The Bruins of the Kellogg Community College baseball team are regional champions for the second consecutive year after an undefeated run in the National Junior College Athletic Association Region XII Tournament this past weekend.
The team will head to Enid, Oklahoma, later this week for the NJCAA World Series for the 10th time in program history and third time in the past five years. The tournament starts Saturday, May 24, and runs through the end of the month.
Five KCC baseball players were named to the Region XII All-Tournament Team, including freshman outfielder/pitcher Jake Kucharczyk (Battle Creek/Lakeview High School), who was named NJCAA Region XII Tournament MVP. Also named to the All-Tournament Team were:
- Freshman outfielder Payton Bookwalter (Edwardsburg/Edwardsburg High School)
- Sophomore pitcher/utility player Drew Ferguson (Rockford/Rockford High School)
- Sophomore utility player Rhys Jenkin (London, Ontario/St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Secondary School)
- Freshman first baseman/pitcher Jake Stickler (Allen Park/Allen Park High School)
The Bruins entered the regional tournament as an underdog seeded fifth out of six teams, taking out second-seed Cuyahoga Community College 13-9 in game one Thursday. The Bruins then took out first-seed Lansing Community College – ranked ninth in the nation – with a decisive 22-12 win in game two Friday before securing the championship Saturday with a second win over LCC 11-3.
“We are so proud of how far this team has come, and to see their hard work culminate in a dog pile that few saw coming – except us – was extremely gratifying,” Head KCC Baseball Coach Eric Laskovy said. “We are thrilled to represent our region in another World Series. Let’s go!”
KCC will open World Series play at 11 a.m. Eastern on Saturday as the No. 10 seed against seventh-seed Southeastern Community College, of Iowa, currently ranked sixth in the nation.
For more information about KCC’s baseball team, including a full roster, stats and more, visit kelloggbruins.com/sports/bsb.
Head KCC Baseball Coach Eric Laskovy can be reached at laskovye@kellogg.edu or 269-965-3931 ext. 2536.
Photo by Allie Dietzel/@adietzphotography_.
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