2019 Ventura College Baseball Team News
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Pirate Baseball Earns National Academic HonorAugust 23, 2019The American Baseball Coaches Association is thrilled to announce the over 300 member college and high school programs from across the country who have been awarded the 2018-19 ABCA Team Academic Excellence Award. For the second straight year, Ventura College baseball is listed among the honored teams from every level of college and high school baseball. VC achieved an overall grade point average of 3.24 for the entire 2018-19 academic year to earn recognition from the ABCA.
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Baseball Announces 13 Transfers from WSC ChampionsAugust 21, 2019Coming off the historic 2019 season in which the the Pirates claimed their first Western State Conference North Division title in 13 seasons, and in which VC hosted a regional playoff series for the first time in program history, the Ventura College baseball program is proud to announce that 13 Pirates will move on to play at the four-year level in 2020. Five student athletes will compete at the NCAA Division I level, five will transfer to NCAA Division II, two will play NCAA Division III baseball and one will transfer to an NAIA school.
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Foreman Wins ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove AwardJune 25, 2019Ventura College sophomore TJ Foreman has racked up another award. The Moorpark High School product was awarded the ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove Award for the Pacific Association Division, which includes community colleges in California, Oregon and Washington. The American Baseball Coaches Association and Rawlings Sporting Goods released the award winners last week, and Foreman becomes the second Pirate to attain the honor. Joseph Luna won the award in 2011.
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Two Former Pirates Selected in MLB DraftJune 13, 2019Two former members of the Ventura College baseball team were selected in last week's Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Both players selected were pitchers for the Pirates in 2017. Andrew Nardi was selected in the 16th round, 471st overall by the Miami Marlins while Justin Friedman had his name called by the Chicago White Sox in the 26th round, the 770th overall pick.
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Foreman, Baldovino Named to ABCA All-Region TeamJune 03, 2019The Awards continue for the 2019 Western State Conference champion Pirate baseball team as TJ Foreman and Gabe Baldovino were each recognized by the American Baseball Coaches Association on the ABCA/Rawlings Pacific Association Division All-Region team. Both Foreman and Baldovino were awarded second-team all-region honors for community colleges in California, Oregon and Washington.
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Walker, Four Pirates Headline All-WSC AwardsMay 24, 2019The Western State Conference champion Ventura College baseball team placed four players on the first-team All-WSC list while head coach Jimmy Walker was named co-Coach of the Year in voting by the conference coaches late last month. Outfielders TJ Foreman and Jacob Harris made the conference's top list along with shortstop Gabe Baldovino and starting pitcher Travis Weston.
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Baseball's Don Adams Headed to CCCBCA Hall of FameMay 23, 2019Longtime Ventura College baseball coach Don Adams is headed to the California Community College Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Adams, who was head coach of the Pirates from 1995-2017 amassed 738 wins during his tenure and led VC to the Western State Conference championships in 2006. He was also an assistant coach with Hall of Famer Gary Anglin for 15 seasons, helping the Pirates to the 1989 WSC crown. He, along with other Hall of Fame inductees, will be honored at the state association meetings in Fresno on Friday May 24.
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Pirates Shutout Long Beach Before Falling in Decisive Game 3May 04, 2019Jackson Hickert saved his best for last. The Ventura College sophomore pitched a masterpiece in Game 2 of the Pirates CCCAA Southern California Regional against Long Beach, throwing an eight-hit complete game shutout over the Vikings to propel Ventura (26-17) into a third and decisive game in the series. Unfortunately, the Pirates broke down at the end of Game 3, giving up seven runs over the final two innings to drop a 12-3 decision, sending the Vikings into the next round of the playoffs.
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Defensive Miscues Lead to VC Loss in Playoff OpenerMay 03, 2019When the playoffs begin, the margin of error shrinks. The Pirate baseball team found that out the hard way Friday afternoon, as a pair of VC fielding errors led to three unanswered runs for visiting Long Beach in Ventura's 3-1 loss to the Vikings in Game 1 of the CCCAA SoCal Regional Playoff Series. Travis Weston took the hard-luck loss on the mound despite pitching 8.2 innings and allowing just five hits and no earned runs. Zane Chittenden had a pair of hist for VC (25-16) including a home run.
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VC Baseball To Host First Playoff Series at Pirate ParkApril 29, 2019On the strength of their first Western State Conference North Division title in 13 years, the Ventura College baseball team has received the No. 5 seed in the CCCAA Southern California Regional Playoffs and will be hosting a playoff series at Pirate Park for the first time ever. Ventura will host No. 12 Long Beach City College in a best-of-three set beginning at 2:00 pm Friday May 3. Game 2 with the Vikings will be at 11:00 am on Saturday May 4, with Game 3, if necessary, following Game 2.
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Baseball Falls at Cerritos in Regular Season FinaleApril 26, 2019One day after clinching their first conference title in 13 years, the Pirate basebal team traveled to Cerritos for a non-conference tilt making up a rained out game from February. TJ Foreman and Zane Chittenden each had a pair of hits ad Baylor Tovar had an RBI but Ventura fell to the Falcons, 4-1. Chittenden also started on the mound, giving up three runs, one earned, over four innings of work.
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Baseball Outlasts Hancock, Captures WSC TitleApril 25, 2019A swing and a miss on a ball in the dirt, a wide throw to first, a great catch and a spin to tag the bag. And with that the celebration began. The Ventura College baseball team ended a 13-year title drought Thursday by defeating Allan Hancock College 3-1 at Pirate Park, capturing a share of the Western State Conference North Division championship for the first time since 2006. Jackson Hickert pitched into the seventh inning, giving up one run while striking out six, while AJ Medrano, Gabe Baldovino and Junior Sandoval all knocked in a run to power the victory for the Pirates (25-14, 13-7).
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Baseball Wins At Hancock, Remains Tied for FirstApril 23, 2019Travis Weston had another strong outing on the mound, pitching seven innings while giving up three runs, two earned, while striking out five in the Pirates' 8-3 victory at Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria Tuesday afternoon.Riley Langerman was 3-4 at the plate with two runs scored and a pair of runs batted in while Baylor Tovar had three hits, including two doubles, while scoring twice with an RBI. Jacob Harris was also 3-4 on the day. The Pirates (24-14, 12-7) are tied atop the Western State Conference North Division standings with Santa Barbara while Cuesta sits one game back with one game left to play.
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Walk-Off Walk Leads Pirates Past Taft, 6-5April 20, 2019The baseball adage says a walk is as good as a hit. Never was that more true than Saturday afternoon at Pirate Park where Ethan Balolong drew a walk with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning to force in Conor Mormon for the game-winning run in VC's 6-5 victory over Taft College. That concluded a two-run ninth for the Pirates (23-14, 11-7), who earned theif fourth walk-off win of the season. Noah Bullard pitched two scoreless innings at the end of the game to pick up the victory.
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Ventura Scores Two Touchdowns and a Field Goal in WinApril 18, 2019On a "chamber of commerce" day at Pirate Park, the Ventura College baseball team put up a football score in their 17-7 win over visiting Los Angeles Valley. Jacob Harris finished a triple away from the cycle with four runs batted in, and AJ Medrano also had three hits, including a double, and thre RBI to lead the way. Zane Chittenden recorded just one hit, but had five RBI with three sacrifice flies in the game. Jackson Hickert alloowed one run on five hits, striking out seven over five innings of work to pick up the win for VC (22-14, 11-7).
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Baseball Holds Off SoCal No. 6 Glendale, 5-4April 16, 2019The Pirate baseball team held off SoCal No. 6-ranked Glendale College 5-4 for a non-conference road win Tuesday afternoon. Junior Sandoval had two hits, including a double, and scored a run while Riley Langerman also had a pair of base knocks. TJ Foreman reached base three times, had two stolen bases and scored two runs. In the process, he set a new school record for career stolen bases and he is closing in on the single-season mark as well.
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Pirates Fall at Cuesta, Drop Into First Place TieApril 13, 2019The Pirate baseball team lost 4-1 against Cuesta College Saturday afternoon in San Luis Obispo, bringing VC back into a three-way tie for first place in the Western State Conference North Division with the Cougars and Santa Barbara. TJ Foreman had three hits and a stolen base for Ventura (20-14, 11-7) while Gabe Baldovino scored the Pirates' lone run of the game. Zane Chittenden had another strong outing on the mound, giving up six hits in six innings of work while allowing a pair of runs in taking the hard-luck loss.
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Baseball Falls to Cuesta, Remains in First PlaceApril 11, 2019The Pirate baseball team veered off course a bit on Thursday with a 5-2 loss to Cuesta at Pirate Park. Gabe Baldovino and Ethan Balolong each had two hits in the game while Jackson Hickert pitched seven innings with six strikeouts, yielding a pair of unearned runs in the hard-luck loss. Despite the setback, VC (20-13, 11-6) still leads the Cougars and Santa Barbara City College by a game in the conference standings.
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VC Builds Big Lead, Survives Late Moorpark RallyApril 09, 2019Good teams find a way to win, or not to lose. That is what the Pirate baseball team did on Tuesday, using a six-run fifth and what turned out to be an insurance run in the ninth to build an 8-1 lead before giving up six runs, five unearned, in the bottom of the frame, then recording the 27th out of the game. Travis Weston pitched into the ninth inning, scattering eight hits and giving up three runs to pick up the win while Gabe Baldovino had four hits, including two doubles, and scored three runs to pace the offense for Ventura (20-12, 11-5).
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Big Bats Move VC into Sole Possession of FirstApril 06, 2019For the second straight day, the Pirate baseball team used a big second inning to take control, scoring eight runs in the second frame against visiting Moorpark on Saturday on their way to a 14-4 victory. The win coupled with a Cuesta loss to Santa Barbara moved the Pirates (19-12, 10-5) into sole possession of first place in the Western State Conference North Division. TJ Foreman was 3-5 at the plate, including a double, wit hthree runs scored and two runs batted in while Riley Langerman also had three hits. Zane Chittenden and Jacob Martinez combined efforts for the win on the mound.
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Five-Run Second Inning Propels Pirates to VictoryApril 05, 2019The VC baseball team used a five-run second inning to propel them to a 10-3 victory over visiting College of the Desert Friday afternoon in non-conference action at Pirate Park. Zane Chittenden delivered the big hit in the decisive frame, a two-out, two-run single, while TJ Foreman continued his strong play with a single and a double, two runs scored and an RBI for Ventura (18-12, 9-5). Tommy Jaimeson picked up the victory on the mound with two scoreless innings of relief following three strong frames from starter Sal Delgado.
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Baseball Claims Another Season Series in WSC PlayApril 04, 2019The Pirate baseball team claimed their second season series in as many weeks Thursday with a 10-5 victory at Oxnard College. VC, which is tied for first place in the conference with Cuesta, won the season series from the Condors 3-1. Gabe Baldovino led Ventura (17-12, 9-5) with three hits and a pair of runs batted in with a run scored. Ethan Balolong and Jacob Harris each gathered two hits with two runs scored. Jackson Hickert picked up the victory with a strong seven innings of work on the mound.
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VC Falls After Wild Ride vs. Oxnard at Pirate ParkApril 02, 2019It was a wild ride for the VC baseball tea,m Tuesday afternoon at Pirate Park. In a game that featured 22 runs, 23 hits and four lead changes, the Ventura College baseball team ultimately fell to visiting Oxnard 13-9. Zane Chittenden and Junior Sandoval each had three runs batted in and TJ Foreman had three hits and three runs scored in the contest for the Pirates (16-12, 8-5). Despite the loss, VC remains tied for first place in the conference , two games ahead of third place.
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Pirates Take Season Series From SBCCMarch 29, 2019TJ Foreman had a double and scored, and had a triple for the game-winning RBI as the Pirates defeated Santa barbara 2-1 Friday at Pershing Park to take the season series from the Vaqueros. Zane Chittenden allowed one run on two hits through five innings on the mound for the win while Jacob Martinez scattered four hits in four scoreless innings to pick up the save for the Pirates (16-11, 8-4). VC has won four straight games and is tied with Ciesta for first place in the Western State Conference, two games ahead of third place Allan Hancock.
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VC Comes Back Twice, Walks Off Santa BarbaraMarch 28, 2019The Ventura College baseball team separately erased a two-run and a three-run deficit to visiting Santa Barbara City College on Thursday as the Pirates completed their comeback with a 3-run ninth inning to walk off the Vaqueros' 8-7 at Pirate Park. TJ Foreman was 4-5 on the day with three runs batted in, including the game-winner, and a run scored while Ethan Balolong had a pair of hits, including a ninth-inning RBI single that led to him scoring the game-deciding run. Zach Rivera pitched a scoreless final frame to pick up the win for Ventura (15-11, 7-4).
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Weston, Balolong Lead Pirates Back to First Place TieMarch 26, 2019Travis Weston pitched another gem and Ethan Balolong continued hist hot bat at the plate to lead the Pirate baseball team to a 10-5 victory over Allan Hancock College at Pirate Park on Tuesday. Weston gave up one run over 5.2 innings of work, scattering four hits while striking out five for his fifth win of the year. Balolong, meanwhile continued to swing the hot bat with two hits, including a line-drive home run, with two runs scored and an RBI for the Pirates (14-11, 6-4). With the victory, Ventura pulls back into a three-way tie for first place in the conference standings.
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4-Run Sixth Fuels Pirate Comeback VictoryMarch 23, 2019The Pirate baseball team used a four-run sixth inning to fuel a come-from-behind 8-5 win at Allan Hancock College Saturday. AJ Medrano delivered three hits and three runs batted in on the day, including a 2-RBI single in the decisive frame. Gabe Baldovino also had three hits, including a double, with n RBI and three runs scored in the victory for VC (13-11, 5-4). Jacob Martinez pitched three hitless innings out of the bullpen with three strikeouts to pick up the win.
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Baseball Can't Find Offense at CuestaMarch 21, 2019The Ventura College baseball team continued its struggles at the plate Thursday in a 9-1 defeat at Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo. TJ Foreman had a pair of hits, including a double, and Jacob Harris tripled and scored VC's only run in the Western State Conference North Division setback. Jackson Hickert started on the mound and picked up the loss for Ventura (12-11, 4-4).
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Ventra Can't Keep Pace With Visiting CuestaMarch 19, 2019The Pirate baseball team came back from three runs down to tie the score in the fourth inning, only to fall to visiting Cuesta 7-4 Tuesday afternoon at Pirate Park. Riley Langerman had a pair of hits, including a double, with two runs batted in while Baylor Tovar and TJ Foreman also recorded two hits each for Ventura (12-10, 4-3). Travis Weston pitched into the fifth inning, giving up four runs to take the loss while Sergio Linares, Jeff Thoben and Christian Herrera pitched 2.2 combined innings of shutout ball.
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Pirate Win Streak Ends at MoorparkMarch 16, 2019The Ventura College baseball team had its four game winning streak come to an end Saturday with a 7-3 defeat at Moorpark College. Gabe Baldovino was 4-4 in the game, including a double and a triple, with a run scored while Zane Chittenden and Junior Sandoval each had two hits. Ventura (12-9, 4-2) falls into a second place tie with Allan Hancock College in the Western State Conference race, one half game behind the Raiders.