With 25 of their 35 players from Colorado high school programs, the UNC Bears are prospering in their first season as a baseball member of the Great West Conference.
The Bears are 11-5 in conference play, 21-21 overall and tied for second place with New York Institute of Technology. Utah Valley leads the standings at 15-1.
Right-hander Joe Sawicki, from Monarch High School, leads the starting staff with a 6-2 record and 4.20 earned-run average.
Lefty pitcher Mark Shannon of Chatfield High School is 4-2. Infielder T.J. Berge of Dakota Ridge High School is second on the team in hitting (.378) and doubles (10). Outfielder Jarod Berggren of Broomfield High School leads the team in hitting (.382) and has a school-record 26-game hitting streak.
“I haven’t been thinking about the hitting streak,” Berggren said. “I’m seeing the ball pretty well right now.”
Irv Moss, The Denver Post
A look at the conference affiliations for Northern Colorado baseball over the years:
Years Conference
1924-73 Rocky Mountain Conference
1973-76 Great Plains Athletic Conference
1976-90 Division I independent
1991-2003 North Central Conference (Division II)
2003-09 Division I independent
2010 Great West Conference
