Posted: Jan 23, 2019
HICKORY, N.C. — The Catawba Valley Community College baseball program has been ranked among the top 50 junior college baseball programs in the country by Perfect Game.
This is the first time the Red Hawks baseball program has received this honor, and CVCC is only DII baseball team from Region X in the rankings.
"The Perfect Game acknowledgment was nice in regards to the fact that they look at the whole picture in terms of what you have done and where your players are going — whether that be four-year schools or the MLB Draft," said CVCC head baseball coach Paul Rozzelle. "Ultimately, that's what we want to be — a place that allows kids to move on to their dream schools and have a chance to get drafted. We have made huge strides towards that goal in the last five years, and that is in big part due to our administration, but more importantly our outstanding players."
The Red Hawks are coming off a record-setting 2018 baseball season in which they set program records for wins (42), runs scored (441), RBI (383), home runs (65) and strikeouts by a pitching staff (487).
The CVCC baseball program also had four players selected in the 2018 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft this past June, including pitcher Julian Smith — the first draft pick directly from CVCC — as well as shortstop Garrison Burress, CVCC signee Zach Hammer and alumni Bryce Hensley.
Before the 2019 season, six Catawba Valley baseball players have already signed with four-year schools, including pitchers Logan Bender (N.C. State), Timothy Davila (North Carolina A&T), Myles White (North Carolina A&T), Trae Starnes (UNC Charlotte), Chase Covington (UNC Charlotte) and Burress (UNC Charlotte).
The Perfect Game rankings were compiled by Brian Sakowski. According to its website, Perfect Game's mission is to "promote the game of baseball now and in the future by hosting the highest quality amateur events while providing meaningful opportunities and information to players, families, MLB organizations, college coaches, and fans."
The CVCC baseball team kicks off its 2019 season on Saturday, Feb. 9 in a road doubleheader at USC Union in Union, S.C.
For a complete look at Perfect Game's list, click here.