Loyola moves to No. 22 in NAIA baseball poll

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Loyola University New Orleans baseball team ended the regular season and the SSAC Baseball Championship as the No. 22-ranked team in the NAIA, as the final Top 25 Poll was released on Wednesday ahead of next week’s NAIA National Championship.

Loyola is currently 36-17 overall and awaiting its fate for the NAIA National Championship, which will be announced on Thursday at 4 p.m. The selection show will be broadcast on the NAIA YouTube channel.

Freshman Jaxon Buratt leads the team with a .424 batting average and .556 on-base percentage to go along with his team-high 72 hits. Kason Cullins (.379), Jake Mills (.375), Brandon Mooney (.351), Landon Manson (.319) and Collin Zeringue (.309) are all regular starters who have a batting average better than .300 as well. Mooney leads the Pack with a school-record 71 runs scored, and Zeringue leads the way with 55 RBI. On the mound, Stephen Still led the pitching staff with a 9-2 record, 3.70 ERA and 80 strikeouts in 75.1 innings.

Buratt was named the SSAC Freshman of the Year last week, and he was joined by Mooney and Still on the SSAC All-Conference First Team. Mills, Manson and Zeringue were all on the Second Team, and Mills (SS) and Aaron Davis, who has a perfect 1.000 field percentage in center field, received Gold Gloves. Buratt, Frank Fernandez, Prescott Marsh and Jed Cambre were tabbed to the SSAC All-Freshman Team.