The last time South Arkansas College was on the baseball diamond, they were crowned Plains District Tournament champions.
Now the Stars are one of 10 teams competing for the national championship at the NJCAA Division II World Series.
SouthArk (45-16), the No. 7 seed, takes on Frederick (Md.) Community College (37-13), the No. 10 seed, at 10 a.m. today in the first game of the World Series at David Allen Memorial Ballpark in Enid, Okla.
The winner takes on No. 2 seed Lansing (Mich.) Community College Sunday at 1 p.m.
SouthArk coach Cannon Lester said freshman Brett Foss (7-1, 3.41 ERA) will get the starting nod for the Stars.
“I think we’ll go with Foss in Game 1,” Lester said. “I like what he brings to the table. He brings a lot of energy, he’s got a lot of belief in himself. He’s obviously thrown the ball well as a lot of our guys have. I think we’ll definitely go with Brett in Game 1. Past the point, I’m not quite sure.”
A candidate to get the start for the Cougars could be Chris Durkin (8-0, 2.14 ERA), who was an All-Region selection.
This showdown has great contrast between the schools.
The Stars are in the World Series in just the second year in the history of the program, while the Cougars are in Enid for the third straight year and have nine trips to the World Series in their history.
Frederick earned their third straight trip to the World Series by winning the NJCAA Region 20 title.
“It’s obviously been a really good season with how it ended up,” Frederick coach Rodney Bennett said of his team’s season. “It was a real challenge at the beginning. We battled through some injuries like most teams do.
“One of our top arms who was supposed to be returning had to have surgery, then our No. 1 pitcher had to have surgery after his second start in Florida this year, so we were down two pretty big arms to start the season, which is why I am so proud of the other guys who had to step up and absorb those top roles. They’ve done an outstanding job. What has been consistent with us all season is that for the most part, we’ve played really solid defense and we’ve gotten really timely hitting to really kind of balance us out.”
But while the Cougars may have an edge on the Stars from an experience standpoint at the Series, David Allen Memorial Ballpark has almost been a home away home for SouthArk.
Today’s game is the eighth the Stars have played there this year, and they enter undefeated having swept Northern Oklahoma-Enid and winning the first three games of the Plains District Tournament before inclement weather forced the tournament to be moved to the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond.
“I don’t think there’s any doubt,” Lester said of the Stars’ advantage of playing in Enid previously. “We’ve had a lot of success on that field. We’ve had really good numbers on that field. That’s a huge advantage. Nothing is going to awe us when we walk in there. The wind, the way it plays, the brick, the short right field, the big centerfield wall, nothing is going to change because we’ve seen it all the time. I think it gives us a big advantage.”
With both schools having not played in nearly two weeks, rust could certainly be an issue.
Lester gave his team a few days off before returning to practice last weekend.
“They’ve gone pretty good,” Lester said of his team’s workouts. “I think we’re definitely ready to go play - not to say they’re tired of practice - but we practiced Saturday and scrimmaged on Sunday and Monday. We had some long scrimmages, some arms threw really well, we had some guys get off some good swings.
“They kind of got their at-bats in for Sunday and Monday, even though it’s a little bit different. We hit a little BP, worked on a few team defense things. The hay is kind of in the barn at this point. Hopefully the layoff isn’t that big of a deal for us. I think it will be fine after we get after the first-inning jitters.”
Bennett took a similar approach.
“It’s very hard to simulate anything game-related when the juice is gone and all of that good stuff,” Bennett said. “For us, after a long regional weekend and winning it, we gave them Monday and Tuesday off. After that, we practiced Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, normal practices, then we gave them Saturday and Sunday off. Monday and Tuesday, we’ve had our arms get some live action against live hitters.
“We kind of did an intrasquad, which I’m not real big on after the season gets going, but obviously with the lull, I wanted our guys to see some live arms and have our pitchers throw against live hitters Monday and Tuesday before we took off.”
One wouldn’t think that the start time of the game would be an interesting aspect, but it is in this case.
On Friday night, Bennett was inducted into the NJCAA Hall of Fame. The ceremony was held in Grand Junction, Colo., where the Division I World Series is being held. From there, he is heading to Enid to coach his team today.
Needless to say, Friday and Saturday are going to be very hectic for Bennett.
“It’s one of those things that when I was notified in January, your knees kind of go weak,” Bennett said. “You never did this thing to set out to get those kind of accolades. It’s beyond humbling. The hardest thing in my mind for me was, ‘Wait a minute, I’m still coaching. I’m not retired.’ I’m not minimizing the award, it’s just beyond humbling is what I can say.
“The one thing that a few friends of mine that have been in the business and have been fortunate enough to be inducted have said, ‘I know you’re going to be in a hurry to get out there, but just enjoy that moment,’ so I’m going to try to enjoy that moment for as long as I possibly can and then I’m going to try and get to Enid. It would’ve really helped us if we were a higher seed so we didn’t have to play the 10 a.m. game, but it is what it is. The timing of it is just crazy.”
In the Stars’ case, Lester said he welcomes the early start after having to play the last game of the day during the Plains District Tournament.
“We had to go find the bracket to see what time we played,” Lester said. “Besides having to get up early for BP, I’m pretty excited about it. I think it’s good to get it out of the way. Hopefully we’ll get the first W and be able to relax and watch a few games. Just knowing our guys, I think it would’ve been fine either way. When we were at the regionals, we played the last game quite a bit. Sitting around all day is a little bit different, so I’m excited to wake up early and play the first one and get it over with.”
Both teams have had no issues scoring runs this year.
The Stars have scored 517 runs and are hitting .317 as a team with 78 home runs.
The Cougars are hitting .338 as a team while scoring 417 runs with 55 home runs.
However, Frederick’s bats played a pivotal role in winning the Region 20 crown, scoring 46 runs in their four postseason games.
“I think it’s just one of those deals where obviously whenever you make it to the pinnacle of where you’re at, you have to have a lot of things clicking right for you,” Bennett said. “For us throughout the tournament, we just swung it really well. For the most part all season, we’ve swung the bat pretty consistently. For our style of game this year, we have to play really good defense and hope to get a lot of timely hitting and try to get some big innings. It obviously gets a little difficult when you start facing the caliber of arms that you’ll face at the national tournament, so the margin for error against really quality opponents is pretty small.
“Again, we’re pretty happy with how with ended the regular season and how we ended our postseason, but it’s been two weeks since we’ve played and hopefully we can maintain offensively a little bit of what we did in the regional.”
In the Region 20 clincher, the Cougars unleashed a 21-hit barrage that included five home runs.
Josh Wilson hit two home runs, while Aidan Masters had four hits and Aidan Greaney drove in four runs.
In addition to Durkin, Greaney was one of four first-team All-Region selections for the Cougars. He leads the team with 14 home runs and 60 RBIs.
Masters, who is hitting .406 with 58 RBIs and has signed with Jacksonville University, was also an All-Region pick, as was Nick Keane, the Cougars’ leader in batting average with a .451 mark.
The Cougars have a second Division 1 signee with reliever Bryce Wilson headed to Florida International, and Bennett said 10 to 12 players will finalize their plans for four-year schools after the World Series.
The Stars are led by former Parkers Chapel standout Trace Shoup, who leads the team with a .389 average along with 15 home runs and 83 RBIs. He also has 25 stolen bases in 26 attempts.
Freshman catcher Jacob Ambriz earned All-Region honors after hitting .333 with 10 home runs and 56 RBIs this year.
For Lester, who has 12 of his players set to move on to four-year schools, the opportunity to compete in the World Series is still very surreal.
“I think it’s starting to sink in a little bit, but for me personally, it still hasn’t quite sunk in,” Lester said. “I really don’t want to look at it too much for what it is. When we return - hopefully with a national championship - we can really reminisce a little bit more. I’m really just trying to stay in the moment and treat it as another series. I want us to just play free and really trust our approach and trust what we do. I’m excited to go.”
Lester added that he believes the Stars are ready to go.
“I always think they’re a little too relaxed,” Lester said. “I’m a little more high-strung and in your face. For the most part, 90% are really laid back, but they’re going to go out and compete. Here’s the thing I’ve noticed with coaching is you never know.
“We’ve had the best BP’s ever and played the worst baseball and it can go the other way. We’re just going to show up and play. I’m going to let them do their thing. Hopefully they’re relaxed and come out with some energy and have some fun.”
When asked about his team reaching the World Series for the third straight year, Bennett said sustaining that success is very difficult.
“I’m not minimizing that,” Bennett said. “I think one day when you look at certain things that you’ve accomplished as a program and as coaches and as players, the hardest thing to do in any sport is win when you’re supposed to. They just assume Frederick has a good program and you’re just assuming you’re supposed to win because people think you do is very challenging.
“Even if you have a lot of guys back, you worry about that consistent fire of trying to reach that pinnacle that you’ve never made before. It does help have having returners without question, to have those returners minimize the moment so the moment is not too big for you. Hopefully those returners can help those younger guys because the World Series is so amazing.
“If you come out and blink and have a couple of bad innings, your season is over. It’s a nine-inning game, but the season could be over in a couple of innings, just like that. As a coach when I go there, I know the routine, it’s a lot easier for me. I know where to eat, I know how it runs, but every team you bring there is a new group of young men.
“You’ve got to try the best you can to have your returners lean on for experience. That’s the best I can say. It’s tough. It really is. It’s tough getting a new group of guys to kind of, ‘Hey, this is a big deal, but lets not let it affect what we’re doing out here every inning.’”
For Bennett, he is eager to see the top teams in the country up close.
“I don’t know much about the college, but I do know they’ve beaten some very impressive teams this year,” Bennett said. “I know they’re going to be a very hungry, and a very talented group of young men. That’s what is exciting about making it to the national tournament is you get to see the best around the country. I love playing teams we’ve never played before, so I’m really looking forward to it.”
Lester said there were several keys for the Stars to make a run.
“If the starting pitching does what they did in the regionals, I think we’re going to be successful,” Lester said. “Limit the free passes, make the routine plays and get timely hits. That’s a given in baseball. I thought for the most part we did a really good job of limiting the freebies.
“I thought some teams were pretty aggressive in the regionals, so if a team shows up and wants to swing the bat against us, I’m just fine with that as well because we’ve got some pretty good stuff.”