Neosho to Grand Junction; Crowder Baseball’s Journey to the JUCO World Series
NEOSHO, MO — The Crowder Roughriders are back where they belong which is at the JUCO World Series. Now’s this team’s journey got off to a rocky start but in the end, Crowder did what they do best, and that’s win.
Crowder is bound for Grand Junction, Colorado, after they punched their ticket to the 2024 NJCAA Division I Baseball World Series for the first time since 2022. And, for some guys, it’s a dream come true.
Crowder is a 5-seed and currently has a 49-13 overall record.
Redshirt Sophomore First Baseman Joey Morton said, “I mean, it’s awesome. Something I’ve been dreaming about. Obviously, we didn’t get a chance to go last year, but something that I’ve been dreaming about for a while now. And I mean, it’s just awesome that we’re going to be able to get the chance to play out there”.
After some early season struggles and a 5-5 start, Crowder found their groove and won the next 20 of their 21 games. And as Head Coach Travis Lallemand says once they figured out the bullpen, these guys hit a second gear.
Head Coach Travis Lallemand said, “You know, I think we just had to put the pieces together and figure out the bullpen. The lineup changed here and there. I think for the first month we were rotating things in there and and different, just trying to find the right pieces. But I think the biggest thing was the bullpen. Our starting pitching was, up and down, but early on it was really good. And we just had to figure out the bullpen. And once we did that, I mean, that’s obviously one of our strengths”.
Starting pitching will be key for Crowder success and if they can work late into the game, the Roughriders bullpen can come in and finish the job.
Sophomore Right-Handed Pitcher Austin Jobe said, “To get to the bullpen, you got to have 15 outs out of your starters, Lalle always says. And here recently we’ve had them get 15-18 outs and maybe even 21 outs. Grigg went out and showed this weekend we didn’t need a bullpen. So if our starters can go at least 15 outs, we can get to the back end and it’s hard to beat hard to beat our back end of the bullpen”.
With the game streaming on ESPN+, this team will not only have a chance to showcase their talents on the national stage, but also have the opportunity to represent Crowder College and the Four States Area.
Sophomore Outfielder Kolton Reynolds said, “It’s going to be big because I know we have a lot of sophomores that aren’t committed yet and it’s big for them. And plus it’s just because they’re in front of people that they probably haven’t been seen by and get their name out there and get noticed by a lot of more people”.
Jobe said, “Oh, it’s awesome. I mean, that’s what we set out to be in. So not only representing Missouri, but most of us from Arkansas, so representing Arkansas, too, is a big deal for all of us, and especially to represent Crowder and Coach Lalle. We’re excited”.
The Roughriders will be action 11 a.m. Sunday morning when they take on 6-seed Blinn College for their first round game of the World Series. You can catch that game streaming on ESPN Plus.
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