Baseball | 4/27/2015 3:16:00 PM

MIAC Story

The Bethel baseball team had a historic week, as it went 3-1 to lock up at least a share of the program's first MIAC regular season championship. Junior infielder Jarad Watts (La Quinta, Calif.) played a huge role in the title-clinching week, as he batted .571 (8-for-14) with five runs, five RBI, three walks and two doubles, and he keyed the seventh-inning rally that gave the Royals a share of the crown. For his performance, the MIAC sports information directors honored Watts Monday with the MIAC Baseball Player-of-the-Week award.

The week started with Watts and Bethel sweeping defending champion St. Thomas 5-4 and 8-3 on Wednesday. Against the Tommies' two top pitchers, Watts went 2-for-3 in game one, and 4-for-5 with three RBI, two runs and two doubles in game two. Saturday, Watts walked with two outs in the seventh to start a rally that gave the Royals an 11-10 walk-off win over Hamline, and their first-ever share of the MIAC title. He was 1-for-3 in each game of the doubleheader with the Pipers with three runs, two RBI and four walks. This season, Watts is seventh in the MIAC with a .413 batting average and he ranks fifth in triples (three) and walks (18), sixth in on-base percentage (.492), eighth in slugging percentage (.661) and 10th with 45 hits to go along with 31 runs and 27 RBI.

Thanks to the 3-1 week, Bethel improved to 13-3 in the MIAC and 25-6 overall, and the Royals have a two-game lead atop the standings with just two conference games left on the schedule. With either one more win, or one loss each by second-place Saint John's and Saint Mary's, Bethel can claim the MIAC title outright. Fittingly, the Royals conclude their MIAC schedule with a doubleheader at Saint Mary's on Sunday at 1 p.m., and also have a nonconference twin bill scheduled for Tuesday at Marian (Wis.) at11 a.m.