MASON CITY – The NIACC baseball team is ranked No. 13 in the NJCAA Division II poll released Wednesday.
NIACC is the defending NJCAA Region XI champions and returns six position player starters, including second-team all-American Robbie Glendinning, from last year’s team that was 49-16 and placed seventh at the NJCAA Division II World Series.
Returning starters for the Trojans are infielders Glendinning, Austin LaDoux and Jonathan Cruz, catcher Juan De La Cruz and outfielders Spencer Halloran and Troy Bellingham.
Also returning are starting pitchers Daniel Loats, Ryan Huntington and Tony Grabowske.
NIACC, which has qualified for the NJCAA Division II series two of the last three years, is the lone Iowa team in the preseason top 20. NIACC was ranked sixth in the final poll of the 2015 season on May 20, 2015.
NIACC opens the season Feb.20-21 in Highland, Kan. The Trojans play games each day against Highland CC and Cloud County CC.
NJCAA Division II top 20
Western Oklahoma State, Madison, Catawba Valley, LSU-Eunice, Kellogg, Heartland, Frederick, Sinclair, Hinds, Mesa, Patrick Henry, Lincoln Land, NIACC, Westchester, Southeast, Mercy County, Murray State, Black Hawk-Moline, Monroe CC, Northern Oklahoma-Tonkawa.
