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A routine flyball was lofted into left field late in the NJCAA Division II Baseball World Series championship game between Phoenix South Mountain Community College and Pearl River Community College out of Poplarville, Mississippi.
The ball hung in the air and eventually crossed paths directly with the sun. SMCC’s left fielder lost it in the solar glare and the ball dropped.
It was a key play as Pearl River defeated South Mountain for the title, 4-3, in 11 innings on May 30 in the title game, played in Enid, Oklahoma.
The loss was a disappointing end to an otherwise great season for South Mountain, part of Maricopa Community Colleges. The team was the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference Division II regular season champion for the third straight season, finishing 52-18 overall (31-9 conference).
Cougars' head coach Todd Eastin was proud of how his team reacted in the loss.
“Our whole team ran out to left with our left fielder to support him,” Eastin said. “It’s all about development, it’s not just on the field. Ultimately, the way we measure ourselves is, are our guys better? Do they have better opportunities than when they got here?”
SMCC’s starting shortstop, Bobby Pierce Jr., is an example of opportunity. After completing his semester this spring, he headed to Salt Lake City for summer classes at the University of Utah after receiving a scholarship.
Pierce Jr. batted .337 with six home runs and 66 RBIs as the Cougars lead-off hitter this season.
“South Mountain prepares you very well,” Pierce Jr. said. "We play 70 games, and we are working truly all year long. Just so much baseball, and everyone’s getting so much better, and obviously the team is pretty dang good.”
Pierce was among four SMCC players named as all-tournament players during the series.
Freshman pitcher Cody Stoller was another. He was an ace for SMCC this year, with a 12-0 record in 19 starts. He compiled a 3.78 ERA, a 1.34 WHIP and 79 strikeouts in 95.1 innings pitched.
“Part of having a good record means that the offense has helped you out a lot,” Stoller said. "To have a team that’s producing runs and that is able to put you in the situation to win ball games, it makes it a lot easier to win on the mound.”
The Cougars scored 76 runs in eight tournament games, averaging 9.5 runs a game.
Eastin sees the scope of the team's success beyond the diamond.
“The value of being able to compete and the value of being able to win a one-on-one competition is huge,” Eastin said. “At some point these young men are going to be in job interviews competing against 1,000 other candidates and you’ve got to be a bit different and we believe our work here can be part of the difference.”
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: South Mountain CC baseball comes up short of national title
Continue reading...
The ball hung in the air and eventually crossed paths directly with the sun. SMCC’s left fielder lost it in the solar glare and the ball dropped.
It was a key play as Pearl River defeated South Mountain for the title, 4-3, in 11 innings on May 30 in the title game, played in Enid, Oklahoma.
The loss was a disappointing end to an otherwise great season for South Mountain, part of Maricopa Community Colleges. The team was the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference Division II regular season champion for the third straight season, finishing 52-18 overall (31-9 conference).
Cougars' head coach Todd Eastin was proud of how his team reacted in the loss.
“Our whole team ran out to left with our left fielder to support him,” Eastin said. “It’s all about development, it’s not just on the field. Ultimately, the way we measure ourselves is, are our guys better? Do they have better opportunities than when they got here?”
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SMCC’s starting shortstop, Bobby Pierce Jr., is an example of opportunity. After completing his semester this spring, he headed to Salt Lake City for summer classes at the University of Utah after receiving a scholarship.
Pierce Jr. batted .337 with six home runs and 66 RBIs as the Cougars lead-off hitter this season.
“South Mountain prepares you very well,” Pierce Jr. said. "We play 70 games, and we are working truly all year long. Just so much baseball, and everyone’s getting so much better, and obviously the team is pretty dang good.”
Pierce was among four SMCC players named as all-tournament players during the series.
You must be registered for see images attach
Freshman pitcher Cody Stoller was another. He was an ace for SMCC this year, with a 12-0 record in 19 starts. He compiled a 3.78 ERA, a 1.34 WHIP and 79 strikeouts in 95.1 innings pitched.
“Part of having a good record means that the offense has helped you out a lot,” Stoller said. "To have a team that’s producing runs and that is able to put you in the situation to win ball games, it makes it a lot easier to win on the mound.”
The Cougars scored 76 runs in eight tournament games, averaging 9.5 runs a game.
Eastin sees the scope of the team's success beyond the diamond.
“The value of being able to compete and the value of being able to win a one-on-one competition is huge,” Eastin said. “At some point these young men are going to be in job interviews competing against 1,000 other candidates and you’ve got to be a bit different and we believe our work here can be part of the difference.”
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: South Mountain CC baseball comes up short of national title
Continue reading...
