From 15-25 to Region IX Champs, it was certainly a wild ride for NJC Baseball this season. I am glad to say that I got to be a part of it as the broadcaster for NJC this spring. Usually my springs are spent taking it somewhat easy from the difficulty that is fall and winter sports, but 2009 was not an easy trip at all!

Looking back at NJC’s season, I got my first opportunity to see them on March 29 in Scottsbluff for a doubleheader against Western Nebraska. They played well, but not well enough as they lost 16-8 and 5-4 in the doubleheader. NJC had some quality arms, there was no question about that. James Parsons and Matt Klein both threw solid games helping their team be in position to win the all-important Empire Conference games.

But it was their bats that were the question mark. It did seem, from both a fan and broadcaster standpoint that the bats had the ability to come through at pivotal moments. They could get solid hits but when there were runners in scoring position, two outs, or any other “clutch” situation, the bats seemed to disappear.

This would hold true throughout most of the 9-inning affair the following Wednesday in McCook. But “clutch” would come late in the game when Sam Kinzeler knocked a single with the bases loaded in the top of the ninth to win the game 3-1.

Things seemed to turn around for NJC as they’d win their first one-run affair of the season April 3 at home against McCook. The games had been moved up to supersede Mother Nature’s propensity for weekend weather (a theme for the 2009 year). And Scott Dalrymple liked the Friday playing conditions hitting a game-winning single in the bottom of the ninth for a walk-off sweep of the Indians.

After much weather, NJC and McCook were forced to compete in something NJC had never done before—a one-day tripleheader. And while NJC would win the middle contest 1-0 (thanks to great Matt Klein pitching and a Cory Miller HR), the day would not go as planned seeing NJC lose 2 of 3.

Not going as planned also continued in an Easter Saturday-Monday three-game set with WNCC where NJC dropped 2 of 3, including a one-run game at home. This put NJC 5 games back of the final playoff spot and just two losses from elimination. But that was all part of the magic that made NJC Plainsmen Baseball the story this spring season!

Monday, April 20. Weather has postponed the NJC-Otero series and forced NJC to play 9 games in 7 days. Matt Klein pitched well in the first game of the doubleheader, but his team seemed to be in a position that they once again could not get a hit. Down 1-0 going into the bottom of the fifth, Sam Kinzeler belted a double with one out. You could feel the momentum swing. Scott Dalrymple followed up with a double, Jordan Kessler with a triple, and Jonathon Crew with a single. All of a sudden, NJC was in position to start things off right. They won 5-1.

The second game of the doubleheader saw a benches clearing near-brawl that really energized an already energized Plainsmen team. NJC would win 10-3 and follow those two wins up with 7-1 and 10-4 wins to complete the sweep and put themselves potentially just two wins away from the playoffs.

On April 22, NJC would take out Western Nebraska 8-4 in a 9-inning game thanks in large part to a massive first inning. That inning saw Nick Nguyen belt a grand slam that put his team up 5-0 with none out, and NJC never looked back.

Following two off-days, NJC would welcome in Lamar, a potential team they could meet in the first round. The scenario for the four-game series stood like this—NJC needed just 1 win to get into the playoffs; Lamar needed just 1 win to get into the playoffs; either team could gain the 2-seed and host an opening round series if they won all 4 and Western Nebraska was swept by Trinidad. So there was plenty on the line, and both sides played like it!

NJC and Lamar battled to extra innings in the first game of the Saturday doubleheader in terrible weather conditions. NJC would make sure that they too care of the “getting in the playoffs” part as Cory Miller belted a walk-off double in the bottom of the eighth to secure the postseason. Lamar came out in the second game and played with a certain amount of urgency, wanting to lock their playoff spot in as well. Luke Oeltjenbruns gave up 7 hits in the first three innings, and NJC trailed 3-0. But the bottom of the fourth saw an NJC breakout. Cory Miller and Sam Kinzeler both came through with RBIs and NJC tied it at 3. Not wasting any time, Billy McHenry would belt a two-run single in the fifth to put NJC up 6-3. And thanks to Luke Oeltjenbruns no-hitting the ‘Lopes for the final four innings of the game, NJC would win 7-3.

NJC’s hopes of hosting, however, would be quelled with a 7-5 loss in the first game on Sunday. Matt Klein was not his usual self, and Lamar was definitely the Lamar that had put up such a solid record to that point. But NJC wouldn’t do it without dramatics. They’d have the game-winning run on first in the bottom of the seventh but just could not bring it around.

So that put both NJC and Lamar in a peculiar situation for the final game of the regular season. Knowing results from the Trinidad-WNCC series, NJC and Lamar knew that the winner of the final game would go to Scottsbluff while the loser would have to face 40-win Trinidad. Both teams were limited on pitching. The weather stunk. But a date with destiny awaited.

Lamar would plate 3 runs in the first, followed by NJC’s 4 in the bottom half. Down 6-5 going into the fifth, NJC would get an RBI-single to tie the game from Scott Dalrymple. After reliever Trevor Lundrgin had provided virtual no-threat ball from Lamar, Sean Flaherty would come through with an inside-the-park home-run to lead off the sixth and it was downhill from there. NJC won 8-6 and had a series against WNCC.

Mother Nature didn’t want that Region IX Semifinal series to take place, however. Rain delayed the start of the series from Friday to Saturday, and again from Saturday to Sunday. Things didn’t look too rosy on Sunday either, as it rained all morning and Cleveland Field was in terrible shape. But after an hour of wind, the clouds parted and the teams took the field.

The weather appeared to have taken its toll on NJC as they went down 4-0 in the first inning. But this “down-but-never-out” bunch never gave up getting a run in the second, third, fifth and sixth. Down 6-4 going into the eighth, NJC belted the bullpen of the Cougars for 7 runs on 5 hits. Billy McHenry crushed what would be the game-winning RBIs on a 3-run double with one out. NJC took game one 12-6.

With WNCC behind the 8-ball, the two teams would battle the weather and get game two in immediately after. This time, it was NJC who put up 4 runs in the first, and cruised to an easy 9-3 win. That win put NJC in the Region IX Championship series for the fourth time in program history.

In NJC’s previous Region IX Championship series appearances, they’d lost the first game. That would not be the case this go-around. NJC played small-ball with the wind blowing across the expansive park at Trinidad getting 11 hits, all singles, in the opening 5-1 win on Friday. Scott Dalrymple was the hero in the game going 4-for-4 with 3 RBIs.

After an excited wait, NJC took the field on Saturday just one win away from the program’s first-ever Region IX Championship. The wind again was the third party in the game, preventing many hits from either NJC or Triniad. The Plainsmen, however, would lead 2-0 thanks to home runs from Mike Goldy and Cory Miller. Luke Oeltjenbruns pitched great into the eighth inning, but just ran out of gas. The thin, but typically reliable, bullpen took over looking to close the door on the Trojans. Unfortunately, that was just was Trinidad was looking for and they plated 5 runs en route to evening the series with a 5-2 win.

But drama is what NJC was known about this season, so a decisive game for the Region IX Championship would be appropriate.

Here’s the problem. NJC has already thrown Matt Klein and Luke Oeltjenbruns. Trinidad has already thrown Matt Mundfrom and Ryan Salt. Both teams have used their aces and are left with solid, but inconsistent pitchers. NJC’s bats would have no choice but to come through, a task that had not done until the final week of the regular season. Could they do it?

If you’re asking for Region IX First Teamer Cory Miller to come through, he would. Cory would finish the game 4-for-4 with 4 RBIs.

If you’re asking for Region IX First Teamer Sean Flaherty to come through, he would. Season went 3-for-4 with an RBI.

If you’re asking for Nick Nguyen to step off the bench and replace Sam Kinzeler’s slumping bat in the lineup, he would. Nick had 3 RBIs.

If you’re asking for NJC to be better than their season average of 0.250 with runners in scoring position, they would. NJC finished the game 6-for-11 with 7 RBIs.

But the story came down to two workman pitchers who didn’t get the accolades that their teammates did. Trevor Lundgrin stepped in with one out in the second inning and gave NJC nearly 5 innings of work—twice the workload Trevor is used to as a reliever.

Javy Banuellos would replace Trevor in the seventh, in obvious physical pain with every pitch he threw. But the sophomore knew he was the only experienced pitcher NJC had left. He knew destiny was calling him to maintain the 10-8 lead NJC had. Javy would get three groundouts to end the seventh. In the eighth he would give up a run thanks to small ball from Trinidad. But the lead was still in tact heading to the bottom of the ninth. The sophomore needed just three outs to make this 2008-2009 team historic.

He would get Trojan clean-up hitter David Fox to roll a ball to shortstop with an 0-1 count to leadoff the inning. He would get ahead of catcher Andrew Kapple 1-2, before the Trojan battled back and hit a 2-2 single to right. A fielding error would allow the tying run to third. But that run will forever remain 90-feet away. Javy would get a strikeout an a popout to give NJC their first-ever Region IX Title!

The Plainsmen would go on an go 1-2 in the Western District Tournament in Carson City, Nevada. Their final season record is 28-29. 25 years from now, someone who was not a part of this magical run will look at this team and say, “That team was nothing special.” They can believe what they want. Because those of us who were privileged to be a part of this season will forever know, something special happened, regardless of what the numbers say.

For me, in my eight years of broadcasting, over my 835 game broadcasted, I can honestly say that I have never had as much fun as I did over the 50 days I got to spend with the 2008-2009 NJC Plainsmen. I certainly hope you had as much fun listening to it as I did being a part of it. I’ll be back on the mic for the 2009-2010 season bringing you NJC Plainsmen and Plainswomen Athletics, hopefully with much of the same excitement we were graced with by the NJC Plainsmen Baseball squad this season!