The Virginia Peninsula Community College men’s basketball team went 3-0 last week to earn its first regular-season region championship as a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA).
“It’s super special for us to be 19-6 and finish as the No.1 seed and also be ranked nationally,” said coach Chris Moore. “That’s a huge accomplishment, especially since it’s only our third season in the NJCAA. That’s just a testament not just to this team, but all the teams in the past because it’s been a building process.”
The Gators, 14th in the latest NJCAA Division III poll, finished the regular season with a 19-6 record, including 8-1 in Region 10. They earned the top seed in next week’s postseason tournament at Sandhills Community College in North Carolina. The Gators have a first-round bye and will play either the No.4 or No. 5 seed at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21. The championship is at 1 p.m. the following day, and the tournament winner advances to the district tournament Feb. 27-28 in Pennsylvania.
“Hopefully, we’ll be in the championship game on Sunday,” Moore said.
The Gators’ historic week started with an 87-80 win at Camp Community College on Feb. 11, followed by an 84-77 win at Patrick & Henry Community College two days later. They capped it off by defeating Tidewater Community College 78-58 on Feb. 15 at SafeHaven Empowerment Center in their home finale.
While the regular-season title is an NJCAA program first, the Gators won the 2022 New South Athletic Conference postseason tournament but weren’t in the NJCAA at the time. Prior to joining the NJCAA, the Gators won 13 VCCS titles.
Baseball
The Gators played two doubleheaders last week, going 2-2 in their four games.
The week started Feb. 10 in Raleigh, N.C., with a sweep of the William Peace University developmental team. In the opener, the Gators scored single runs in the first, second, third and fifth innings for a 4-1 lead. The Gators collected four hits, with Sean Burns Jr. (Woodside High School) and Garrett Hudson (Tampa, Fla.) getting doubles. Andy Lemaster (Saint Augustine, Fla.) drove in two runs, and Carmello Washington (Warwick) and Tony Soriano (Battlefield) one each.
Jacob Wells (Isle of Wight Academy) got the start on the mound and threw four hitless innings. He gave up one run and struck out eight. Conner Lamb (Bethel High School) pitched the final three innings and gave up three hits, one run and struck out five.
In the second game, the Gators jumped out to a 4-0 lead after two innings. In the first inning, the Gators scored on an error, a bases-loaded walk and a sacrifice fly. Ryan Bevins (Celina, Texas), the only Gator with two hits in the game, added an RBI single in the second inning.
Devin Romero (Salem High School) pitched the first three innings, giving up two hits and one run. Joshua Flicek (Bethel) shut down Peace in the final two innings, holding them to one hit and one run.
The Gators didn’t fare as well four days later in their home openers, losing 13-6 and 15-4 to Anne Arundel Community College (Md.) They got off to a good start in Game 1 with a run in the first but gave up five in the second, two in the third and two more in the fourth to fall behind 9-3. Conner Lamb had a two-run double.
In the second game, the Gators gave up six runs in the top of the first and couldn’t catch up despite scoring three in their first at-bat. The Gators had five hits in the game, including a double by Lemaster.
The Gators return to action Wednesday, Feb. 18 at Bryant and Stratton College in Virginia Beach. They return home Sunday, Feb. 22 against Monroe University of the Bronx at War Memorial Stadium at 3 p.m.
For more information on VPCC athletics, visit www.vpccgators.com.