OKLAHOMA CITY (Oct. 11, 2019) – From the first day of play of the 2018-19 season, Oklahoma Christian's men's bowling team enjoyed unusual success for a new program. The Eagles enjoyed tournament wins, a player-of-the-year honor and postseason qualification as the season wound on.
Now entering their second season, the Eagles and coach
James Hayes look to build on a solid foundation and perhaps advance a few steps farther in the postseason. As OC prepares for its season opener Saturday – the Southwest Intercollegiate Bowling Circuit I tournament at Cityview Lanes in Fort Worth, Texas – the future seems bright for a young-but-talented squad.
"We have a good group returning this year," Hayes said. "They've got to come together as a team and kind of gel and get that team culture together. We've been pushing them hard and asking a lot of them."
The Eagles have a star in sophomore
Josh Imhoff, who was the SWIBC's player of the year and rookie of the year last season after posting a 205.81 scoring average. The left-hander from Cabot, Ark., posted five top-five tournament finishes, including wins in the SWIBC I and V events, and narrowly missed qualifying for the Intercollegiate Singles Championships.
Three other players who saw significant action for the Eagles also return – sophomores
Sam Butler,
Jacob Hastings and
Leotis Johnson Jr. Butler, like Imhoff, earned All-SWIBC honors and posted a 190.88 scoring average. Hastings had a 186.17 average while Johnson had a 177.70 average.
"What he did in his freshman year was kind of special," Hayes said of Imhoff. "When you're conference player of the year and rookie of the year and then you finish in top five rookies in the nation and just miss the national championship (tournament) in singles by less than 20 pins. He had a special season.
"I think we're going to build on that with him. I expect no less from him this season. I think he'll step his game up and be right there, along with Sam, Jacob and Leo. Those four, I expect them to be the leaders. All those guys coming back have experience. They've all been on the lanes. All of them will be early contributors. We can really propel forward."
OC also has two other returnees in sophomores
Jonathan Beyer (159.85) and
Elijah Delagarza (160.11) who are looking to take a step forward this season.
Rob King Jr. also will return for the Eagles and will be eligible during the spring semester.
Five freshmen have joined the OC squad –
Javin French of Bryant, Ark.;
Mike Gredler of Killeen, Texas;
Mitchell Leonard of St. Charles, Ill.;
Taylor Maxfield of Rogers, Ark.; and
Hunter Salisbury of Barling, Ark. Leonard, Gredler and French made OC's eight-man varsity roster for this weekend's SWIBC I and II tournaments, along with Beyer, Imhoff, Hastings, Johnson and Butler.
"The freshmen will have to get up to speed pretty quick," Hayes said. "That will be a job for the upperclassmen … to get them lined up and ready to go."
The Eagles are starting their season a bit later than usual, but will make up for it with a busy next few weeks. After the SWIBC I and II tournaments, they'll play in their first Tier I tournament of the season Oct. 19-20 when they travel to Wichita, Kan., for the Mid-States Championships. Then, on Nov. 2-3, they'll head back to the Sunflower State, playing in the Jayhawk Collegiate Challenge in Lawrence.
In addition to four SWIBC tournaments, the SWIBC Championships and the Jayhawk, the Eagles will play in four Tier I events – the one in Wichita, two in Las Vegas and one in suburban Chicago. The goal is to again qualify again for the Intercollegiate Team Championships Sectional Qualifier, and hopefully make the field for the ITC national tournament for the first time.
"We'll get tested right away," Hayes said. "This first SWIBC weekend will have a stacked field. We'll find out a lot about both our returners and our freshmen the first weekend. We won't have time to rest after that, because then we go straight into a Tier I tournament and that's always tough. We have some talent, but we'll find out really quick if they're up to the task."
