2019 California JUCO State Championship Preview
The 2019 California Community College Athletic Association State Baseball Championship is slated to take place from May 25-27 at John Euless Ballpark at Fresno City College in Fresno, California.
The double-elimination tournament consists of two Northern California teams and two Southern California teams that each won a best-of-three Sectional series to earn a bid for the State Championship.
Saturday features two games to begin the tournament as San Joaquin takes on El Camino at noon, followed by Orange Coast and Sacramento City at 6 p.m. The two losers of those games will face off Sunday morning to decide who will be eliminated first while the two winners from Saturday compete for a spot in the final round.
The winner of the Sunday morning game will take on the loser of the second game at 6 p.m. The loser of that matchup will be eliminated while the winner earns the second spot in the final round. There will either be one or two games played Monday to crown a champion, depending on the results of the first game.
Other than El Camino, every team participating in this year’s State Championship is a returning contender from last year’s final four, including defending champion San Joaquin Delta.
San Joaquin Delta has won 17 of its last 18 games dating back to early April. In route to the State Championship, the reigning champs have outscored their opposition 67-22 this postseason. The Mustangs have been led by a pair of sophomores this year, Vinny Bologna and Robert Gasser. Bologna is top-five in the state in batting average, hits and home runs, while Gasser has been incredible on the mound, boasting a 14-0 record and a 2.18 ERA.
Sacramento City has won five state titles in program history and the Panthers are looking to add a sixth to their trophy case this year with the help of their well-rounded pitching staff. Six different pitchers for the Panthers have won each won at least four games this season.
Orange Coast College is seeking its fourth State Championship since 2009 in this year’s tournament. The Pirates have dominated offensively, leading the four schools in the tournament with a .324 team batting average. Jacob Gentry has been one of the key components of this team as the sophomore hit .392 with 36 runs batted in this year.
El Camino is looking to win this weekend in honor of starting catcher Sladen Mohl, who was tragically killed in a traffic accident in April. The Warriors have gone 9-1 since Mohl’s death, proving their determination to finish the season strong in memory of the teammate they lost.
The tournament seeding is listed below.
Northern California
No. 1 San Joaquin Delta 39-7
No. 2 Sacramento City 34-13
Southern California
No. 1 Orange Coast 35-8-1
No. 2 El Camino 38-7
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