Staff writer Robert Sanchez provides facts and figures about the Junior College World Series in Grand Junction. This year’s tournament began May 26 and wraps up with the championship game Saturday. Complete tournament results on Page 9D.
Teams playing this year: Chipola College (Fla.), Cowley County (Kan.) Community College, Delgado Community College (La.), Iowa Western Community College, New Mexico Junior College, San Jacinto College-North (Texas), Shelton State Community College (Ala.), Spartanburg (S.C.) Methodist College, Western Nevada Community College, Young Harris (Ga.) College.
Notable Junior College World Series alumni:
Travis Hafner, Cowley County (Kan.) Community College: One of the young bashers in major-league baseball, the Cleveland Indians’ star designated hitter was the MVP of the Juco series in 1997.
Adam LaRoche, Seminole (Okla.) Junior College: The Pittsburgh Pirates’ first baseman hit 32 home runs for Atlanta last season and once starred for his Juco team as a pitcher and infielder. In 2000, LaRoche won the tournament MVP award.
Donnie Moore, Ranger (Texas) College: A former California Angels pitcher better known for giving up a game-tying home run in the 1986 American League Championship Series. Moore had one of the most memorable Juco tournaments in the event’s 50-year history. In 1973, Moore won four games, a record that still stands.
Kirby Puckett, Triton College (Ill.): Before he was mashing balls in the major-league World Series for the Minnesota Twins, this Hall of Fame outfielder was leading his Triton team in Grand Junction. His .688 batting average (minimum 15 at-bats) in 1982 is tied for the Juco World Series record.
Curt Schilling, Yavapai College (Ariz.): The Boston Red Sox’s flamethrowing ace has two major-league World Series rings and a third-place finish in Grand Junction. During the series in 1986, the future pitching star recorded one save.
Notable items:
Juco officials this week will announce a 10-year extension to play the World Series in Grand Junction.
As part of a three-year agreement, the series championship game(s) will be shown on tape-delay on CSTV. The game will be broadcast within 72 hours of the last pitch Saturday and will be shown three or four times in June.
The first Juco World Series was played in Miami, Okla., in 1958 and was won by Cameron College (Okla.). Paris (Texas) Junior College won the 1959 series, the first in Grand Junction.
San Jacinto College-North (Texas) has played in 16 world series tournaments since 1984 (including this year), winning five championships.
Past five winners:
2006 – Walters State Community College (Tenn.)
2005 – New Mexico Junior College
2004 – Dixie State College (Utah)
2003 – Community College of Southern Nevada
2002 – Central Arizona College
