Preview: Baseball locks in for Region XI Tournament

2016 NJCAA Region XI Division I Baseball Tournament Bracket

The 2016 Region XI Baseball Tournament opens up this weekend and the Marshalltown Community College Baseball team enters as the No. 2 seed, the program's highest seed in school history. MCC will play No. 3 seed and tournament host Indian Hills Community College at 2:00 PM Friday in Centerville, IA.

The Tigers begin postseason play after posting a 31-20 overall record in the regular season, including a 12-12 mark in Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) play. Iowa Western Community College (44-12/20-4), ranked No. 8 in the latest NJCAA Division I poll, enters as the top seed while Muscatine Community College (23-31/5-19) is the No. 4 seed.

This year's Region XI Tournament will be played at Pat Daugherty Field in Centerville, the site where MCC reached its first-ever NJCAA District Tournament in 2014 after finishing as one of the top two teams in the Region XI Tournament.

The Tigers won the regular season series against Indian Hills, taking five out of eight contests, including the final two matchups on May 8 in Marshalltown. Indian Hills defeated MCC in the opening round of the 2015 Region XI Tournament 4-0. The Tigers are 4-13 all-time in the conference tournament against the Falcons.

Despite a 0-2 showing at the 2015 tournament, the Tigers have reached the Region XI Tournament championship game three times since 2011, including back-to-back years in 2013 and 2014.

MCC earned the No. 2 seed in this year's tournament behind a series of .300 hitters and a crafty pitching staff. Freshman Enmanuel Lopez (Santiago, Dominican Republic/Prepara) leads the Tiger offense with a .421 batting average, 69 hits, and 45 RBI. Sophomore Logan Holtz (Urbana, IA/Center Point-Urbana) is batting .372 with a team-high nine home runs and 49 runs scored for the second-most potent offense in the ICCAC.

On the mound, the Tigers have relied on an array of starting pitchers to combine with a diligent bullpen. Freshman Juan Carlos Gonzalez (Piedra Blanca, Dominican Republic/Salome Urena de Henrriquez) and sophomore Kolton Gonnerman (Centerville, IA/Centerville) rank 1-2 in the conference in strikeouts while each hurler has seven wins which ranks second. The two also rank in the top three in the league in earned run average. JD Barr (South Sioux City, NE/Bishop Heelan Catholic) eclipsed the MCC single season saves record and currently has eight saves for the Tigers, including one in each of the team's wins over Indian Hills on Sunday.

Against the Falcons this year, the Tigers claimed three of their five victories by scores of 1-0 and allowed just 12 total earned runs on the season. Gonnerman earned two of the team's wins over the Falcons this year, tossing a complete game four-hitter with six strikeouts on April 16 and went six innings, allowing just one hit in a 1-0 win on May 8. Gonzalez pitched 11 total innings against the Falcons on the season, giving up just two earned runs. Out of the pen, both Diogen Ceballos (La Vega, Dominican Republic/Liceo la Romana) and Barr have combined for 5.2 innings with just one earned run with four saves and a 1-0 record.

Iowa Western and Muscatine will square off at 11:00 AM on Friday to begin the tournament. The winner of the first two games will meet at 11:00 AM on Saturday while the loser of the two contests will play at 5:00 PM on Friday.

For complete coverage of this weekend's tournament, be sure to like Marshalltown Community College Athletics on Facebook, follow us on Twitter: Follow @MCC_ATH and Follow @MCCTigers_BB and on Instagram: MCC_Tigers

Throughout the tournament, a Live Conversation will be provided for fans to take part in, including fan polls, pictures, videos and the most-up-to-date information. Set a reminder prior to first pitch so you don't miss out: 2016 REGION XI TOURNAMENT LIVE CONVERSATION