The Patriots player at Horner Ballpark. (Photo: Courtesy of Dallas Baptist University)
Meet The Opponent: Dallas Baptist University (DBU)
Thursday, May 30, 2019 | Baseball, Scott Carter
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By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer
LUBBOCK, Texas – The moment the pairing was announced Monday afternoon on ESPNU – Florida vs. DBU in the Lubbock Regional – the wise cracks started on Twitter.
Yes, guilty as charged. Plenty of accomplices, too.
The DBU moniker has been tossed back and forth for a few years now between Florida, LSU and their fans. In that world, DBU represents "Defensive Back University."
When the Gators baseball team opens the NCAA Tournament here at Rip Griffin Park on the Texas Tech campus Friday night, it will face the real DBU: Dallas Baptist University.
Who knew?
The moment @DBU_Baseball found out it made the NCAA tournament for a 6th straight season.
The Patriots might reside in a galaxy far away from one of the Southeastern Conference's best football rivalries, but they are no pushovers on the diamond. DBU is making its sixth consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament, a streak that is matched by only eight other programs in this year's field: Florida, LSU, Florida State, Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, Clemson, Louisville and Oklahoma State.
UF head coach Kevin O'Sullivan and his staff started to take a hard look at the Patriots as soon as the match was announced. At this time of year, O'Sullivan has learned there are no cupcakes and if you don't have your team prepared on the opponent, you can get in trouble quickly the way the Gators did in 2010 – O'Sullivan's first trip to the College World Series at UF – when they lost to UCLA in their Omaha opener.
"My whole focus between now and Friday night is just Dallas Baptist,'' he said. "Whoever we play on Saturday we'll deal with that at that point."
The Florida-DBU winner faces the Army-Texas Tech winner on Friday night.
As the Gators prepare for the Patriots – they have a practice scheduled this afternoon – let's take a closer look at Florida's first-round opponent: DALLAS BAPTIST UNIVERSITY
Record: 41-18, 14-7 in Missouri Valley Conference Coach: Dan Heefner, 12th year (471-247, .656) NCAA Tournament appearances: 9 (sixth consecutive appearance) Tournament record: 12-15
Season highlight: The Patriots earned an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament following a loss to Indiana State in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championship. DBU started as a NAIA program in 1982 and moved to Division I status in 2004. Soon thereafter, Heefner arrived on campus and built the Patriots into one of the top mid-major programs in the country. DBU positioned itself as a NCAA Tournament team by starting March with eight consecutive wins, including wins over a pair of Top 25 teams in Oklahoma and Texas A&M.
Player to watch: Junior DH/1B Bryce Ball added a powerful bat to the lineup this season after transferring from North Iowa Area Community College. Ball is hitting .308 and leads the Patriots with 17 home runs and 52 RBI. The 6-foot-6, 235-pound Ball bats left-handed and has a good eye at the plate with a team-high 47 walks. DBU head coach Dan Heefner has transformed the program into a consistent winner since taking over in 2008. (Photo: Courtesy of Dallas Morning News)
Buzz: The Patriots earned the No. 2 seed in the Lubbock Regional with a strong résumé that featured a 10-6 record against teams in the NCAA Tournament. For starters, DBU has a pair of quality starting pitchers in senior right-hander MD Johnson (9-2, 2.46, 105 SO in 91 1/3 IP) and senior lefty Jordan Martinson (8-3, 2.50, 108 SO in 93 2/3 IP). Martinson is expected to get the start on Friday night against Florida. He has limited opponents to a .215 average and surrendered just four homers. Patriots shortstop Jimmy Glowenke is hitting .326 and has a .431 on-base percentage. Center fielder Luke Bandy is a threat at the plate (.team-high .346 average) and on the basepaths (22 stolen bases in 28 attempts). In addition to Bandy, outfielder Augie Isaacson has the green light on the bases with a team-high 27 stolen bases in 31 attempts. The Patriots have eight players with 10 or more doubles and have hit 70 home runs, so offense is not an issue on most nights. While the Patriots don't have the history of tradition of the Gators, they are a talented team and some have them as the team advancing from the Lubbock Region.
Quote of note: "It's awesome. Their fans are super rowdy. We love the big moment. We love the loud crowds. I think for the new guys it will be awesome experience and for returners it's something we've seen before and something we're looking forward to." -- DBU starter Jordan Martinson on playing at Texas Tech, where DBU visited for the Lubbock Regional in 2016.
