Collegiate Baseball ranks Mesa No. 1 in NJCAA DII
pre-season poll
Source: Mesa CC Athletics
MESA, AZ - The defending national champions
are still on top according to Collegiate Baseball
newspaper which has ranked Mesa No. 1 in its
NJCAA pre-season poll for 2015.
The T-Birds fought their way to the national title
last spring, posting a school-record 52-13 record
and have a number of key players returning,
prompting the No. 1 ranking.
Among those back for their sophomore seasons
are several of the top hitters from a year ago,
three key starting pitchers and the closer.
Among the field players returning to defend the national title is leading hitter Jordan Zimmerman (So.,
Mesa, AZ/Red Mountain H.S.) who hit .378 with five home runs and 49 RBIs. Alex Gudac (So., West
Jordan, Utah/Juan Diego Catholic H.S.) had a .325 mark with four homers are 34 driven in. James
Anderson (So., Henderson, Nev/Coronado H.S.) posted a .355 mark at the plate and Casey Moses (So.,
Las Vegas, Nev/Centennial H.S.) hit .297. All-America pitcher Tyler Carvalho (So., Palmdale,
Calif/Paraclete H.S.) is back for another year along with Evan Fresquez (So., Las Vegas, Nev/Coronado
H.S.), Ryan Chen (So., Las Vegas, Nev/Arbor View H.S.) and closer Danny Lutz (Fr., Phoenix,
AZ/Shadow Mountain H.S.).
Eagles ranked No. 2 in Collegiate Baseball poll
Source: Hinds CC Athletics
On the heels of capturing the 2014 Region XXIII
championship and finishing runner-up in the National
Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) World
Series, the Hinds Community College baseball team
is ranked second in the nation in the 2015 Collegiate
Baseball preseason poll that was released on
Tuesday.
Hinds was 40-21 overall last season and won the
Region XXIII tournament at Community Bank Park in
Ellisville before playing for the 2014 national
championship in Enid, Okla., where the Eagles
dropped a 9-7 decision in 11 innings to Mesa (Ariz.)
Community College. The Eagles will open the 2015 campaign on Saturday, Feb. 7 at Joe G. Moss Field in
Raymond, welcoming Mineral Area (Mo.) College to town for a 2 p.m. doubleheader.