NIACC baseball preview: May 27th, 2013

ENID, Okla. – The No. 19 NIACC baseball team will look to make more history Monday afternoon.

NIACC (30-19) faces No. 6 Murray State of Oklahoma (42-21) in the second round of the NJCAA Division II World Series at noon Monday at David Allen Memorial Ballpark.

The winner of Monday’s Memorial Day contest faces No. 3 Heartland Community College (49-9) in the third round at 7 p.m. Tuesday. The NIACC/Murray State loser faces No. 2 UConn-Avery Point (38-9) at noon on Tuesday in an elimination game.

Heartland CC topped UConn-AP 9-1 in seven innings in the final first-round contest on Sunday.

NIACC topped No. 5 Madison College of Wisconsin 2-0 Saturday night in the World Series opener as sophomore right-hander Tim Black struck out a Series’ record 16 batters. The Trojans pushed across single runs in the second and third innings to claim their first-ever win at the national baseball tournament.

Black broke the NJCAA Division II single-game strikeout mark of 15 held by DMACC’s Alec Crawford in 2011. The single-game strikeout mark for all divisions is 21 by Floyd Weaver of Paris Junior College (Texas) in 1960.

Sophomore Hunter King drove (Mason City, Ia.) in both of NIACC’s runs against Madison and sophomore Drew Verstegen (Mason City, Ia.) was 2 for 4.

Murray State topped Brunswick Community College of North Carolina 2-1 in its Series’ opener on Saturday. Ace Hunter Raley (7-3) started and gained a no decision for Murray State.

Probable starters for Murray State against NIACC are freshman right-hander Bradly Horn (4-0) or sophomore left-hander Garrett Sumpter (3-3).

Horn has 48 strikeouts and 36 walks in 72 innings pitched with a 5.25 earned run average. Sumpter has 53 strikeouts and 42 walks in 70.2 inning pitched with a 5.22 ERA.

The Aggies are led at the plate by Noel Nevarez, who is hitting .375 with 18 doubles, 10 home runs and 61 RBIs. Colt Pickens is hitting .378 for the Aggies.

Probable starter for NIACC is sophomore right-hander Lucas Bakker (9-1). Bakker (Deception Bay, Australia) has a 2.60 ERA with 67 strikeouts and 19 walks in 72 innings pitched.

Bakker clinched the North Plains district title with a 4-1 win over Dakota County Technical and Community College on May 19 in Glendive, Montana.

NIACC is 11-3 in its last 14 games. The Trojans closed the regular season going 3-2 in its last five games, including a 9-6 win over then No. 1 DMACC.

The Trojans then went 4-1 at the Region XI tournament and advanced the World Series with three straight wins at the North Plains district tournament.

MORE ON BLACK

Black (Mount Hope, Ontario, Canada) is 3-0 with a save in his last four appearances.

In those outings, he’s logged 27 2/3 innings allowing 1 run, 8 hits with 38 strikeouts and 3 walks.

Vs. Iowa Central (May 12) – 8 innings, 9 strikeouts, 0 walks, 2 hits, 0 runs (won, 6-0).

Vs. Iowa Central (May 14) – 1 2/3 innings, 2 strikeouts, 1 walk, 2 hits, 0 runs (gained save in 8-6 win).

Vs. Miles CC (May 18) – 9 innings, 11 strikeouts, 1 walk, 2 hits, 1 run (won, 3-1).

Vs. Madison College (May 26) – 9 innings, 16 strikeouts, 1 walk, 2 hits, 0 runs (won, 2-0).

KILLER BEES

Lucas Bakker and Tim Black will go down in NIACC history as two of the school’s best pitchers of all-time.

And the sophomore dynamic duo have the career numbers to back it up.

Bakker is the school’s all-time win leader with 16. Black is tied for third with 10.

Black is the school’s strikeout king with 132. Bakker ranks second with 113.

Bakker ranks first with 134 1/3 innings pitched. Black is second with 125 2/3

Bakker ranks first with 9 complete games. Black ranks second with 6.

NIACC leaders

Batting

Batting average – Brett Guba .392, Drew Verstegen .362. RBIs – Hunter King 35, Verstegen 30. Doubles – King 16, Alex Stuart 14. Triples – Guba 2, Reynaldo Sala 2. Home runs – Verstegen 3, Brett White 3. Runs – Verstegen 38, Max Waletich 31. Stolen bases – Verstegen 11, Ryan Voves 9, Tanner Unkel 9.

Pitching

Wins – Lucas Bakker 9-1, Tim Black 6-3. Strikeouts – Black 76, Bakker 67. ERA – Black 1.88, Bakker 2.60.