San Jacinto College wins South Zone title, heads to regional playoffs as top seed

Rob Vanya - 5/5/2008 Chris Corrigan (Humble High School), was solid at pitching with 73.3 innings pitched, 53 strikeouts, a 4.66 ERA, and an 8-1 record.

Looking back on another successful baseball season, San Jacinto College head baseball coach Tom Arrington says he is extremely proud of the team and hopes they continue to play well in this weekend’s Region XIV tournament.

“Finishing first place in the Region XIV South Zone was a great accomplishment,” commented Arrington, who was recently named the Region XIV Conference Coach of the Year. “Knowing we would qualify for the regional tournament several weeks ago, it was just a matter of where we would be seeded. The players stepped up and continued to show they had the desire and necessary skills to win the south zone title outright.”

The College’s baseball team won the Region XIV South Zone title with a 42-12 overall record and a 24-6 conference record. The team is the top seed from the South in the Region XIV tournament, which will be played at Northeast Texas Community College in Mount Pleasant, Texas, May 10-14, 2008. San Jacinto College faces fourth-seeded Panola College on Saturday, May 10 at 5 p.m., in the opening round of the double-elimination tournament.

San Jacinto College produced impressive statistics on offense, defense and in nearly every pitching category for the season. They also finished the season ranked sixth in the nation in the final National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I poll. Still, Arrington says they have their work cut out for them in the regional tournament.

“Support of the teammates and being mentally prepared for the tournament is the key,” he remarked. “Physically, we are a very good team with good statistics leading into the tournament, but mentally playing four to six games in four days can be demanding.”

The winner of the Region XIV Tournament advances to the JUCO World Series, which will be played May 24-31 in Grand Junction, Colorado. In order to advance to the national championship tournament, San Jacinto College will have to get past at least two tough opponents in Navarro College and Alvin Community College. Navarro finished the regular season ranked fourth in the nation with region’s best record, winning the Region XIV East Zone title and posting a 45-8 overall and a 25-3 conference record (San Jacinto College finished with the second best regular season record in Region XIV). Alvin (34-15 overall and 21-7 conference) ended the season in second place in the Region XIV South Zone and battled San Jacinto College down to the wire for first place. During the regular season, San Jacinto College split two games with Navarro, winning a home game 11-6 and losing a road game 14-4. San Jacinto College also split the six games they played against Alvin.

Coach Arrington says the keys to winning the Region XIV title and advancing to the JUCO World Series will be to follow the same winning formula that proved successful during the regular season. “Our offense was consistent throughout the season, which helped the pitching staff pitch deeper into games,” he noted. “Most notable was the improvement in the overall defense from the first half of the season to the second.”

The team’s total fielding percentage for the season was an impressive .936. Defensive standouts include catcher Killian Kinart (Magnolia High School), who played 215 innings without committing an error, and outfielder Kris Miller (New Caney High School), who logged 388 innings without an error.

Miller also lead the way offensively. “If I had to pick one truly outstanding player on offense it would be Kris Miller,” commented Arrington. “Kris leads the nation in RBIs (87), fifth in home runs (18), led our team in batting average (.415), and should be nominated for the All-American team.”

At the start of the season, Arrington was concerned his squad might be thin at pitching. But as the season progressed he was pleased to see improvements. “The pitching staff has backed one another up very well,” he said. “Solidification of roles was established early and this pitching staff has become very consistent and effective.”

Top pitching performers include Chris Corrigan (Humble High School), with 73.3 innings pitched, 53 strikeouts, a 4.66 ERA, and an 8-1 record; Kevin Angelle (Bridge City High School), with 64.7 innings pitched, 82 strikeouts, a 3.06 ERA, and a 7-1 record; Jamie Bagley (Huffman Hargrave High School), with 50 innings pitched, 39 strikeouts, a 5.40 ERA, and a 6-1 record; and Tyler Dyer (Deer Park High School), with 56.3 innings pitched, 51 strikeouts, a 3.20 ERA, and a 7-3 record.

San Jacinto College’s All-Conference selections include Corrigan (pitcher); Kinart (catcher); Tanner Hines (Lufkin Hudson High School, infielder); Quentin Luquette (Klein High School, outfielder); Miller (utility); Rick McGraw (designated hitter); and Arrington (Coach of the Year).

San Jacinto College’s All-Region selections include Miller at outfield, Corrigan at pitcher, and Jeremy Barfield (Klein High School) at outfield.