West Windsor, N.J. – The 2014 season for the Mercer County Community College baseball team is proving to be one for the record books.  Currently 23-3 overall, and 5-1 in Region 19, the Vikings are ranked third nationally in NJCAA Division II baseball as they pass the midway point in the season.

Says third-year Head Coach Kevin Kerins, "I am very proud of our players and coaching staff.  To have attained the #3 ranking in the nation is a reflection of the hard work that our players, coaches and support staff have put over the last three years."

Kerins notes that as the season passes its midpoint, he has seen his players come together extremely well as a team, even in the face of some special challenges. “The weather has disrupted our flow, but the players have done a great job of staying focused and competing every day.  We have all come to accept that you can’t control the weather, but you still control what you do in practice and in a game.”

Kerins believes the seeds for this season’s success were planted in the fall.  “A major key was the number of practices and games we had this past fall,” he observes.  Of their 76-game schedule, the Vikings played 20 in the fall, mostly against four-year schools.

With the bulk of the roster composed of freshmen, Kerins says that sophomore pitching is leading the way and setting the tone for excellence.  “We are very young in the field and the lineup.  Our sophomore pitchers are leading us as we enter the second half of the season and playoffs.”

He notes that the freshmen have begun to reach the bar established by the sophomores.  “I would like to think we will be playing like a team of full team of sophomores as we set our sights on winning the Region 19 championship in May.”

The Vikings play their next home doubleheader versus Burlington at noon on Sunday, April 13.
See photos of the Vikings’ victory over Morris CC on April 6 here.

Click here for the full schedule and for game recaps. See more photos on Facebook here.

Edward Ashley advances.

Return to Baseball

Return to Athletics Home Page

Return to Sports News