After a pair of decisive wins over a regional powerhouse Thursday, the Kellogg Community College baseball team left MCCU Field at C.O. Brown Stadium as the Michigan Community College Athletic Association Western Conference champions.
It’s the sixth consecutive conference championship win for the Bruins and the eighth out of the past 10 conference championship contests.
Thursday’s doubleheader was a big one for the MCCAA West, with KCC coming in ranked sixth in the nation to take on the fourth-ranked Stars of Lansing Community College. The games were the first of a four-game series continuing Saturday that would decide the conference title; the Bruins needed to win two of the four and got it done on day one.
“Big time effort clinching the conference championship on our home field, with tremendous support from our campus and community,” Head KCC Baseball Coach Eric Laskovy said. “Our guys played with grit and determination accomplishing something that many didn’t think was possible.”
KCC took game one 8-1, with freshman pitcher Gavin Beuter (Three Rivers/IMG Academy) pitching six innings for the win with eight strikeouts.
Leading for the Bruins on offense in game one, freshman catcher Diego Peña (Muskegon/Mona Shores High School) and sophomore infielder Brett Stanley (Washington Township/De La Salle Collegiate High School) each went 2-3 with two RBIs apiece; sophomore outfielder Noah Warren (Grand Ledge/Grand Ledge High School) went 1-2, a double with an RBI; and freshman infielder Aaron Piasecki (Muskegon/Mona Shores High School) went 1-4, a double with an RBI.
The Bruins took game two 8-2 with sophomore Sean Knorr (Ann Arbor/Pioneer High School) pitching six innings for the win, striking out seven.
At the plate in game two, Stanley went 3-4 including a home run and a double with three RBIs; Peña went 1-3 including a home run with an RBI; and sophomore infielder/outfielder Aidan Arbogast (Livonia/Adlai E. Stevenson High School) went 1-4 with an RBI.
The Bruins – now on a 21-game winning streak – wrap up regular-season play with another doubleheader against LCC Saturday in Lansing before progressing to postseason play as part of the National Junior College Athletic Association Region XII Tournament starting May 11. KCC finished second in the tournament in 2022.
“Enormous gratitude for assistant coaches Jim Miller, Randy Ford and Alex Holley,” Laskovy said. “These guys have servant leadership mentalities and have been invaluable to the success of our program and growth of our student athletes. Go Bruins!”
For more information about KCC’s baseball team, including a full schedule, roster, statistics and other information, visit kelloggbruins.com. Head KCC Baseball Coach Eric Laskovy can be reached at laskovye@kellogg.edu or 269-965-3931 ext. 2536.
For more news about Kellogg Community College, view our latest press releases online at https://daily.kellogg.edu/category/news-releases.