[ By STEVE CARPENTER ]
[ HCC SPORTS INFORMATION ]
Photo courtesy of HCC Sports Information
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The No. 3-ranked Hutchinson Community College Baseball Team opens the second leg of its tournament for a return to Grand Junction on Friday when the Blue Dragon open the Wichita portion of the Region VI Tournament at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium.
Riding a school-record 19-game winning streak into Wichita, the Blue Dragons (45-11) take on Kansas City (40-19) at 4 p.m. in the third of four opening-round games on Friday.
Hutchinson advanced to Wichita for the second-straight season after a 2-0 opening-round series sweep of Labette last weekend at Hobart-Detter Field. Kansas City, the fourth-place team from the Jayhawk East this season, needed a decisive third game to eliminate Garden City. The Blue Devils defeated Garden City 7-6 in Game 3 on Sunday in Kansas City.
This is a rematch of an opening-round game in Wichita in which the Blue Devils defeated the Blue Dragons 4-2.
The 2017 Jayhawk West champion Blue Dragons are looking for their fourth overall Region VI championship and the first since 2010, when Hutchinson finished third in Grand Junction.
The Blue Dragons are one of two teams in the field ranked in the NJCAA national Division I baseball rankings. Johnson County, a potential Blue Dragon semifinal opponent, is ranked No. 14. Jayhawk East champion Cowley is receiving votes in the latest rankings.
Hutchinson has had an exceptional year offensively in 2017. As a team, the Blue Dragons are hitting .347, which is ninth in the NJCAA. The Dragons team-record 91 home runs rank fourth in the nation and their .591 slugging percentage is seventh in the country.
The Blue Dragons carry a 4.80 team earned-run average into the Region VI Tournament and are a .960 fielding team.
Sophomore second-baseman Michael Helman leads the nation with a .505 batting average. He has 17 home runs and 72 RBIs with 27 stolen bases. Wyatt Divis is among the hottest Blue Dragons, how hitting .403. Bobby Morgensen is hitting .379 with 84 RBIs.
Sophomore pitcher Nolan Hoffman brings a 7-1 record with a 4.19 ERA into the tournament. Freshman Zach Moore is 8-0 with a 3.54 ERA and Divis is 5-2 with a 3.76 ERA. Dayden Lane has a team-high seven saves with a 3-1 record and a 3.00 ERA. Jaden Simmons is 5-0 with three saves and a 4.01 ERA.
Kansas City its 10th in the NJCAA in total hits (606) and is hitting .329 as a team with 43 home runs. The Blue Devils have a 4.73 team ERA and a .961 team fielding percentage.
Alex Phillips leads KCK with a .421 batting average with 10 home runs and 71 RBIs. Tyler Pittman is hitting .398 and has 31 stolen bases. Rorey Combs it hitting .375.
The Blue Dragons are 0-2 against Kansas City, also losing in 2008, since Region VI went to the current format in 2004.
2017 REGION VI TOURNAMENT – DAY 1
When: Friday, May 12, 20176
Where: Lawrence-Dumont Stadium, Wichita, KS
10 a.m. – Barton (42-16) vs. Neosho County (39-20)
1 p.m. – Fort Scott (37-22) vs. Cowley (39-16)
4 p.m. – Hutchinson (45-11) vs. Kansas City (40-19)
7 p.m. – Johnson County (44-14) vs. Dodge City (38-17-1)
Hutch Live Video : Blue Dragon Sports Network, 3:45 p.m.
Twitter: @bluedragonsport