2008 Woodie Awards
Playoffs in Future
MJC Baseball hopeful to go all the way
Andrew Shrader
Issue date: 2/23/06 Section: Sports
The Modesto Junior College baseball team is off to a successful start to the 2006 season.
The Pirate's concluded the pre-season with a 15-11 win over Siskiyous Junior College. The win upped the Pirate's record to 7-3 heading into Central Valley Conference play. Modesto will travel to Taft Junior College (5-7) on Thursday, Feb. 23, in the conference opener. The Pirate's enter the game with a three game winning streak, and the probable starting pitcher is sophomore standout Matt Gibbs.
In the pre-season, the Pirate's played all ten games at home, which brings up the question-can they win on the road? As a witness of many of the pre-season games, Modesto looked brilliant but also tender at times. One thing I noticed the Pirate's have mastered is their hitting. In five of their ten games thus far, MJC has posted ten or more runs in a game. Their hitting is clicking on all cylinders, with virtually everyone from top to bottom chipping in on the offense. However, I happened to notice their weak points as well. Every loss the Pirate's have surrendered has been very close. A few costly errors and a minor lack of timely hitting prevented Modesto from going undefeated in the pre-season.
On the flipside, the Pirate's consistent offense has and will carry them throughout the long season. The pitching is coming around, the defense is finally adjusting to its surroundings, and the Pirate's are ready to hit the road for the first time all season. Modesto boasts a lineup of six hitters with ten or more hits, and four players with nine runs batted in.
On Friday, Feb. 18, the Pirates hosted Siskiyous and De Anza Junior College. In the game against Siskiyous, the Pirate's found themselves down 10-1 in the bottom of the third inning. Freshman shortstop Jeff Hughes, along with outfielder Adan Mercado sparked the rally. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Modesto was still down 13-9. Thanks to an abundance of hitting, most notably Mercado's game-tying single, and Pat McIntyre's go-ahead single, the Pirates racked six runs in the inning. Mercado and third baseman Joey Norwood blasted home runs and accumulated three RBI's each. Hughes, mostly known for his defense, had a career game by going 4-5 with two RBI's of his own.
The Pirate's concluded the pre-season with a 15-11 win over Siskiyous Junior College. The win upped the Pirate's record to 7-3 heading into Central Valley Conference play. Modesto will travel to Taft Junior College (5-7) on Thursday, Feb. 23, in the conference opener. The Pirate's enter the game with a three game winning streak, and the probable starting pitcher is sophomore standout Matt Gibbs.
In the pre-season, the Pirate's played all ten games at home, which brings up the question-can they win on the road? As a witness of many of the pre-season games, Modesto looked brilliant but also tender at times. One thing I noticed the Pirate's have mastered is their hitting. In five of their ten games thus far, MJC has posted ten or more runs in a game. Their hitting is clicking on all cylinders, with virtually everyone from top to bottom chipping in on the offense. However, I happened to notice their weak points as well. Every loss the Pirate's have surrendered has been very close. A few costly errors and a minor lack of timely hitting prevented Modesto from going undefeated in the pre-season.
On the flipside, the Pirate's consistent offense has and will carry them throughout the long season. The pitching is coming around, the defense is finally adjusting to its surroundings, and the Pirate's are ready to hit the road for the first time all season. Modesto boasts a lineup of six hitters with ten or more hits, and four players with nine runs batted in.
On Friday, Feb. 18, the Pirates hosted Siskiyous and De Anza Junior College. In the game against Siskiyous, the Pirate's found themselves down 10-1 in the bottom of the third inning. Freshman shortstop Jeff Hughes, along with outfielder Adan Mercado sparked the rally. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Modesto was still down 13-9. Thanks to an abundance of hitting, most notably Mercado's game-tying single, and Pat McIntyre's go-ahead single, the Pirates racked six runs in the inning. Mercado and third baseman Joey Norwood blasted home runs and accumulated three RBI's each. Hughes, mostly known for his defense, had a career game by going 4-5 with two RBI's of his own.