The University of Redlands baseball squad's motto, "Burn R Ships", was based around an old Viking war tactic that was an "all or nothing" strategy that included the ultimate takeover with no return. It was meant for true warriors that bled for their fellow Vikings – a true dedication to one another. The Bulldogs lived by the same proverb throughout the 2016 season and did so with passion and pride. Through a solid foundation that consisted of almost an identical roster as the previous year, the Bulldogs earned an overall record of 25-16, which included a 16-11 conference record and a Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Postseason Tournament berth for the second-consecutive season. Additionally, they broke into the national rankings at one point in the campaign at No. 30, according to the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA).
After a tune-up game that gave the Bulldogs their first win of the season with a 6-5 victory over NAIA competitor Vanguard University, they stayed in the win column with a 7-2 defeat over then-No. 14 Linfield College (OR) in the first of four games during a trip to Arizona. While trailing by a run, senior third baseman Mark Tumlinson (Anaheim, CA) poked a single to right field to score junior center-fielder Christian Conci (San Mateo, CA) and knot the score at 2-2 through three innings. From there, Redlands scored five unanswered runs en route to a 7-2 victory over the in-region foe. After going 7.1 innings and striking out six batters, sophomore hurler Felix Minjarez (Riverside, CA) earned his second-consecutive victory on the year.
However, the Bulldogs went on to struggle for the remainder of the road trip by dropping the following three games before entering into conference action.
Despite the minor hiccup, Redlands had no problem turning the tables on Whittier College by whipping out the brooms for a series sweep, beginning with a 7-0 rout in the first home game of the season. Minjarez was brilliant once again by owning the Poets in eight innings and fanning 11 batters. Junior catcher Kyle Wallau (San Mateo, CA) continued to cart a hot stick early in the season by kicking off the game with a solo bomb, followed by an RBI-triple in the bottom of the seventh inning, to cap off a 2-for-3 day. Sophomore designated hitter Joey Warner (Indio, CA) added a 3-for-4 showing with two RBI.
The Bulldogs took two out of three games from Pomona-Pitzer Colleges in the subsequent series to remain an early threat among the conference competitors. After a mercy-rule defeat on foreign turf, the Bulldogs bounced back with a doubleheader sweep behind a solid combination of pitching and defense. During the first game, the Maroon and Gray broke through with a "W" in walk-off fashion when junior second baseman Christopher Scalisi (Woodland Hills, CA) sent freshman shortstop Aaron Singh (Anaheim, CA) soaring home with a single through the left side to earn a 5-4 victory. Sophomore closer John White (Burbank, CA) earned the victory after chucking three innings and fanning three batters.
In game two against the Sagehens, the Bulldogs banged out 17 hits while plating 11 runs en route to an 11-3 victory. Senior hurler Kevin Stevens (Highland, CA) was brilliant on the mound by allowing just two runs and scattering seven hits in six innings of work. Back-to-back, four-run innings aided the Bulldogs' offensive power, with senior left-fielder Mitch Samson (Orangevale, CA) sending three runs home off of two base-hits and sophomore designated hitter Rainier Aguilar (San Bernardino, CA) barreling four hits and scoring just as many runs.
The Maroon and Gray continued its winning ways by hauling in their third-consecutive series victory with another two-out-of-three effort against the University of La Verne. Senior right-fielder Christian Gurrola (Torrance, CA) shined in the Bulldogs' pair of 14-run triumphs, as he earned a combined 6-for-8 showing at the plate while scoring five runs and tallying seven RBI.
The most thrilling series of the season came the following weekend against the Kingsmen of Cal Lutheran University. Despite falling in a rain-shortened game to open the series, the Bulldogs came back for vengeance in the Saturday doubleheader in Thousand Oaks by earning a pair of extra-inning victories. In game one, senior hurler Michael Collins (Upland, CA) brought his A-game by taking a no-hitter into the eighth inning. Originally coming in as a defensive replacement, senior left-fielder Nathan Bowker (Edmond, OK) delivered the game-winning blow when he powered a double over the center-fielder's head in the top of the 10th inning to score Tumlinson for the Bulldogs' lead. White took care of the rest by hauling in his second victory of the season.
In game two, the storyline sounded quite familiar with another walk-off victory – this time with much more power. The offensive surge came from Tumlinson's bat as he launched a two-run dinger in the top of the sixth and an insurance round-tripper in the top of the 11th inning. The deciding blow came off the bat of senior first baseman John Keane (Clayton, CA), who drove a pitch deep over the right-field wall for the win. Stevens pitched well by fanning nine batters and not issuing a single walk, while Keane picked up the victory and White hauled in the save.
The Bulldogs utilized their momentum by rattling off five-straight wins – four of which came against non-conference opponents and one against Occidental College in a battle for the top spot in the conference.
In the series-opener against Occidental, the Bulldogs showed up in a huge way by plating 11 runs in the dominating victory. Minjarez was nearly invincible on the mound by fanning six and allowing just one run in the latter portion of the contest. Redlands' offense continued to pour it on by scoring eight runs over the final four frames, as highlighted by a three-run seventh inning due to a three-run bomb from Tumlinson. He finished with five RBI on the day.
Despite not losing a single series up this point of the season, the Maroon and Gray fell victim to a sudden five-game skid that featured a series loss to Occidental and a series sweep against Chapman University.
However, the Bulldogs rallied to take the final two series of the SCIAC season with sweeps over Caltech and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges to put them back into the top four in the conference standings.
Unfortunately, the Bulldogs continued to struggle in SCIAC Final-Four play, leading to only one victory via forfeit on Caltech's part.
After the conclusion of the regular-season schedule, the Bulldogs had secured the fourth and final sport in the SCIAC Postseason Tournament for the program's third appearance in four years.
As the four seed, the Maroon and Gray squared off against top-seeded and nationally-ranked Occidental in the opening game. On the back of Collins, who tossed a strong 8.1 innings of baseball, the Bulldogs found a way to pull off an opening-round upset in a rain-delayed game that covered two days. Senior first baseman Ryan Franklin (Manhattan Beach, CA) and Warner each provided an RBI en route to the 2-1 victory.
However, the Bulldogs suffered back-to-back losses and thus elimination from the tournament to cap off their 2016 season with a 25-16 overall record.
Upon conclusion of the season, the Bulldogs received three All-SCIAC awards to highlight quality contributions by Gurrola, Scalisi, and Tumlinson. Gurrola earned his first-career All-Conference nod after enjoying a breakout season in his final year of competition. Scalisi added to his crowded shelf of hardware by hauling in Second-Team honors to mark his third-consecutive All-Conference award in as many years. As an exemplary leader on and off the field, Tumlinson earned All-Sportsmanship recognition for the second-consecutive season. In the classroom, Tumlinson exemplified what it means to be a scholar-athlete, earning multiple academic awards as a Physics and Mathematics double-major.
In addition, Scalisi and White represented the Bulldogs on the ABCA/Rawlings® NCAA Division III All-West Region Third Team. While competing in all 41 games, Scalisi secured the No. 3 hole for the Bulldogs en route to a team-best batting average of .392. In 158 at-bats, he also led the Maroon and Gray with 62 hits, including 13 doubles and one round-tripper. A three-time ABCA All-Region performer, Scalisi also ranked first on the team with 44 RBI. White made 20 appearances on the mound for a total of 32.1 innings pitched as an effective closer for the Bulldogs. He tallied a 4-2 record with three saves while striking out 44 en route to an impressive ERA of 1.67. Overall, he gave up six earned runs over the course of the season that culminated in his inaugural All-Region honor.
Although the graduation of a talented senior crew is a significant loss to the Bulldog roster, the Redlands baseball team holds high hopes for the talented and experience list of veterans to continue the climb back to the top of the conference and beyond. Under Head Coach Aaron Holley's guidance, the Maroon and Gray looks forward to further complementing the storied success of the program's current era.