Baseball Stars headed to World Series

By Jayden Hewitt
Sports Editor

The sweet-swinging Stars baseball team is moving on to Enid, Okla., to play in the NJCAA World Series. The advancement comes after a 16-8 victory in Jackson over Kellogg CC.

In the clinching game, the Stars had a huge eight-run eighth inning to take the lead. LCC Head Coach Steven Cutter spoke about the inning and the heroics involved.

“The eighth inning was an incredibly exciting inning,” Cutter said. “It was one for the ages and a baseball game as a whole that was an instant classic. That is what good teams do; they find a way, even when things are a little bleak.”

The eighth inning was just part of a massive offensive output, one that featured 16 LCC runs in the entire game. Infielder Hunter Lay and outfielder Will Bowen both homered. Bowen, outfielder Preston Leon and designated hitter J.T. Brandenburg all tallied three RBIs. Catcher Noah Bright and outfielder Evan Mendoza drove in two runs each.

Four LCC pitchers toed the slab. Nick Baker started on the mound, Gavin Walters came in first in relief. Hunter Shaw grabbed the win with four dominant innings of relief, allowing just one hit, no runs and striking out four. Cole Heikkinen shut the door with the final out while chaos ensued and cheers rang out.

Cutter spoke about Shaw’s dominance on the mound.

“Hunter Shaw in a relief role was fantastic,” Cutter said. “It was by far the most locked in I’ve seen him be on the mound. There was a huge momentum shift when he came in and started throwing up zeros on the scoreboard.”

The win brings LCC’s record to a whopping 47-10 and punches a ticket for a chance to be crowned in NJCAA immortality.

Cutter spoke about what it’s like to be back in the World Series; a very rare feat, even in a storied LCC baseball program.

Going back to Enid for the second year in a row is very humbling,” Cutter said. “This is something that does not happen very often and has not happened in Region 12 in a decade.

We are soaking it all in and preparing to leave for Oklahoma …, be a high seed in this World Series, and give it our best shot to bring back a championship for Lansing.”

LCC’s next game is still to be announced, but the NJCAA DII World Series will take place from May 27 to June 3 in Enid. Stay tuned to The Lookout website for ongoing coverage.