BATTLE CREEK – The goal is to be the No. 1 team in the country…. on the baseball diamond.
But, until Kellogg Community College will get a chance to achieve that status at the World Series later in the season, the Bruins will have to settle on being the top team in the country on paper.
In the final rankings of the season, KCC is ranked No. 1 in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division II baseball poll.
It is a first for the perennial power.
“That’s the first time we’ve been that high. We’ve been ranked three, four, five. But, we’ve never been ranked No. 1,” said KCC head coach Eric Laskovy.
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KCC, at 45-6, received all 10 first-place votes in the poll to take over the top spot. Pearl River Community College was No. 1 last week and East Central Community College was No. 2. The Bruins jumped from No. 3 to No. 1 after both of those teams lost in the postseason.
“A couple of huge upsets in their tournaments for those teams. That’s what put us up to No. 1,” Laskovy said.
Those teams losing was one reason, but the new ranking also has something to do with KCC winning 41 of its last 42 games.
“The guys worked hard for this and they have earned it,” Laskovy said. “It’s nice for the program. A milestone for the program.
“But, it doesn’t mean anything. We have to keep playing, keep winning games and continue the process. We have to keep advancing in the tournament and that ranking doesn’t help with any of that. We have to do that ourselves.”
KCC is next in action in the championship round of the Region XII Tournament in Jackson on Thursday, May 14.
Contact Bill Broderick at bbroderi@battlecreekenquirer.com. Follow him on X/Twitter @billbroderick.
This article originally appeared on Battle Creek Enquirer: Kellogg CC baseball is ranked No. 1 in the country for first time ever
Reporting by Bill Broderick, Battle Creek Enquirer / Battle Creek Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
