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I posted something similar in the D2 WS thread but GJ deserves its own thread.  We were fortunate that our son's team made the JUCO World Series this year in Grand Junction, Colorado.  We made the long trek out to GJ without knowing what to expect.  Our first game was Saturday at 2pm but there was a game in front of us so I had my wife drop me off.  The stadium is Suplizio Field which is located on the edge of downtown.  The first thing I noticed was the amount of cars that were parked everywhere.  As I made my way to the stadium you could hear big roars from the crowd which is not something you hear much of in JUCO baseball.  As I entered, there were long lines at the concessions and vendor stations.  There were numerous food trucks set up underneath the stadium.  I walked to my seats and couldn't believe the amount of people at a JUCO baseball game at 10am.  The announced attendance was over 6k for game 1.

Most of the games drew between 3k-6k during the day with the night games drawing 7-9k.  Memorial Day evening was the big night, though.  They did a special presentation and had fireworks afterwards.  That game drew over 10k and was at max capacity.   

I feel like we found a hidden gem that we didn't know existed.  When I sat in my seat for that 10am game the lady a few seats down said she drove from Niagara Falls to watch and she does every year.  The rest of the people around me were locals.  The world series is a big deal to the locals and they showed up every game.  There were lots of local kids at the games.  They would seek out autographs before games and during warmups.  It made the players feel like rock stars.  The town was exceptionally clean and everyone there was happy.  Smiling faces everywhere we went.  Hopefully, we can make it back next year, but if not I will still make it back one day.  I can't say enough good things about our experience.

     

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@Consultant posted:

Adbono;

Did you read the history of the Grand Junction and Sam Suplizio?

Sam was one of my advisors during the Area Code Games. He was a "high level" scout with the Brewers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suplizio_Field. "a great individual".

Bob

Hi Bob! I did not read up on any history. I was too busy watching baseball. I did find the locals to be knowledgeable baseball fans and they really support the event. Lots of scouts there too. Do you know Tom Wheeler?

@Consultant posted:

Adbono;

Yes, indeed for 36 years, Tom Wheeler, a great pro scout from the SF Bay area.

Former Coach at St Mary's. very knowledgeable. A "founding" member of the Northern California Scouts Association.

Bob

I figured you did. Very nice man. Sat with him for a couple of games and enjoyed talking baseball with him. Found out when he was HC at Colorado State he coached a teammate of mine from Pony League.

Anyone know if Florence Darlington Tech's bats were ever found by UPS?  I know they were able to secure some bats to use but I never did see whether or their actual bats were ever found.  It seems pretty crappy that they go all season using a certain bat but then at the biggest point of the year are forced to adjust to using new ones.

@gamecock303 posted:

Anyone know if Florence Darlington Tech's bats were ever found by UPS?  I know they were able to secure some bats to use but I never did see whether or their actual bats were ever found.  It seems pretty crappy that they go all season using a certain bat but then at the biggest point of the year are forced to adjust to using new ones.

Florence Darlington had a tough draw. They lost their opener 7-0 to the (likely) National JuCo pitcher of the year. 14 Ks in that game suggests that something different couldn’t have hurt. Next game was against #1 seed who had lost their first game too and were pissed about it. Game over for Flo Dar. They were in the same hotel as me and I talked to a number of their players. All seemed to be good kids. None of them complained about not having their bats. They acknowledged that they ran into a couple buzz saws.

2022 Tournament. Who's going?

No. 1 Walters State Community College (Tennessee)
No. 2 Wabash Valley College (Illinois)
No. 3 McLennan Community College (Texas)
No. 4 College of Central Florida
No. 5 Crowder College (Missouri)
No. 6 Central Arizona College
No. 8 Cowley County Community College (Kansas)
No. 10 San Jacinto College-North (Texas)
No. 15 Harford Community College (Maryland)
Snead State Community College (Alabama)

Last edited by MidAtlanticDad

I absolutely love this event. It’s a must see (at least once) for any baseball fan. It’s great baseball in it’s purest form and you don’t need a dog in the hunt to enjoy it. There is MLB draft talent on display every year. The city of Grand Junction is awesome and does a fantastic as host. Can’t recommend this high enough!

Juco baseball is really old. Tonight’s game features a 2018 HS grad vs a 2019 HS grad on the mound. Teams were littered with 3rd and 4th year guys.  I don’t like it personally.  I feel bad for the 2021’s who were squeezed out this year.  

We had another great trip.  Lost a heartbreaker in the semis of the winners bracket and were toast the next day.  If you can make it out there it is a fantastic event.  The town is full of friendly people and they support Juco baseball

I'll take credit for the good lefty from W'ford.

I coached him for 4 years (T-Ball-Coach Pitch at University LL in FW where we built the foundation for his future success..............sarcasm).  Good kid and family.   

Pretty salty team of Ryno, Wil Furniss, and Coop at that LL.

I think UTA is kicking themselves for not honoring their offer when the coaches changed.

Coop also played 6 years w/ Duran (summer and at Cleburne).

Last edited by russinfortworth

I'll take credit for the good lefty from W'ford.

I coached him for 4 years (T-Ball-Coach Pitch at University LL in FW where we build the foundation for his future success..............sarcasm).  Good kid and family.   

Pretty salty team of Ryno, Wil Furniss, and Coop at that LL.

I think UTA is kicking themselves for not honoring their offer when the coaches changed.

Coop also played 6 years w/ Duran (summer and at Cleburne).

No argument about the talent at Weatherford. It’s the on the field behavior that turns me (and a lot of others) off.

@d-mac posted:

I figure it will be Wabash, Weatherford, Blinn or Central Florida.  Lots of upsets this year in the regionals.   

Wait, Weatherford and Blinn are on top of Texas Juco again?

LOL, my son was a Freshman at Hill in 2015 and the top teams were Weatherford, Cisco and San Jac. McLennan was just starting their rise to prominence and Blinn had just fallen from the top tier. There's amazing talent in all the Texas Juco teams. The parity over time is pretty cool.

Can someone explain this 10-team bracket to me? The 1 or 4 seed (in this case Weatherford) will have only played 2 games after 4 days of the tournament. Meanwhile, everyone else will have played at least 3 games and Delgado will have played 4. When I google "10 team bracket", I can't find this version anywhere. (Yes, I have a bias.)

It is an odd one for sure.  I believe that the way it is set up, most teams will still have to win 5 games to win it all. 

Can someone explain this 10-team bracket to me? The 1 or 4 seed (in this case Weatherford) will have only played 2 games after 4 days of the tournament. Meanwhile, everyone else will have played at least 3 games and Delgado will have played 4. When I google "10 team bracket", I can't find this version anywhere. (Yes, I have a bias.)

Not sure I can totally explain it either. 10 teams makes for a complicated bracket. Especially the way this one is structured. Instead of having two sides that work towards the middle, as teams are eliminated, this one has all teams moving left to right across the bracket as they advance. In this format it appears (but I’m not 100% certain) that being a top 4 seed has a big advantage. And a team is really rewarded for an early round victory over a top 4 seed. But I believe @d-mac is correct about a team having to win 5 games to win it all.

Anyone notice that this bracket can result in 3 teams left for one game (game 18)? If Central Florida wins tomorrow, there will be 3 teams left with 1 loss each. So somebody would go home with only one loss.

They play it out.  It is listed on the page but the in person bracket has another section in case that happens.

If three teams remain at Game 18, the team with the most games played receives a bye to Game 19. If there is a tie for games played, the team that won the head to head match up in the tournament shall receive a bye to Game 19. If the tie is still not able to be broken, the higher seed shall advance to Game 19. Times and dates are subject to change without notice

Last edited by d-mac

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