Miracle inning launched Grenadiers toward Series berth

First-year Indiana Southeast coach Brett Neffendorf sighed when he looked up at the scoreboard with his team down nine runs with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning of its NAIA Opening Round game against in-state rival Indiana Tech.

An inevitable loss would mean the Grenadiers would have to win an improbable five straight games against favored opponents to advance to their second-ever NAIA World Series.

Then the impossible happened.

With two outs, Indiana Southeast rattled off a 12-run inning capped with a walk-off, three-run home run by Trevor Goodwin to defeat the Warriors 14-11.

“Next thing you know, we pulled it out and scored 12 runs, which I still can’t understand how at times,” Neffendorf said. “That ninth inning was unbelievable.”

Indiana Southeast (36-18) went on to win the remainder of its Opening Round games in the Upland Bracket to qualify for its first World Series since the 2021 season.

Just like that, the Grenadiers are one of just 10 NAIA programs still playing baseball in late May.

While that was the goal all along, it’s not necessarily where Neffendorf and his group saw themselves after they started their season with a 1-6 record.

Things finally started to turn around in the middle of the season. After getting “boat-raced” by Campbellsville (Ky.) in an 18-11 loss on March 13, the Grenadiers won their next 13 games.

“The guys just kept chipping away, and a lot of it I think came down to maturity with the group, having a short-term memory and just coming to work every day,” Neffendorf said.

At first glance, it’s easy to see why the Grenadiers enter the Series as 10th-seeded underdogs. They’re tied for the fewest wins of the bunch, they didn’t win their Riverside States Conference tournament, they weren’t ranked in the final top 25 poll and you won’t find their players atop any of the “leaders” categories on the NAIA stats pages.

But the Grenadiers are sneakily explosive.

Indiana Southeastern has scored double digits in four of its last eight games and it defeated No. 7 Missouri Baptist (twice) and No. 17 Taylor on its undefeated run through the Opening Round.

The Grenadiers are led at the plate by senior utility man Mason White, who boasts an all-around solid stat line of a .423 batting average, 61 runs scored, 17 home runs and 17 stolen bases on 19 attempts.

“Mason’s not a huge vocal guy but when he does say things it obviously makes a really big impact because he doesn’t speak up unless he really feels like he absolutely has to,” Neffendorf said. “He’s had an incredible season.”

Senior hurler Luke Schafer is the ace pitcher with a 9-3 record and 2.51 ERA, but don’t sleep on true freshman Connor Sims (4-2, 2.61), who could be a future star.

“It’s very rare that you’ve got a true freshman in the rotation,” Neffendorf said. “He’s been fantastic and just poised, and humble and competitive for an 18 year old.”

Because it was such a roller coaster of a season for the Grenadiers, Neffendorf said the team talked extensively about believing they belong in the weeks leading up to their conference tournament. They had those same conversations again after they failed to win their conference tourney.

After that crazy 12-run inning with just one out to spare against Indiana Tech last week, the Grenadiers had no choice but to believe they’re capable of winning a big-time tournament.

“Once we won that game against Indiana Tech, the first thing that came out of Kody Putman’s mouth — our senior shortstop and senior leader of the group — was he turned and said, ‘How about that for belief, Neff?’ ”

How about that, indeed.

> Indiana Southeast

Location: New Albany, Ind.

Nickname: Grenadiers

Coach: Brett Neffendorf (first season)

Season record: 36-18

Rank in final NAIA poll: Unranked but received votes

How qualified: Won the Upland bracket

Number of appearances; best finish: One, won two games to finish sixth in 2021

> Juice (out of five stars)

STARTERS: **

Luke Schafer (9-3, 2.51 ERA) and Tyler Yotkewich (8-5, 5.58) aren’t going to scare anyone with their numbers, but they’re capable of producing big-time outings under pressure.

RELIEVERS: **1/2

True freshman Connor Sims (4-2, 3.23 ERA) is a star in the making. The youngster fanned seven batters in 5 2/3 innings in a pivotal Opening Round victory against No. 17 Taylor — one of his seven starts this season.

FIELDING: ***1/2

Sticky gloves are a staple of this Grenadiers defense. The group ranks fourth among Series teams and No. 22 in the NAIA in fielding percentage (.968) although their 60 errors allowed could be improved.

HITTING: **1/2

The Grenadiers have scored double-digit runs in four of their last eight games, and utility man Mason White is an All-American hopeful after finishing in the top two in the River States Conference in every major batting stat.

SPEED: **1/2

This squad is more of a sedan than a sports car on the basepaths. Getting 100 steals on a season is usually a sign of a fast team, and Indiana Southeast fell just short at 94 steals this year.

INTANGIBLES: *****

Nobody expected these guys to make it this far, but they’re playing their best baseball when it matters most. The stats are deceiving — the Grenadiers are explosive enough to beat anybody in this tournament.