Rochester, MN-
The 2018 Minnesota College Athletics Conference baseball season is in the books, but one MCAC team has earned the opportunity to write one more chapter of their own following a top-notch tournament performance.
St. Cloud Technical & Community College won both the MCAC State Baseball Tournament and the NJCAA Region XIII crown this past week, outlasting a crowded and competitive field of eight teams and surviving several close contests to hoist both the MCAC hardware and Regional tournament plaque. Three nationally-ranked teams - Itasca Community College, Riverland Community College and Century College - were among the contestants to converge on Dick Putz Field and Faber Field in St. Cloud, Minnesota for a double-elimination bracket tournament. With the double-dip victory, the Cyclones move on to the NJCAA Division III Baseball World Series, to be held May 26-31 at Pioneer Park in Greeneville, Tennessee.
Head coach Jason Fischer and his squad got off to an important strong start with a 12-9 win over Itasca Community College in the opening round of play; ICC was 32-14 on the year and had been ranked as high as #6 nationally over the 2018 season. Including their opener, SCTCC was able to string together three consecutive victories over the first three days of competition, allowing them to advance to the championship round on Saturday May, 19 needing to win only one of two games against Century College. The Wood Ducks secured a win to over SCTCC in the opening game of the Championship round handing the Cyclones a 13-6 setback. However, St. Cloud Technical & Community College shut the door in game two, holding Century scoreless in a 5-0 shutout and paving a path to the National Championships.
Logan Aleshire and Luis Massa Ortiz, both Cyclones, were tabbed with MVP honors for the MCAC / Region XIII tournament.
The All-Division honorary squads were released over the course of the MCAC / Region XIII Baseball Tournament; click on any of the following for the SOUTHERN DIVISION, CENTRAL DIVISION or NORTHERN DIVISION honorees.
Complete MCAC / Region XIII Tournament scores are as follows:
Saturday, May 19
SCTCC def. Century College, 5-0. % Automatic Bid to NJCAA National Tournament
Century def. SCTCC, 13-6
Friday, May 18
Northland CTC def. Rochester CTC, 9-4 (RCTC eliminated)
SCTCC def. Century College, 7-6
Century def. Northland CTC, 4-1 (NCTC eliminated)
Thursday, May 17
Rochester CTC def. Itasca, 14-5 (ICC eliminated)
Century def. Rainy River, 6-5
SCTCC def. Riverland 6-0
Northland CTC def. Riverland, 4-3 (Riverland eliminated)
Rochester def. Rainy River, 6-5, 13 innings (RRCC eliminated)
Wednesday, May 16
Rainy River def. Northland CTC, 6-2
Century def. Hibbing, 16-3
Riverland def. Rochester CTC, 10-7
SCTCC def. Itasca, 12-9
Information on the 2018 NJCAA Division III Baseball National Tournament is at: http://www.njcaa.org/sports/bsb/2017-18/div3/national_championship/index
For overall standings, scores and more, go to: http://www.mcacsports.org/sports/bsb/index
This release sponsored in part by:
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About the Minnesota College Athletic Conference
The Minnesota College Athletic Conference is the organizational body for NJCAA-affiliated two-year technical and community college athletic programs in the Minnesota State system. The mission of the Minnesota College Athletic Conference is to advance intercollegiate athletics by providing an engaging and supportive environment for success of our student athletes and competition among member institutions. The MCAC is committed to the guiding principles of encouraging the development and success of student athletes, promoting the integrity, honesty and loyalty to member schools as well as upholding the sustainability of conference athletic programs.