Tigers Knock Off NJCAA #1 Ranked San Jacinto (TX) In PCB NJCAA Classic

PANAMA CITY, Fla. -- The Andrew College baseball team joined 15 other National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) competitors at the Panama City Beach NJCAA Classic held over the weekend, in a unique tournament format, where each team played four games over three days, ending with a pair of unbeaten teams in the finals, for a tournament champion. The Classic drew 10 teams who were ranked in the Top 25 in NJCAA Division I Baseball last year, from Texas, Illinois, South Carolina, Alabama, Louisiana, and Florida. Andrew College, as defending NJCAA Region 17 Champion, was the lone Georgia representative. Thirty-two games were played overall, with Florida SouthWestern College edging Northwest Florida State 8-7 to claim the inagural championship. The event proved to be a must-see for Major League Baseball scouts and four-year college coaches, as they flocked to the new PCB Sports Complex get a first look at the 2022 season.

Andrew took down the preseason NJCAA #1-ranked San Jacinto College (TX) on Saturday morning 7-2, behind a strong performance from starter Will Sims, who scattered 5 hits over 5.1 innings, allowing just one earned run, to pick up his first collegiate win, and Seth Crowe tossed 1.2 innings to earn his 2nd save of the young season. Trevor Gruskza led the Tiger attack, going 3 for 4, with a 2-run homer, a pair of doubles, 3 runs scored, and 2 RBI, Kyle Kuramoto went 2 for 3 with 3 RBI, and Ben Crawley singled in a pair of runs, as the Tigers turned just 8 hits into 7 runs, with some timely hitting. 

The Tigers head to Alexander City, AL on Thursday, taking on Central Alabama Community College in  3:00 pm doubleheader.