The Latest Top JUCO Baseball Teams
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KKCO) - The return of the Junior College World Series to Grand Junction is less than a month away. Here’s the latest rankings from the NJCAA, with some of the teams that could look to make a tournament run at Suplizio Field.
| Team | Record | Previous Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Central Florida | 46-4 | 2 |
| Wabash Valley | 49-9 | 4 |
| Walters State | 43-8 | 1 |
| Central Arizona | 44-8 | 3 |
| Johnson County | 41-7 | 6 |
| Florence-Darlington | 45-8 | 8 |
| Crowder | 39-11 | 9 |
| Barton | 40-7 | 5 |
| Weatherford | 38-9 | 13 |
| Santa Fe | 37-8 | 7 |
A couple of notes about the players some of these teams feature.
The defending champions, Central Arizona has a pair of power pitchers. Matt Wilkinson leads all of NJCAA Division 1 in earned run average at 1.09. Not far behind him is his teammate, Patrick Steitz who is third in D1 in ERA at 1.18. Wilkinson also is second in D1 in strikeouts, with 117 on the year, just three behind the leader.
Number nine Weatherford’s first baseman Robin Villeneuve has been causing problems for opposing pitchers all season long, he is tied for the most home runs in D1 at 22 on the season.
Wabash Valley’s Richard Bonomolo Jr. has been a hitting machine this season, getting a hit in almost half his at-bats with a .477 batting average. Once he gets on base, he continues to be a problem for opposition. Bonomolo Jr. has 37 stolen bases on the year.
The first games of the JUCO world series is scheduled for May 27.
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