NJCAA Cancels Spring Sport Season.
Per the decision of the NJCAA, all spring competition including Frontier Baseball has been cancelled due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus. The following was released by the NJCAA National Office.
Following the recent recommendations from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the NJCAA has made the difficult decision to cancel all upcoming basketball championships as well as spring competition, effective immediately.
“In light of the progressive evolvement of the COVID-19 situation, the NJCAA has decided to end all competition for the remainder of the academic year,” stated Dr. Christopher Parker, NJCAA President & CEO. “As an association, the NJCAA exhausted all possible avenues to potentially postpone competition for both upcoming basketball championships and spring sport competition. We believe following the recommendations of the CDC is in the best interest of our member colleges and our student-athletes.”
Truncated Season Leads To First Winning Season In Program History.
The Bobcats finish the season with a 13-9 (2-1) record, winning the first and only conference series against Southwestern Illinois College. Numerous school records were broke this year starting with the offense. The Bobcats offense set the tone with a team batting average at .318, on-base percentage of .431, and slugging at a .471 clip. On the bases, Frontier finish 5th in the nation during the 2019 season. They were on-pace to finish towards the top of NJCAA with well above 165 stolen bases as a team.
Frontier pitching staff had their fair share of school records starting with an all-time low earned run average, and WHIP. As a team, they combined to have a 5.09 ERA with limited amount of innings. Setting their WHIP (walks plus hits per inning) at 1.5. Multiple individuals that contributed in innings posted well below a 3.00 ERA to help achieve Frontier’s winning season. The pitching staff as a whole also posted a 2 to 1 strikeout to walk ratio, which was a huge goal for the pitching staff this income season.
Frontier’s Offense.
With setting offensive records, the Bobcats were ecstatic with what they were accomplishing and what could have been if this season would have played out. Posting a team batting average at .318 and on-base percentage at .431, the bobcats were tough to stop. Projecting over a 56 game season the offense would have finish with 323 free bases, 128 team doubles, 478 runs scored, and 165 stolen bases. A lot of individuals contributed to this success, some individuals were having stellar seasons.
Braxton Gerek - SO. (League City, TX.): .446 AVG (School record), .493 OBP, .631 SLG, 24 RBI, 25 Runs, on 11 SB with 65 at-bats.
Jacob White – SO. (Lewisport, KY.): .438 AVG, .486 OBP, .719 SLG, 7 Doubles, 4 Triples, 21 RBI, 20 Runs, and lead the team in stolen bases with 13.
Bradley Taylor- SO. (Russellville, KY.): .380 AVG, .750 OBP, .480 SLG, 9 RBI, scoring 15 Runs, collecting 19 Hits in 50 AB.
Cole Rasbury- SO. (Bellville, TX.): .361 AVG, .506 OBP, .525 SLG, 4 Doubles, 3 Triples, scoring 18 runs, and posting a 2 to 1 walk to strikeout rate.
Trent Rice- FR. (Bowling Green, KY.): .361 AVG, .479 OBP, .694 SLG, 4 Doubles, 2 Homeruns, had 5 at-bats where Rice had 2 strikes on him, and he saw more than 5 pitches.
Brody Tisdale- SO. (Greenwood, IN.): .333 AVG, .435 OBP, .556 SLG, 4 Doubles, 2 total Strikeouts, and leading the team in QAB’s. Tisdale was the heart of this team bringing the juice with every at-bat.
Other Notable’s:
Ben Scartz (Tarpoon Springs, FL.) .339 AVG.
Eli Tenzca (Lexington, KY.) .348 AVG.
Caleb Evans (Lincolnshire, IL.) 11 HBP.
Frontier’s Pitching Staff.
A lot of the tone was set on top of the hill, with setting a school record in ERA. The pitching staff was on-pace to do some special things this year. Averaging these numbers over a 56 game season, the staff would have collected 489 Strikeouts, and averaging a 2 to 1 strikeout to walk rate. Although it was a collective effort, some individuals that were having great season, they are the following.
Drew Janssen- FR. (Antwerp, BE.): 2.8 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 39 Strikeouts, 8 BB, averaging 13.68 K/9 in 25.2 IP. Janssen also earned NJCAA Pitcher of the Week after his no-hitter against Southwestern Illinois College.
Andrew Shoultz- SO. (Scurry, TX.): 3.9 ERA, 1.4 WHIP, 26 Strikeouts, and 11 BB, averaging 12.76 K /9 in 18.1 IP.
Chaney Trout- RSFR. (Poplar Bluff, MO.): 0.00 ERA in 17 IP, 1.05 WHIP, striking out 21 and walking 9, posting an 11.12 K/9, Trout lead the team in Saves with 4.
Mac Grant- SO. (Tampa, FL.): Pitched in 13.2 Innings with a WHIP of 1.24, having 13 strikeouts and only giving up 4 walks, averaging 8.56 K/9.
Brendan Reid- SO. (Union, KY.): Pitched in 6.1 innings, posting a 0.00 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 12 Strikeouts and only giving up 2 free bases.
Other Notable’s:
Caleb Rush (Fortville, IN.) 10.80 K/9.
Alex Kerr (West Chester, OH.) 12.00 K/9.
Sophomores.
The Coaching Staff would like to send out a special thank you to the sophomores that redefined this program. The culture and standard they set during their time here at Frontier is unprecedented. Each and every day they set a standard of excellence in this program, and left it better than they found. These players were a large part of the 24-win improvement, 1st conference tournament appearance, and turning a program into a winning atmosphere. These group of men will continue to strive in greatness, and proud that they called Frontier, home.
Alex Kerr (West Chester, OH.) 3.8 ERA Freshman Season
Andrew Shoultz (Scurry, TX.) Central Arkansas Commit
Bradley Taylor (Russellville, KY.) .380 AVG Sophomore Season
Braxton Gerek (League City, TX.) .446 AVG Sophomore Season
Brenden Reid (Union, KY.) 0.00 ERA Sophomore Season
Brody Tisdale (Greenwood, IN.) .333 Sophomore Season
Caleb Evans (Lincolnshire, IL.) Jackson State Commit
Caleb Rush (Fortville, IN.) University of Charleston Commit
Cameron Yeldell (Missouri City, TX.) 15 Stolen Bases Freshman Season
Cole Rasbury (Bellville, TX.) .361 AVG Sophomore Season
Jacob White (Lewisport, KY.) .438 AVG Sophomore Season
Jalen Faison (Brooklyn, NY.) 23 Stolen Bases Freshman Season
Mac Grant (Tampa, FL.) McKendree U Commit
Starly Hilario (San Juan, PR.) University of Cumberlands Commit
Tyler Ramey (Princeton, KY.) Lindsey Wilson College