Nine KCC baseball players earn postseason awards, Head Coach Eric Laskovy named MCCAA Coach of the Year

Pictured, in the top row, from left to right, are Keegan Batka, Hilario DeLaPaz, James Geshel and Jackson Kitchen. In the bottom row, from left to right, are Sean Knorr, Tate Peterson, Ashton Potts and RJ Sherwood.

Nine Kellogg Community College baseball players earned postseason Michigan Community College Athletic Association and/or National Junior College Athletic Association awards for their performance on the field this past season, and Head KCC Baseball Coach Eric Laskovy was again named MCCAA Coach of the Year.

Eight of the nine award winners will transfer to continue playing baseball at four-year institutions next season, while one will return to KCC for his sophomore season.

KCC’s MCCAA and NJCAA postseason baseball award winners include:

  • Sophomore pitcher/infielder Keegan Batka (Grand Rapids/Grand Rapids Christian High School), MCCAA Honorable Mention All-Western Conference. Batka will continue playing baseball at Central Michigan University.
  • Freshman infielder Hilario DeLaPaz (Kalamazoo/Kalamazoo Central High School), MCCAA Honorable Mention All-Western Conference. DeLaPaz will continue playing baseball at Tiffin University.
  • Freshman pitcher James Geshel (Grand Rapids/Rockford High School), MCCAA Second Team All-Western Conference. Geshel will continue playing baseball at Western Michigan University.
  • Freshman outfielder/pitcher Jackson Kitchen (Battle Creek/Lakeview High School), MCCAA Honorable Mention All-Western Conference. Kitchen will continue playing baseball at Western Michigan University.
  • Freshman pitcher Sean Knorr (Ann Arbor/Pioneer High School), All-MCCAA, MCCAA First Team All-Western Conference, MCCAA Western Conference All-Freshman Team. Knorr will continue playing baseball at KCC.
  • Freshman outfielder Tate Peterson (Grandville/Grandville High School), NJCAA Division II Region XII All-Region Team, All-MCCAA, MCCAA First Team All-Western Conference. Peterson will continue playing baseball at Ohio University.
  • Freshman pitcher Ashton Potts (Sterling Heights/Stevensville High School), NJCAA Division II Region XII All-Region Team, All-MCCAA, MCCAA First Team All-Western Conference. Potts will continue playing baseball at Wayne State University.
  • Freshman pitcher Nathan Ross (Jenison/Jenison Senior High School), All-MCCAA, MCCAA First Team All-Western Conference, MCCAA Western Conference All-Freshman Team. Ross will continue playing baseball at Central Michigan University.
  • Sophomore pitcher/utility player RJ Sherwood (Canton/Belleville High School), MCCAA Honorable Mention All-Western Conference. Sherwood will continue playing baseball at Youngstown State University.

Head KCC Baseball Coach Eric Laskovy was named MCCAA Western Conference Coach of the Year and shares MCCAA Co-Coach of the Year honors with Head Lansing Community College Baseball Coach Steve Cutter. It’s Laskovy’s fifth consecutive MCCAA Western Conference Coach of the Year honor and 11th MCCAA Coach of the Year/Western Conference Coach of the Year honor since 2007.

KCC’s Bruins finished the season as MCCAA Western Conference champions and the NJCAA Region XII runner-up. The team finished the year with a 24-4 conference record and a 38-13 record overall.

For more information about KCC’s baseball team, including a full schedule, roster and links to official team and player photos available for download by fans and the press, visit kelloggbruins.com/sports/bsb.

Head KCC Baseball Coach Eric Laskovy can be reached at laskovye@kellogg.edu or 269-965-3931 ext. 2536.

Pictured above, in the top row, from left to right, are Keegan Batka, Hilario DeLaPaz, James Geshel and Jackson Kitchen. In the bottom row, from left to right, are Sean Knorr, Tate Peterson, Ashton Potts and RJ Sherwood. Not pictured is Nathan Ross.

For more news about Kellogg Community College, view our latest press releases online at https://daily.kellogg.edu/category/news-releases.