SEWARD COUNTY RECEIVES NO. 25 RANKING IN NJCAA POLL
The National Junior College Athletic Association released its 2008 pre-season Top 30 poll, and Seward County Community College received a No. 25 ranking. It is the 14th year the Saints have been ranked inside the NJCAA poll during the last 16 seasons. Last season the Saints finished the year ranked No. 18 in the country, that after winning their 10th Jayhawk West Conference championship in the past 15 years. The Saints are coming off a 36-22 overall record in 2007, and they return six pitchers that accounted for 58 percent of the team’s innings pitched.
Seward County was one of the three Region VI baseball programs that appeared in the pre-season poll, joining Cowley College (No. 10) and Butler Community College (No. 16). Central Arizona College was tabbed the No. 1 pre-season team, followed by Grayson County C.C., Chipola College, College of Southern Nevada, and Iowa Western C.C., to round out the Top 5.
The Saints pitching staff is loaded with experience, returning their top three pitchers from last season. The top returning pitcher in all of the Jayhawk West is last season’s Conference Freshman of the Year, Christian Kowalchuk. The 6-foot-1 left-hander from Saskatoon, Canada, went 8-2 (two saves) with a 4.19 earned run average, recording a team-high 77.1 innings. Kowalchuk, a First Team All-Conference performer, led the Saints with 71 strikeouts while allowing opponents to hit just .237 against him.
Also returning on the mound for Seward County are starters Tomas Cruz (5-2, 62.2 IP, 44 SO) and Jordan McClintick (7-3, 4.41 ERA, 51 IP). SCCC also returns three starting positions players, including shortstop Austin Roff (.226, 10-10 SB), catcher Brock Gifford (.227, 4 HR, 20 RBI), and catcher converted outfielder Luke Hardcastle (.283, 12 2B, 28 RBI).
Seward County is scheduled to open its season Friday, Feb. 15, hosting Western Nebraska Community College for a 1 p.m. non-conference doubleheader at Brent Gould Field in Liberal.
