Juan Carlos Gonzalez and the MCC baseball team open up postseason play Friday afternoon in Centerville, IA
Juan Carlos Gonzalez and the MCC baseball team open up postseason play Friday afternoon in Centerville, IA
May 11, 2017

Experience to lead Tigers into postseason play

For the fourth time since 2011, the Marshalltown Community College baseball team reached the NJCAA Region XI Championship game in 2016.

2017 NJCAA Region XI Tournament Bracket          Directions to Pat Daugherty Field

For the fourth time since 2011, the Marshalltown Community College baseball team reached the NJCAA Region XI Championship game in 2016. MCC looks to build off of that feat as the Tigers enter postseason play this weekend as the No. 3 seed.

The four-team, double-elimination Region XI Tournament begins Friday morning in Centerville, IA. The Tigers open up first-round play against tournament host and No. 2 seed Indian Hills Community College at 2:00 PM. Top-seeded Iowa Western Community College will take on No. 4 seed Southwestern Community College at 11:00 AM at Pat Daugherty Field.

MCC wrapped up the regular season with a 19-31 record and 8-16 mark in Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) play. The Tigers have been led by sophomore Luis Duran (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic/Centro de Estudio Espaillat) who has been on a tear at the plate since the beginning of April. Duran finished the regular season leading the ICCAC with 10 home runs and 56 RBI while his .412 batting average was third.

Freshman Jose Mieses (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic/Prepara) has boasted a .348 batting average in his rookie season while sophomore Tony Salato (Knoxville, IA/Knoxville) has contributed 55 hits while driving in 39 runs.

On the mound, the Tigers will look to a pair of sophomore hurlers in Juan Carlos Gonzalez (Piedra Blanca, Dominican Republic/Salome Urena de Henrriquez) and Diogen Ceballos (La Vega Dominican Republic/Liceo la Romana), along with freshmen starters Adam Barrett (Council Bluffs, IA/Abraham Lincoln) and Peyton Stephens (Carlisle, IA/Carlisle) to make a postseason run.

MCC split the latest four-game series with Indian Hills, winning both games in Centerville on April 28. Gonzalez baffled the Falcons in game one of the 2016 Region XI Tournament, tossing six scoreless innings as the Tigers won the opener 1-0 on their way to the championship bout with Iowa Western.

Despite an up-and-down regular season, the Tigers will rely heavily on the sophomore class that has experienced plenty of success throughout their careers as a Tiger, including a school-record 34 wins in 2016.

For all of your Region XI Tournament action, including live video, stats, photos, and more, visit www.mccathletics.com, follow the Tigers on Twitter:  , like Marshalltown Community College Athletics on Facebook, and follow the Tigers on Instagram: MCC_Tigers

Regular Season ICCAC Division I Baseball Statistics

Category      MCC    IHCC    IWCC    SWCC
Overall Record    19-31 35-17 42-14 18-35
     Conference 8-16 14-10 21-3 5-19
     Non-conference    11-15 21-7 21-11 13-16
     Home 6-13 14-4 24-6 11-10
     Away 13-17 21-13 18-7 6-25
     Neutral 0-1 0-0 0-1 1-0
Runs Scored 311 405 459 276
Batting Average .296 .330 .334 .287
On Base Percentage .400 .410 .453 .370
Slugging Percentage .429 .514 .467 .398
Home Runs 34 45 25 21
Extra Base Hits 109 187 139 105
Earned Run Average    8.24 5.42 4.23 7.77
Pitching Strikeouts 301 307 418 310