|
|
BASEBALL AT ST. JOHNS RIVER COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Catch That Viking Spirit!
SJRCC has been a charter member of the Florida Community College Activities Association, the governing body for intercollegiate competition within the state, since 1965. The college is also a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association and participates in Region VIII of this organization.
The Vikings 2010 team on the field at Lakeland's Joker Marchant Staduim.
Front Row, L - R: Bat boy Kele Blankenship, Andrew McNeal, Nic Dellatorre, Garrett Meriwether, Derick Milam, Weston Nuetzi, Rashid Mitchell, Dalton Britt, Dustin Upshaw, Austin Flores, Jon Heredia, Bodie Dwyer, Marquis Lewis and Bradon Scott.
Back Row, L - R: Asst. Coach Sammy Sharp, Trainer Tracey Johnson, Head Coach Ross Jones, Chris Mock, Austin Leary, Wil Breton, Jesse Piccolo, Shawn Raymond, Chris Fern, Jarrell Rodgers, Connor Nolan, Kyle West, Jake Shrader, Ryan Crawford, Asst. Coach Donnie Whitehead and Asst. Coach Jessie Parkin
SJRCC BASEBALL SIGNS FOUR RECRUITS FOR 2011
Athletic Director and Head Baseball Coach Ross Jones has announced the signing of four future student-athletes to NJCAA National Letters of Intent. "We are proud to have these young men as part of the SJRCC family," said Jones. "Although they all bring outstanding talent to our baseball program, I'm most pleased with the type of young men they are. They are all very good students and have great character." Jones also pointed out, "These kids are winners! If you look at the high school programs they are coming from, they're all deep into the state playoffs year after year. Winning is an attitude we are all about." The four signees will enroll at SJRCC in August.
David Bouton is a left-handed hitting center fielder from Dunnellon High School, where he is coached by Tommy Boss. Boss, a former University of Florida standout who pitched for the Gators from 2002 - 2005, was coached at UF by Jones and former SJRCC player Pat McMahon. "David is an outstanding defensive outfielder who has a good combination of speed and power," said Jones. "I believe that he can be a great offensive player."
Lee Hart is a catcher and third baseman from Santa Fe High School in High Springs and is coached by Ron Brooks. Jones said, "We are really excited about Lee coming to SJRCC. Lee Hart is a worker, he's a winner, and he's a leader! He's versatile defensively and will be a guy we count on heavily to produce runs for us."
Daniel Umbreit is a first baseman from the Providence School of Jacksonville and is coached by Mac Mackiewitz. "Daniel has really started developing physically just in the last several months. He is tall, lean, very athletic and has good power," said Jones. "As he continues to get bigger and stronger, Daniel will be the power threat we need in the middle of our lineup."
Dayne Taylor is a right-handed pitcher from Palatka High School. Dayne is coached by Matt McCool, a standout pitcher for SJRCC in 1990 and 1991. McCool continued his college career at the University of North Florida, where he was coached by Jones and Hall of Fame coach Dusty Rhodes. Jones said of Taylor, "In Dayne, we are getting one of the best high school pitchers around. His curve ball is the great equalizer. It's one of the better high school breaking balls I've seen in my 18 years of coaching. It makes his 86 - 87 mile per hour fastball look 94."
VIKING BASEBALL HISTORY
The first baseball team took the field in 1961. Through the years, SJRCC teams have won numerous Mid-Florida Conference Championships and have grown in respect for producing great players.
The baseball complex is named after a man who devoted 30 years to SJRCC baseball, Coach John Tindall. During those years, Tindall's teams won 591 games and appeared in the Region VIII Tournament nine times. Tindall was also selected to the FCCAA Hall of Fame.
From 1993 to 2006, the team was under the leadership of Samuel Rick. A former SJRCC letterman and UF standout. Rick built a respected program and oversaw projects to modernize the field. Donations of time and materials from local businesses have provided the College with a new scoreboard, dugouts, pressbox and concession stand.
SJRCC BASEBALL ALUMNI SEARCH
Did you
play baseball for St. Johns River Community College? Members of the Viking baseball program, under the leadership of new head
coach Ross Jones, have declared a new era at SJRCC - and that new era includes former student-athletes. Since the founding of
the SJRCC Athletic Association last fall, Jones' plans have included creating a database for its approximate 500 baseball
alumni along with fundraising, barbecues, golf tournaments and more. "It's important that members reconnect with their
teammates and share their personal successes along with the successes of the department," Jones said. "Whether our alumni
played two years ago or forty years ago, we hope they will want to stay in touch."
Jones, a former Texas Ranger and
coach for the University of Florida and Vanderbilt University, said the Tindall Field has experienced many upgrades during
the past few years including lighting for night games, new batting cages, bleachers, restrooms and most recently - new locker
rooms.
Interested baseball alumni should contact Jones at the Palatka Campus at (386) 312-4164 or by e-mail at rossjones@sjrcc.edu.
BASEBALL COACHES
Standing: Athletic Director/Head Baseball Coach Ross Jones
Kneeling: Jesse Parkin, Donnie Whitehead
BACK TO TOP
|
|
|
|
