MCC Ready for NJCAA World Series
TYLER, TX – MCC pitcher Tyler Wenz got a taste of Texas last May and hopes for an extended stay at his second NJCAA Division III World Series in the Lone Star State.
“Winning one game last year was outstanding,” Wenz said of MCC 8-1 victory over Niagara CC a year ago. “But it made us want to play harder and come back here and give it another shot. I think we have a more rounded team this year and could possibly take the championship and get a ring.”
Wenz, 22, is a veteran leader on the deep pitching staff MCC head coach Chris Strahowski (189-146-3) assembled for his 11th season in the Cougar dugout. The Cougars won their third consecutive Region 21 championship on May 10th and will kick off the 2010 series on Saturday morning at 9 AM against Riverland CC (33-10).
South Windsor’s Adam Scanlon (6-3, 3.97 ERA) is expected to get the ball in the opener and Strahowski will have Wenz, who was second on the staff with 51.1 innings pitched despite a tough-luck 1-5 record, and Kevin Madera (8-0, 1.40) to chose from to pitch Sunday’s game.
The pitching staff relies on two-time All-New England catcher A.J. Lowers who calls the pitches and threw out 13 of 20 would-be base stealers in second season at MCC. Lowers, who made just one error in 315 chances also led MCC in virtually all offensive catagories, hitting .480 with a pair of home runs, 15 doubles and 53 RBI.
“He is one of my favorite catchers I’ve ever thrown to and his bat powers our offense,” Wenz, who led the Cougars with five saves in ’09 before joining the rotation this season, said. “You rarely see a pitcher shake him off. He knows what to throw in the right sequence for every pitcher through the line.”
Sophomore Joey Allison of East Hartford hit .370 and stole 21 bases in 21 attempts from the number two slot in the order while freshman third baseman Alec Brown (.320) led the team with five home runs while driving in 25 runs. Sophomore Juan Bisono was an All-New England first team selection and led MCC with 46 runs scored and a .397 average.
“I’ve been waiting to get back here all,” Lowers who will play at CCSU next year, said. “And with the depth in our in pitching, we have a much better chance of going deep into the tournament than last year.”
East Hartford’s A. J. Rataic, Justin Thomas, Tyler Kapushinski and Mike Methot form a strong bullpen while position players Kevin Wodatch and Taylor Riley could also be called on to get outs in key situations.
The Cougars also have the luck of the draw on their side in the double elimination tournament. Two of the top teams, host Tyler Junior College (43-12) and Gloucester CC (39-2) will meet in the first round.
“Somebody has to come out of that game with a loss,” sixth year assistant coach Shawn Barry said. “Let them beat each other up.”
After spending Thursday traveling, the Cougars practiced Friday and will be well rested for the early morning game Saturday.
“We’ll get some good sleep tonight and take some BP in the morning,” Wenz said Friday. “Really, if you look at it, it’s just another baseball game and you have to do what you do every time.”
