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Baseball Team Eliminated at
NJCAA World Series After Strong Start

6/12/03

The Mercer Baseball Team got to make the trip the players had dreamed of when the season began – the NJCAA World Series in Millington, TN, from May 24-30.  This was the Vikings' third trip to the NJCAA World Series in eight years and the fourth in its history (1981, 1996, 2000, 2003.)

Winning their first game in the national tournament 12-8 against Grand Rapid Community College (MI), the tournament's eventual winner, the Vikings were eliminated after suffering heartbreaking losses in their next two games.  The first was against Bevill State Community College (AL), 6-2, and the second was against defending champs Parkland College (IL), 9-7.  Parkland came from behind to win the game in the ninth inning.

On the road to the World Series, the Vikings played their best baseball ever.  They won three straight in the Region 19 Tournament and chalked up three more straight wins in the Northeast District Division II Tournament.  Their games included a 9-6 win against Rockland Community College (NY) in the opener, a 4-2 win against Alfred State (NY), and a second face-off against Rockland in the final, with the Vikings crushing Rockland 23-12.

It was clear as the season progressed that Mercer was the team to beat in Region 19.  After some tough losses early on, the team settled into a winning pattern that earned it a first place ranking in both Region 19 and the Garden State Athletic Conference.  In the regional tournament, hosted by Mercer, the Vikings beat Brookdale 8-3, a team they had lost to in all three of their regular season contests.  Mercer then beat Lackawanna 10-4 and Del Tech 8-6 to sweep the double-elimination tournament.

According to Head Coach Randy Voorhees, outstanding defense was a hallmark of the Vikings all season.  Power hitting in the post-season was also a key factor in the team's success.  "We achieved virtually every goal we set at the beginning of the year," said Voorhees.  "We won the Garden State Athletic Conference (GSAC), finished with the best regular season record in Region 19, won the Region 19 Tournament, won the District II Tournament, and placed nine of our ten sophomore players with a four-year college. We came up a little short in the World Series, but so did 128 out of 129 teams."   The Vikings' final record was 24-12.
 
The depth of this talented team shows in how many players received special honors.   Charlie Iacono, Joe Hernandez, and Mark Pienciak were selected for the All-Region First Team; Chris Freihaut, Adam Rehl, Ken Lup and Adam Shaffer were named to the Second Team; Shaffer was also named as one of Region 19's top five players.  All-GSAC First Team honors went to Hernandez, Iacono, Lup, and Pienciak; All-GSAC Second Team players included Freihaut, Rehl, and Shaffer.  Hernandez was named the Region 19 Tournament’s most valuable player. Lup was named to the All-District II Team.  Voorhees noted the excellent performance of several players at the World Series: Joe Farina, Lup and Iacono.  Tom Lagler William Seiler, and Bo Burris also made important contributions.
 
Voorhees predicts a good future for Mercer baseball.  Three starters, Iacono, Trevor Tenaglia, and Gene Darling, will be returning, as well as three pitchers, Tom Meyer, Adam Shaffer, and Christian Cannizzaro.  Three pitchers will be coming back from injury – Josh Serfass, Nestor Reyes, and Mike James.  Several other promising players are expected to join the team. Assisting Voorhees this season was Kip Harrison, Fred Carella and Gary Shunk.

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