BABSON PARK, Fla. (February 14, 2020) – The No. 16 Webber International University baseball team kicked off its 2020 Sun Conference slate with a 16-6 win in eight innings at home against Ave Maria University.

Top performers for the Webber (9-3 overall, 1-0 TSC) offensively included Victor Florentino going 4-for-4 with three runs batted in and a triple; Hunter Morales going 4-for-5 with four runs scored and two doubles: Ricky Neyman finishing with two runs scored, two walks and a two-run home run; Norberto Navarro going 2-for-3 with three walks and three runs scored; and Rougie Odor scoring twice and walking twice.

Starter Austin Dreher (3-1) allowed six runs over his 6.2 innings pitched, but did enough to pick up his team-leading third win of the season as the Warriors scored multiple runs over four of the first five innings of the game before putting together a seven-run bottom of the eighth inning to send everyone home early.

Games two and three of the series between Webber and Ave Maria will start at 12 p.m. tomorrow on Saturday, February 15, as the Warriors look to win the series.




*Before the game against Ave Maria on Friday evening, former Warriors Zak Spivy and Willie Carter were honored and presented with their 2019 First-Team NAIA All-American certificates by former Webber Head Baseball Coach Brad Niethammer and current head coach Collin Martin.

In 2019, the duo of Zak Spivy and Willie Carter helped lead the Webber International University baseball team to a runner-up finish in the NAIA National Championship Opening Round – Kingsport Bracket as the Warriors also advanced to the Opening Round for the third year in a row.

Spivy finished his senior campaign in 2019 as the Sun Conference's Co-Pitcher of the Year and was a First-Team All-Sun Conference selection for the second year in a row. After playing only two seasons at Webber, Spivy will retire second on the Warriors' career list in innings pitched (246.2) and strikeouts (205), and is third in career earned run average (2.41) and career complete games (17).

Spivy finished the 2019 season 11-4 in 15 starts and 17 appearances overall with a 2.32 earned run average over 124.1 total innings. It was the second year in a row Spivy led the NAIA in innings pitched. He recorded 102 strikeouts while only walking 18 batters, including not issuing a single walk in all of the postseason. His 102 punch outs and 10 complete games in 2019 both rank second on the Warriors' single-season records list.

In addition to his First-Team All-American honor in 2019, Carter was also named First-Team All-Sun Conference after leading the Warriors' offense with a .382 batting average, a .706 slugging percentage and a .482 on base percentage. Carter was also first on the team with 161 total bases, 86 hits and 19 home runs; and was second with 62 runs batted in, 58 runs scored, 39 walks, 13 doubles and two triples.

Carter is the Warriors' new single-season record holder in both home runs with 19 and in hits with 86 after also breaking the Warriors' single-season record in RBI's before finishing the year second on the team with 62 RBI's. He broke the home run record on Friday, March 8, at home against Doane University and broke the RBI record during the 2019 regular-season finale on Tuesday, April 23, at home against Warner University.

In only one season, Carter is now fourth on the Warriors' list of career home runs while his 18-game hitting streak spanning from February 19 until March 16 ranks as the fifth longest in Webber's history.

"This is a great accomplishment for Zak and Wille," said Brad Neithammer. "Being selected as an All-American is not an easy task. Both Zak and Willie put up numbers that will last for a long time in the Webber Baseball record books. They gained the highest level of respect from other coaches in the NAIA with their level of play. I am very proud of these two, and I am glad I had the opportunity to coach them and watch them play."

Current Webber Head Coach Collin Martin said, "Everyone here at Webber is proud of what both Willie and Zak have accomplished. To be acknowledged as two of the best players in the country is a testament to their commitment to honing their craft. We are all proud to call them Warriors."

Congratulation to Zak Spivy and Willie Carter on their respective 2019 First-Team NAIA All-American honors. You will live forever in the history of Webber baseball.