Baseball’s Most Successful Sophomores Savoring Final Days as a Team
The Polk State Baseball team saw snowfall during their Sunday tour of Grand Mesa, where they had a snowball fight at more than 10,000 feet above sea level.
No matter the outcome of the NJCAA JUCO World Series, one thing is certain: In only a matter of days, the most successful sophomore class in the history of Polk State Baseball will scatter to their own individual futures.
The impact they’ve had on the College, meanwhile, will last for years to come.
“They’ve already achieved more than what a lot of teams only hope to,” said Polk State Athletic Director Bing Tyus. “Tradition means everything, and what they’ve done is given us a foundation that we can continue to build on.”
Collectively, the sophomores have led the College to back-to-back Suncoast Conference Championships, and this year’s FCSAA/NJCAA Division 1 Gulf District Baseball Tournament title and national championship run, all while contributing to the team’s cumulative grade-point average of 3.1, the highest of the College’s athletic teams. Individually, their achievements span several pages, but for a few highlights:
Alec Asher (RHP) — All-Suncoast Conference First Team, Suncoast Conference Pitcher of the Year, FCSAA All-State First Team, FCSAA State Pitcher of the Year, Perfect Game’s “Top-100” JUCO Prospect, FCSAA/NJCAA Gulf District All-Tournament Team, Robert Purkey, Jr., Memorial Award as the outstanding pitcher of the state tournament, school record for wins in a season with 13, all in 2012; Suncoast Conference Sophomore All-Star Team, 2011; signed with University of Tampa
Steven Burnham — All-Suncoast Second Team, 2012; All-Suncoast Second Team, Academic All-State Selection, Suncoast Conference All-Star Team, all in 2011; signed with Florida Southern College
Kyle Chastain — Suncoast Conference Sophomore All-Star Team in 2011; All-Suncoast Conference Second Team in 2012
Michael Danner (OF) —All-Suncoast Conference First Team, FCSAA All-State First Team, Suncoast Conference Top Ten Player, Academic All-State, Suncoast Conference All-Star Team, all in 2011; All-Suncoast Conference First Team, FCSAA All-State First Team, FCSAA/NJCAA Gulf District All-Tournament Team, all in 2012; tied the College’s record for grand slams with two; signed with University of Tampa
Kevin Gude — Academic All-State, named to “Top 20” Prospect List for Florida College Baseball League, named to “Top 100” Prospect in NJCAA, all in 2011; FSCAA/NJCAA Gulf District All-Tournament Team in 2012; Signed with Bethune Cookman University
Colt Hankamer (SS) — All-Suncoast Conference First Team, Suncoast Conference All-Star Team in 2011; All-Suncoast Conference Second Team in 2012
Brian Johnson (RHP) — All-Suncoast Conference First Team, Suncoast Conference Top Ten Player, Suncoast Conference All-Star Team, all in 2011; All-Suncoast Conference First Team, FCSAA All-State Second Team, FCSAA/NJCAA Gulf District All-Tournament Team, all in 2012; signed with Florida Southern College
Ryne Knuth —All-Tournament Team, Suncoast Conference Sophomore All-Star Team, both in 2011; signed with Southeastern University
Reid Noah — Tied school record for most saves with 11, set school record for most appearances with 29, All-Suncoast Second Team, Fireman of the Year, Suncoast Conference Sophomore All-Star Team, all in 2011; signed with University of South Carolina Upstate
Alex Norris — All-Suncoast Second Team in 2012
Conor Szczerba (2B) —Set College record for plate appearances with 260, All-Suncoast Conference Second Team, Suncoast Conference All-Star Team, all in 2011; Suncoast Conference Player of the Year, FCSAA All-State First Team, All-Suncoast Conference First Team, FCSAA/NJCAA Gulf District All-Tournament Team, all in 2012; holds the school hit-by-pitch record with 22, most runs scored with 64 and stolen bases with 40; signed with Florida Southern
Chris Waltermire — Named to Baseball America’s“Top 20 Prospects” in 2011; signed with Bethune Cookman University
Chris Waltermire (RHP) lifts a giant snowball during the team’s Sunday tour of Grand Mesa.
Tyus, reflecting on the Baseball program at the College, said it knew some inconsistency in the last 10 years or so, but a lot of groundwork was being laid for success, including the ability to offer more scholarships and attract the current coaching staff. The sophomore class has added much to that building momentum.
“Hopefully that gets passed on to the freshmen and so on and so on,” said Tyus, who coached baseball for the College for 15 years until becoming athletic director in 1998.
To talk with the sophomore class — and to watch them here in Grand Junction, Colo., as they throw snowballs and sing on the team bus — it’s clear that for all their success, they’re just guys who like to be with each other and play ball.
“We’re all just a bunch of misfits who came together by luck and developed into a team,” said Szczerba.
In their time together, they’ve bonded over Thursday Jersey Shore nights, fishing and bullfrog catching. Now, in Grand Junction at the pinnacle of their success, they’re bonding even more, experiencing snow and the Grand Mesa, 5,000-plus crowds and tough competition —all together, as a team.
“It’s like a family. We’re all really comfortable with each other,” said Waltermire.
In these last few days — win or lose, the NJCAA JUCO World Series ends Saturday —the focus is on winning, of course, but that’s not to say there isn’t some acknowledgement of the finality of it all. These days are precious.
“It’s bittersweet. But we’re planning reunions. The first one will be Christmas Break,” Szczerba said.
Standing on the porch at Mesa Lakes Resort, Head Coach Al Corbeil said this class of sophomores will always be dear to him, even more so because they’re experiencing the same things in Grand Junction that he did in 1999 as a player for national contender Manatee Community College (now State College of Florida).
“They’ve helped set the standard for what we want to do with Polk State Baseball. They’ll always have a special place in my heart and in the coaching staff’s heart,” Corbeil said.