KCC baseball ranked 10th in the nation in first preseason poll

KCC's 2014 baseball team

Kellogg Community College’s baseball team is ranked 10th in the nation in the National Junior College Athletic Association’s first preseason poll, released on Monday.

The poll ranks the Top 20 teams in the NJCAA’s Division II based on expected athletic performance and calculated in part by preseason voting by association coaches.

Eric Laskovy, head coach of the KCC Bruins baseball team, called the Top 10 ranking a nice honor.

“A lot of it is based on our success last year and the tradition of the program in general,” Laskovy said. “We are going to have to work very hard to finish in the Top 10, but we look forward to the challenge.”

The Bruins finished their 2013 season as the No. 1 team in their Michigan Community College Athletic Association conference, with a conference record of 22-4 and an overall record of 32-16. The winning season marked the program’s second consecutive conference title and the eight conference title in program history.

Eight players and Coach Laskovy were recognized last spring with postseason honors by the MCCAA, including the fifth MCCAA Coach of the Year designation for Laskovy in seven years.

The Bruins were recognized for achievements off the field last spring, as well. The Bruins carried a team GPA of 3.2 last year and saw four players honored for academic achievement by the NJCAA. And 13 of 15 sophomores on last spring’s roster committed to play at four-year schools the following season.

This fall, the Bruins earned a 3.39 team GPA.

“We are reloading with many new faces, but if our fall GPA is any indication, this could be another special year,” Laskovy said.

For more information about the baseball program at Kellogg Community College, visit www.kellogg.edu/athletics/baseball/index.html or contact Coach Laskovy at 269-965-3931 ext. 2536 or laskovye@kellogg.edu.

For more news about KCC, view our latest press releases online at daily.kellogg.edu/category/press-releases.