He finished the year with a 1.077 OPS blasting a conference best 20 HR's and 86 RBI.
"I am very proud of all of the individual accolades and accomplishments, but the thing I will remember the most are the championships, and the lifelong relationships formed with my teammates and coaches." - John Michael Faile
Pat Monteith had one of the best statistical seasons in the history of the program in 2023. Leading the nation in Runs Scored (89), Walks (57), and tied for 15th in HR's (19). He posted a remarkable 1.249 OPS and was rewarded with All-America Honors for his efforts. The former Conference Freshman of the Year started all 61 games during the 2023 season. He also earned All-Conference and All-Region honors.
"I really thought this team had the opportunity to repeat. We accomplished a lot, but we ultimately fell short. There were some very special players on this team, and I have formed some lifelong relationships over the past three years with my teammates as well as my coaches. This year, I really enjoyed mentoring a lot of the young guys showing them what it takes to compete at this level on a daily basis. I love this program and forever will be…. Group 2 for life." - Pat Monteith
Reece Fields had another outstanding season for the Crusaders. The World Series MVP from a season ago was once again the ace this season. He finished the 2023 season with a record of 13-3 striking out 109 batters in 96.1 innings. He was magnificent once again at the CWS, pitching 7 strong innings and picking up the win in the Crusaders 4-1 victory over Augustana. Fields earned all-conference and All-American honors.
"We all believed that we had the talent and chemistry to win another national championship but it was just not meant to be. We were proud of being the number 1 ranked team in the country for the entire season, but getting so close to achieving our goals and coming up short, left us with a feeling that will drive us to improve so we can hold the trophy at the end of next season. The relationships I formed with some of the guys this past year are ones that will last a lifetime and I look forward to serving as a captain and ace over my final year at NGU. Even with the guys that we are losing, we still have a lot of talent and guys ready to fill roles; Im very excited to see what we can accomplish next year." - Reece Fields
David Lewis-Incoming transfer (Clemson) Sophomore 1st baseman David Lewis came out hot in his first year in Tigerville. A high school teammate of Crusaders second baseman Bryce Roddey (Blue Ridge High School), Lewis earned all-conference, all region, and All-America honors his first season in Tigerville. He posted an OPS of 1.191 while belting 18 HR's. He hit 3 HR's in one against at North Georgia on April 18th.
"Im very pleased with my decision to transfer to NGU and was happy with my development my first year. All I care about is doing anything I can to help my team win games and I felt like I was part of something special this season. Im very excited for my future here at North Greenville and cant wait to try to get back to Cary again next season." - David Lewis
Newcomer, Freshman two-way star Carter Dierdorf became the fourth player under Powell's leadership to win Conference Carolina's Freshman of the Year. (Ethan Garner 2016, John Michael Faile 2019, Pat Monteith 2021) Dierdorf appeared in 52 games with 40 starts, becoming the everyday leadoff hitter down the stretch. He hit .322 with 4 home runs, walking 28 times compared to only 27 strikeouts. On the mound, he had 10 appearances, going 1-0 with a 2.84 ERA over 12.2 innings.
"Its an honor and a blessing to receive the Freshman of the Year Award and it wouldn't be possible without the players and coaching staff at NGU." - Carter Dierdorf
Mike Rodriguez, (aka The Nightmare) was dominant against opponents all season long. He appeared in 24 games, going 6-0, recording 5 saves, while posting a 2.45 ERA. He struck out 67 batters in 40.1 inning pitched and opponents only hit .185 against him. The Nightmare earned all conference honors.
Marek Chlup had another all conference season playing great on the field for both the Crusaders as well as for his native Czech Republic. Coming off an an all-american campaign in 2022 in which he was Conference Carolina's player of the year, he produced big again this year. He posted an outstanding 1.118 OPS, hitting 14 HR's, driving in 52, and was a perfect 20-20 in stolen base attempts.
Bryce Roddey had some big shoes to fill as he was tabbed as the starting second baseman for the 2023 squad. Replacing former All-American Gehrig Octavio, Roddey did not disappoint. A steady glove at second base, and a left handed stick that knew how to find holes and gaps, Roddey earned All-Conference honors for his efforts during his first season of playing full time. The "Hometown hero" had another walk off hit this season, (2nd of career), and hit his first collegiate HR at Minute Maid Park in the second game of the season. He ended the season with a .356 batting average while posting a .884 OPS.
"It was a great sophomore season at North Greenville University. It was an honor to play along side my teammates this year and my success on the field would not of came without them or my coaches. Even though we came up short this year in the College World Series, we are working hard every day to get back to there next year. I am looking forward to see what the 2024 Crusaders have in store." - Bryce Roddey
Noah Takac led the country in six different statistical categories in the 2022 season. He was a rock throughout the national championship season and especially during the historic postseason run a year ago. 2023 was no different. He was outstanding once again on his way to earning all conference honors. He was 5-2 on the season and pitched his strongest outing of the year in Cary, NC against Angelo State who went on to win the championship this season.
