Union University Athletics

The 1983 bulldog baseball team finished third in the NAIA World Series played in Lubbock, Texas. The third place finish was the highest finish of any Union team in the NAIA.
 
The bulldogs finished the season with a 48-12 record. The won the VSAC conference championship and the District 24 Championship but fell to Southern Arkansas in the Area 5 championship.  They advanced to the NAIA World Series with an at-large berth as they were the highest ranked team nationally in the NAIA that did not win their area tournament.
The bulldogs opened the series with a 13-12 win over William Jewell. All-American pitcher Doug Kendall pitched a complete game in the dogs 7-2 victory over Southern Arkansas in the second game of the series.
 
The bulldog’s first loss came at the hands of Lewis-Clark in the third game of the series. The next game against Liberty Baptist set an NAIA record for the most runs scored in a game as Union won 21-17. The two teams combined for 43 hits in the game. Ronnie Giddens had five hits in the Union victory.
 
Union final loss of the season was a 4-0 loss to Lubbock Christian. The host team crowd gave the Union team a standing ovation during the awards ceremony.
 
Ronnie Giddens and Doug Kendall were both named to the All-American team, All-World Series team, All-District 24 team and All-Area 5 team. Giddens was also named MVP for District 24.