Jamestown College - News

[Baseball] Jimmie Baseball Has Plenty To Build On

Andrew Gideon — Sat, 18 May 2013 22:05:00 -0600

The big takeaway from the Jimmies' 2-2 showing in the national tournament last week was clear: They aren't far away.

Jamestown College beat No. 2 Oklahoma City University once, lost a close one to OCU and were an inch or two away from a tie game late against World Series-bound Sterling College of Kansas.

The 30 wins in 41 games was nice, but the positive performance against the top teams in the NAIA is an especially satisfying taste to take into the offseason.

"Our players were a bit disappointed in not achieving the ultimate goal, which was to get back to the World Series, but from my perspective it was a heckuva ride," JC coach Tom Hager said. "Knowing that we were a couple games away tells you that we had the right team chemistry, depth on the mound and the ability to win close games, and at the end of the year we gave ourselves a chance to be right there and that's all you can ask for."

Before looking ahead to recruiting and then fall ball when players return after the summer, Hager did allow himself to reflect on a season that was nearly wrecked by the weather, but ended up with a 30-11 record and several noteworthy wins.

[Baseball] Four Baseball Jimmies named All-Conference

Andrew Gideon — Thu, 16 May 2013 14:00:00 -0600

The Jamestown College baseball team finished with a 73.2% winning percentage (30-11) for the 2013 season. It was a team effort that helped the Jimmies win 22 of their last 25 games, including the NAIA A.I.I./Unaffiliated Tournament in Jamestown in early May. The Jimmie team also won two games at the NAIA Oklahoma City bracket, including a win over the #2 team in the NAIA polls, Oklahoma City.

Four individuals from the Jimmie team were honored as All-Conference for their 2013 seasons. Nolan Skowronek (second base), Nico Moreno (third base), Spencer Flaten (outfield), and Blake Stewart (pitcher) were named to the A.I.I./Unaffiliated All-Conference team.

[Baseball] Jimmies Go 2-2 at NAIA Oklahoma City Bracket

Andrew Gideon — Sat, 11 May 2013 06:20:00 -0600

A deep early hole was too much to dig out of for the Jimmies on Thursday.

Sterling College of Kansas, ranked 15th in the NAIA, scored six runs in the top of the first inning and went on for a 13-3 win in winner's-bracket play at the national tournament in Oklahoma City.

The Jimmies did climb within 6-3 in the sixth inning and had the bases loaded with nobody out, but were unable to cut the gap.

"Whether you lose by 10 runs or 1 run, it doesn't make it any easier," said JC coach Tom Hager. "We're not used to losing. We've been on this great stretch putting wins together. But nobody is down. I don't sense any sort of negativity. We'll come back (today) and try to extend our season as long as we can."

The Jimmies (30-10) play Oklahoma City, ranked No. 2 in the country, at 11 a.m. in a win-or-go-home game.

Adam Ranger had a rocky start, but settled down from there. But the damage was done early as Sterling (48-12) struck for six in the top of the first.

[Baseball] Jimmies Win Twice Thursday, Fall Friday

Andrew Gideon — Thu, 09 May 2013 21:30:00 -0600

In the opener of the Oklahoma City NAIA bracket at 11 am, the Jimmies worked extra frames and won their first game 8-5 over Northwestern (IA) in 14 innings of baseball.

Later on Thursday at 8 pm, the Jimmies beat the #2 team in the polls, Oklahoma City, 3-0 behind a truly impressive performance from Blake Stewart.

Game Recaps are at the bottom of this page.

******* *******

Here are the sites to look at to follow the Oklahoma City baseball bracket :

Web Sites:

OCU athletic web site: http://www.ocusports.com

2013 NAIA Championship Opening Round Oklahoma City Bracket: http://bit.ly/10e4DUB

Live video: http://bit.ly/tSWJ0E

OCU visitors guide: http://bit.ly/12Cv47g

[Baseball] Stewart Puts Baseball First at JC

Andrew Gideon — Wed, 08 May 2013 08:40:00 -0600

Blake Stewart's immediate concern is baseball.

But the Canadian has hopes of a career in that country's most popular sport.

Stewart, the top starting pitcher for the Jimmies, grew up playing hockey, virtually a requirement for Canadian youth. Last summer the Ladner, British Columbia native had an internship with the Vancouver Giants of the Western Hockey League, a top junior team partially owned, incidentally, by legendary NHL star Gordie Howe.

Stewart knew then he wanted to make a career of it.

"I really enjoyed it. It's definitely something I'd like to do," he said. "The front office is where I'd ideally like to work. Hopefully it works out."

Stewart will graduate this week from Jamestown College, but he'd be perfectly fine sticking around a little longer. To do that, the Jimmies would have to win the loaded Oklahoma City Bracket of the NAIA national tournament.

[Baseball] Ben Holen Helps Keep It Loose

Andrew Gideon — Tue, 07 May 2013 15:20:00 -0600

Jamestown College baseball coach Tom Hager made it clear about what question Ben Holen should have to answer first on Monday.

"Ask him about his hair," the Jimmie skipper said. "That's a good place to start."

Holen, the former LaMoure multi-sport standout, wears his locks long and has a mustache trying to poke through, to which he explained: "Some of us old guys on the team are trying to grow mustaches. As you can see, some of us grow them better than others," he joked.

That's part of the good-natured Holen's role on the Jimmie baseball team, which heads for Oklahoma City this morning for their opening round game of the national tournament on Thursday.

"He's a good kid, comes from a really good family. He's one of those guys who keeps everybody loose," said JC assistant coach Boya Quichocho.

Holen does not make significant contributions statistically. His primarily role is as a pinch-runner and versatile defender. He's earned his role, though, spending five years in the program and working his way up the ranks

[Baseball] Jimmies Play Northwestern (IA) at 11 am Thursday

Andrew Gideon — Tue, 07 May 2013 09:25:00 -0600

Jamestown College and Mayville State will both be playing in the NAIA National Tournament.

The 28-9 Jimmies automatically qualfied by winning the Unaffiliated Conference Tournament on Friday at Jack Brown Stadium, beating the Comets 7-6 in the championship game.

Mayville State, however, earned an at large bid Sunday night. The Comets (34-6-1) got the 13th at-large bid out of 16 teams selected.

It's the fourth opening round appearance for the Jimmies, where they have a record of 3-6.

Courtesy of Jamestown Sun Staff, 5/6/13

[Baseball] Jimmies Win Championship

Andrew Gideon — Sat, 04 May 2013 06:55:00 -0600

The final game of the Unaffiliated Conference Tournament ended with two characteristics common to the three-day playoff.

Another close, competitive game, and one final Jamestown College victory.

This one was the biggie for the Jimmies, though, their 7-6 win earning them a return trip to the NAIA national tournament.

"The comment I heard the most about this tournament was how competitive the games were," said JC coach Tom Hager. "There were a bunch of tight, competitive games. To come out on top is a really nice accomplishment for our team."

The 15th straight win for the Jimmies (28-9) again went down to the final out.

Nick Smart, who lost his closer job earlier in the season, made a triumphant return to the mound by getting the game's final four outs, including a strikeout of Phillip Steer to end the game with runners on first and third.

It was the sixth of the nine games in the tournament decided by two runs or less.

[Baseball] Baseball NAIA Unaffiliated Tournament

Andrew Gideon — Sat, 04 May 2013 03:20:00 -0600

Jamestown College will host the NAIA Unaffiliated Tourney in Jamestown at Jack Brown Stadium starting May 1.

The tournament will include Dakota State, Dickinson State, Valley City State, Mayville State, and the host Jimmies.

It will be a double elimination tournament with 3 games on Wednesday, 3 on Thursday, and 2 on Friday.

If a second championship needs to be played, it will be played Saturday morning at 11 am.

Saturday may also be used in case of a delay or weather problem in the first three days.

[Baseball] Jimmie Baseball Chasing A Championship

Andrew Gideon — Fri, 03 May 2013 07:50:00 -0600

The two baseball games today are on 1400 KQDJ –

News Dakota – Steve Linzmeier

Noon Mayville vs Valley City, and
3:30 pm Jamestown vs winner of Noon game

Listen Live Click Here!

******* *******

"Loose" and "goofy" are adjectives coach Tom Hager has used to describe his team this season.

Point being, they stay cool even when things get hot.

That trait came in handy Thursday in a thrilling come-from-behind win over Mayville State to put the Jimmies within one win of a trip to the national tournament.

Down 7-4 after six innings, Dylan Lafrentz delivered a hit that will go down in Jimmie lore. Then in extra innings, Jamestown College hung five runs on the board in the top of the 10th en route to a 12-7 win over the Comets, who have lost just five times in 39 games, but two of them are to the Jimmies.

"Everybody did something to help us win this game," said senior third baseman Nico Moreno, who delivered the dagger, a three-run home run in the top of the 10th that put the Jimmies up five. "That's kind of what this team is all about. We just do whatever it takes, each one of us."

With undefeated ace Victor Sokolofsky on the mound and a 7-3 lead after Kurt McCallum's grand slam off the left-field foul pole in the bottom of the fifth, it was the Comets that looked in pretty good shape.

[Baseball] Jimmies Bus and Win First Home Game

Andrew Gideon — Thu, 02 May 2013 05:15:00 -0600

In a season of abnormalities, the Jimmie baseball team stuck with tradition in getting to Wednesday's game.

Playing at home for the first time all year, Jamestown College took the bus to its opener of the Unaffiliated Conference Tournament against Dickinson State. Baseball folk being superstitious like they are, this one seemed like a no-brainer.

The extended winter weather wiped out all of the Jimmies' previous home games, meaning they've ridden the bus to every game. There was no reason in messing with something that has worked.

"It's been a crazy year. It seemed to make sense that this being our first home game, we should take the bus," the steady left-hander said. "It was great to finally get to play at home. We wanted to take advantage of it."

Stewart was on his game, and he needed to be.

Dickinson State right-hander Tanner Newman went the distance for the Blue Hawks, allowing just six hits.

[Baseball] Baseball Jimmies Sweep Vikings in 4 Games

Andrew Gideon — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 09:10:00 -0600

Generally, the Jamestown College and Valley City State rivalry is pretty even in most sports.

Not in baseball.

The Jimmies swept four games from the Vikings in Valley City over the weekend, extending Jamestown College's winning streak to 26 over its nearest neighbor.

Of course, the Jimmies (25-9) aren't just beating up on the Vikings. They've won 17 of their last 18 games and their .735 winning percentage is on par with most seasons of the past decade, albeit with fewer games played due to the extended winter.

"We've seen that when we pitch and play good defense, and mix in timely hitting, we can be a very good baseball team," JC coach Tom Hager said. "I'm really happy with the way we're playing right now and we just want to continue to keep it rolling."

The Jimmies scored 32 runs over the four games, but as important committed just two errors.

"Defensively, we've been very consistent for quite a while now," Hager said. "That's an area that can get overlooked, but for us, it's a big reason we've been able to go on this nice streak."

Up next is the A.I.I. conference tournament, which starts here on Wednesday. Pairings for the 5-team field will be announced today.

[Baseball] Jimmie Baseball Sweeps Bluehawks

Andrew Gideon — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 19:40:00 -0600

Jamestown College will host the NAIA Unaffiliated Tourney in Jamestown at Jack Brown Stadium starting May 1.

The tournament will include Dakota State, Dickinson State, Valley City State, Mayville State, and the host Jimmies.

It will be a double elimination tournament with 3 games Wed, 3 on Thurs, and 2 on Friday.

If a second championship needs to be played, it will be played Saturday morning.

Saturday may also be used in case of a delay or weather problem in the first three days.

Seeding will be announced Monday for this tournament.

Current records from the NAIA site this morning are as follows:

(listed in order of wins): Mayville State 26-4-1, Dickinson State 24-14, Jamestown College 21-9, Valley City State 13-20, Dakota State 9-27

This weekend Jamestown will play two doubleheaders vs Valley City State.

The JC/VCSU baseball games this weekend will be on 103.1 FM.

The Raven 103.1 | NewsDakota - Click Here!

On Saturday, the Jimmies will travel to Valley to play at 4 pm – first game 7 innings, second game 9

On Sunday, the Jimmies will travel to Valley to play at 2 pm – first game 7 innings, second game 9.

Game 1	R	H	E	LOB
JC	3	8	0	11
DSU	2	8	2	11

Jamestown won the first game of a doubleheader in Dickinson in 12 innings.

Andy Young (Fr. West Fargo, ND) slammed a solo shot in the top of the 12^th to give the Jimmies a 3-2 lead.

Dickinson had runners on first and second in the bottom of the 12^th, but Nick Smart shut the door on the Bluehawks.

Three Jimmie pitchers combined to allow only 8 hits and 2 runs, while striking out 14.

Jamestown's defense committed no errors.

Andy Young had two hits, including the game winning homerun.

Jakob Ohmann also had two hits for Jamestown.

[Baseball] Jimmies 6 Comets 5 in Metrodome

Andrew Gideon — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 10:40:00 -0600

With nowhere around here to play, and with the Metrodome still standing, the Jimmies and Mayville State finally played each other and it ended well for Jamestown College.

The Jimmies outhit the Comets 12-4 in a narrow 6-5 win Wednesday afternoon.

It was the first game for both teams in 10 days and just the third loss for the Comets in 28 games.

"It was a really good college baseball game and that's what you expect between Jamestown College and Mayville State," said JC coach Tom Hager. "For us to get to play three times in the Metrodome is just a plus. It's something our players will never forget."

Hager and a number of coaches held a conference call Tuesday morning trying to brainstorm up some games. Scott Berry had time blocked off at the Dome and it was a date.

"We were able to make it work. Our guys were chomping at the bit, so it ended up working out really well," Hager said.

The Comets (24-3-1) led 2-0 early, but the Jimmies scored three runs in the bottom of the fourth with Matt Achter delivering a 2-run single with the key hit.

Mayville State went ahead with two in the sixth, but the Jimmies answered with two in the bottom half of the inning on run-scoring singles from Nathan Christiuk and Nolan Skowronek.

"We swung the bats pretty well today. We got some timely hits and key points in the game and that was the difference," Hager said.

The two teams combined to use 10 pitchers. Blake Stewart was the most effective for either team, facing just one over the minimum in three scoreless innings.

Kacy Gardiner earned the save, getting the Jimmies out of a jam in the eighth and then working a scoreless ninth for his second save.

"Both teams had the same thing in mind in terms of getting a bunch of guys on the mound," Hager said. "I was pleased with how our guys threw today. We made some big pitches to get out of jams."

Skowronek, Achter and Jakob Ohmann each had two hits. Jonathan Minchella doubled, scored and had an RBI.

"It was great to get on the field and get a win against a quality baseball team," Hager said.

The Jimmies (19-9) are back in action this weekend. They head for Sioux City, Iowa to play back-to-back doubleheaders against the University of Winnipeg.

Courtesy of Jamestown Sun sports editor Dave Selvig, 4/18/13

[Baseball] Former Jimmie to Pitch in Pomona, NY

Andrew Gideon — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 13:35:00 -0600

Alex Kreis's baseball career took an unexpected twist recently.

Just two days before the Washington Nationals wrapped up spring training in Viera Fla., Kreis was released by the team, which had drafted him in 2011.

Kreis, the 23-year-old former Jamestown College star pitcher, was caught off guard, but also understands the business.

"Honestly, it was a complete shock to me," he said after a workout Monday at the Larson Center. "I was throwing the ball really well, working hard, so yeah, it was definitely a surprise."

Kreis was drafted in the 35th round by the Nationals in the 2011 draft, so obviously, nothing was guaranteed. He'd spent the past two-plus seasons in the minor leagues with mixed results. But after a tumultuous season health-wise in 2012, he was feeling good heading into spring camp.

"I feel really good. I've trimmed down and felt like I was in position to have a good season," Kreis said. "I still feel that way, it just won't be with them."

Instead, Kreis will try to work his way up through the independent leagues after inking a deal with the Rockland Boulders of the Can-Am League, located in Pomona, N.Y.

Kreis got a call from the team's manager, Jamie Keefe, Easter Sunday while driving back home from Florida.

"After I talked with the people I needed to talk to I decided it was the right decision and my agent agreed with that," Kreis said.