The Marshalltown Community College (MCC) baseball season begins February 17, when the varsity travels to Sedalia, Missouri to take on the Roadrunners of State Fair Community College. With the season only a week away, here is a look inside the 2018 MCC baseball team.
Last season, the Tigers finished 20-33 overall and 8-16 in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC). The Tigers struggled playing at home all season going 4-13 at Shawn Williams Field while going 15-17 on the road. Collectively the Tigers recorded 35 home runs, 290 RBI's and 58 stolen bases.
The 2018 season brings a new roster and a new staff as Kim Johnson has been hired to lead the Tiger baseball team this season. Johnson, a former baseball player at MCC, brings 30 years of coaching experience to MCC with six years of experience as an assistant coach and 24 years as head coach. Johnson has enjoyed success throughout his coaching career, tallying 472 wins at the Junior College level and another 76 wins at the NCAA Division I level. Johnson hired Gilbert, Iowa native Joe Goodman as his Assistant Coach this winter.
"I am extremely pleased and excited to have Joe working with me," stated Johnson. "Joe brings a lot of things to the program specifically his former college playing experience and he has experience playing professional baseball internationally. I think he will be great with recruiting and he has a great knowledge of pitching. Mechanically and philosophically, we are on the same page so I have a good feeling of where we can take this program."
This season's top returners include a First Team All-Region selection at shortstop in Jose Mieses, outfielder Marving Serrano, and pitcher Adam Barrett.
Mieses will lead off for the Tigers this season and is highly regarded by Coach Johnson.
"Jose brings a lot to the team, he has a presence at the plate and great speed, I didn't see anybody better than him in the fall," stated Coach Johnson.
Mieses recorded 62 hits and 17 walks with his 173 plate appearances. The athletic shortstop has eye catching speed and will look to lead the conference in stolen bases this year, improving on his 16 last season.
Marving Serrano will be back in the outfield for the Tigers in 2018 after a solid freshman campaign. A year ago, Serrano recorded a .410 batting average with 39 at bats. Serrano will be counted on to continue that production with more action in the lineup.
Adam Barrett will return to the mound this year for the Tigers after going 4-2 as a starting pitcher a year ago. With an offseason of work in the books, Barrett will focus on getting healthy for the long grind of baseball season. Barrett along with sophomores Duncan Snider, Greg Glass, and Tryston Durham will lead the Tigers on the mound in 2018.
"I think this team is defensively sound and we can make some noise at the plate, if these guys stay hungry and play with heart, we can be dangerous come tournament time," stated Johnson.
The Tigers are considered a wild card this season, with a talented sophomore class and a new coaching staff, the Tigers could be the surprise of the conference. Coach Johnson's aggressive style has energized the team this past offseason and should be a fun team to watch.
"My goal is to lead the country in stolen bases," stated Johnson. "I want to create havoc on the bases and force the other team to make mistakes. The more they throw the greater chance we have to advance".
The Tigers will kick off the season in Missouri playing State Fair Community College February 17 and 18. The following weekend the Tigers will be back on the road, traveling to Lynchburg, Tennessee for two double headers with Motlow State Community College. The team will open home play Tuesday, March 20 when North Central Missouri College comes to Shawn Williams Field.
