T-Birds Face Grayson in 1st Round of the Region V Tournament

The NMJC baseball team will play in the first round of the Region V Tournament against Grayson College Friday, May 10 at 10 a.m. CDT.

The tournament is hosted by McLennan CC at Bosque River Ballpark in Waco, Texas.

The Thunderbirds sit at 38-16 (26-10) on the year and finished in second place in the WJCAC to Midland College.

The No. 2 T-Birds face off against No. 3 Grayson College Vikings in the first game of the tournament Friday morning. The Vikings finished in third place in the NTJCAC with a record of 29-24 (19-13).

NMJC head baseball coach Michael Robbins believes there is a distinct advantage the WJCAC has headed into this regional tournament.

"Teams in the WJCAC have an advantage in the regional tournament simply because we are used to playing a full weekend worth of games in a short amount of time." Robbins said. "Our conference schedule forces us to use multiple pitchers in a weekend. The WJCAC also tests us mentally because of lead changes and how games can turn in a heartbeat, which is very similar to the postseason."

Any team can catch lightning in a bottle once the postseason starts. In order to make a deep run you'll need a little luck and of course some outstanding pitching performances.

"To win in the postseason, you need to pitch the ball well above almost anything.  Starting pitching and finishing games on the mound is crucial," Robbins said. "After that, getting the timely hits will be important. We've got to do a good job of executing when there are opportunities to drive runners in. Defensively, make the plays that come your way. If we can do those things, we'll give ourselves a chance to win."

NMJC is coming off a tough 10-game stretch where they closed the season 4-6.

The Thunderbirds had 15 of their 36 conference games end in a run rule and nine out of their last 12 games go the complete game. 

3B/SS Brent Iredale is the leader for the T-Birds.

The 2023 WJCAC MVP is second in the country in home runs with 24. Iredale has hit a school-record 41 home runs in his two-year career with NMJC. The previous record of 40 was set 26 years ago by Radames Torres (1997-98).

The Sydney, Australia native is seventh in the nation with a .448 batting average this season. Iredale is No. 1 in the country in runs scored with 89. He has the No. 2 slugging percentage in the country at 1.011 and is No. 5 in on base percentage at .579. The Aussie has 74 RBIs, which ranks himself No. 15 in the country.

The sophomore is No. 18 in the NJCAA in doubles with 20 and No. 18 in hits with 78 on the year. 56.41% of Iredale's hits are either out of the park or fall for a double.

Iredale has put together back-to-back high level seasons with the T-Birds and experience is the foundation of his success according to Coach Robbins.

"Experience is always a difference maker, even at the junior college level," Robbins said. "The number of at bats he's had in college now gives him the ability to be confident in the box every time up. That alone has helped him become an elite player while at NMJC."

Starting catcher Jorge De Los Santos is having a productive year behind the plate batting .415 (NJCAA No. 36). De Los Santos' defense from the catcher's spot has been impressive with him gunning down 14 runners (NJCAA No. 28). SS Luis Urias is ranked No. 18 in the country alongside Iredale with 20 doubles on the year. Urias is batting .377 with 31 RBIs this season.

CF Jonatan Clough is second on the team in homers with 17. Clough is batting .351, has 14 doubles and is 11th in the country with 76 RBIs. First baseman Lane Arroyos is batting .366 with 16 doubles and 56 RBIs.

Starting pitcher Cade Smith has a 13-6 record and has thrown two shutouts this year. Smith has pitched a team-high 56.2 innings, owns a 5.72 ERA, and has struck out 43 batters.

Donovan Becerra has a team-high 64 strikeouts this year in 53 innings of work. Alejandro Maltos-Garcia holds the lowest ERA on the team at 1.93 in 28 innings of relief.

The Thunderbirds as a team are No. 1 in the country in slugging percentage at .649 and No. 2 in junior college with 96 homers this season. The T-Birds are also No. 3 in the NJCAA in extra base hits with 250, No. 5 in batting average at .365, and No. 6 in the NJCAA with 135 doubles on the year. 

The T-Birds have swiped 149 bags this season which is good for No. 13 in the NJCAA, however they have been caught stealing 24 times this year (NJCAA No. 24). The team has a 4.79 ERA this season on the mound (NJCAA No. 32). 

The Region V bracket features the top four teams from the WJCAC and the NTJCAC. The winner of the double-elimination tournament will represent Region V at the NJCAA DI Baseball World Series in Grand Junction, Colo. 

The winner of the Grayson vs. NMJC game will face the winner of NMMI vs. Weatherford College game Saturday, May 11 at 4 p.m. CDT.

The loser of the Grayson vs. NMJC game will face the loser of NMMI vs. Weatherford College game Saturday, May 11 at 10 a.m. CDT.

Tickets to the Region V Tournament will be sold at the gate (cash only) and are: $25 Adult Tournament Pass; $20 Student & Senior Citizen Tournament Pass; $10 Adult Day Pass; and $5 Student & Senior Citizen Day Pass.

Grayson College vs. NMJC | 10 a.m. CDT

NMMI vs. Weatherford College | 1 p.m. CDT

Cisco College vs. Midland College | 4 p.m. CDT

Howard College vs. McLennan CC | 7 p.m. CDT

The games will be streamed at https://www.centexsportsnetwork.com/ on the watch tab. Fans will have to create a free account in order to stream.