Eleven Ex-Cougars Set to Compete in 2022 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament
Complete 2022 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament Bracket
PHOENIX ---
The South Mountain Community College baseball team has a host of former student-athletes competing in the 2022 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament. The Cougars have a footprint in multiple regionals as the squads battle for a spot in Omaha, Neb., for the 2022 College World Series.
College Station Regional
The College Station Regional is full of former Cougars and should feature several exciting match-ups.
Kole Kaler is an infielder for the host Texas A&M Aggies out of the Southeastern Conference. The Aggies earned the No. 5 national seed, and Kaler has batted .243 with 51 hits and 47 runs in 55 games. He also has eight doubles, two triples, two home runs, 28 RBIs, a team-high 48 walks and 10 stolen bases.
Drew Hill is a right-handed pitcher for Texas Christian University out of the Big 12 Conference. The Horned Frogs are the second seed in the College Station Regional and will face the Lousiana-Lafayette Ragin Cajuns in their first regional game. Hill has appeared in 10 games this year and is 1-0 in 12 innings with an 8.25 ERA.
Connor Kimple is an outfielder for the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin Cajuns out of the Sun Belt Conference. He finished the 2022 regular season with a .319 batting average, 65 hits and 37 runs in 56 games. Kimple also posted 10 doubles, five triples, nine home runs, 36 RBIs and nine stolen bases.
Holden Breeze is an infielder for the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles out of The Summit League. The Golden Eagles will face Texas A&M in the first game of the regional, and Breeze earned Summit League Tournament MVP honors with three multi-hit efforts in the event. He batted .335 in 55 games with 67 hits and 46 runs in the regular season. He added 17 doubles, two triples, three home runs, 41 RBIs and two stolen bases for ORU.
Justin Quinn is an outfielder for Oral Roberts. He batted .294 with 35 hits and 24 runs in 37 games during the regular season for the Golden Eagles. He posted four doubles, three triples, one home run, 21 RBIs and four stolen bases for the Golden Eagles.
Jimmy Turk is a former assistant coach for the SMCC baseball team and currently serves as the volunteer assistant coach for Oral Roberts.
Knoxville Regional
Trent Adams is a left-handed pitcher for the Campbell Camels out of the Big South Conference. The Camels are the No. 3 seed in the regional and will face the Georgia Tech Yellowjackets in their first game. Adams has appeared in seven games in 2022 and has a pair of strikeouts in 3.1 innings. The host Tennessee Volunteers and Alabama State are the other teams at the regional.
Austin Regional
Blake Covin is an outfielder for the Air Force Eagles out of the Mountain West Conference. Air Force is the No. 4 seed in the regional and will face the Texas Longhorns in their first game. The Eagles won the Mountain West Tournament with an 8-3 win over San Jose State to qualify for its first NCAA Regional since 1969. Covin batted .270 in 49 regular-season games with 57 hits and 49 runs. He added nine doubles, a triple, four home runs, 35 RBIs and nine stolen bases.
Jake Sansing is a right-handed pitcher for Air Force. He has appeared in 13 games, made four starts, and has 23 strikeouts in 28.2 innings this season. The other teams at the Austin Regional are Dallas Baptist University and Louisiana Tech.
Auburn Regional
Bobby Peirce is an outfielder for the Auburn University Eagles out of the Southeastern Conference. The Eagles earned the No. 14 national seed and will face Southeastern Louisiana in their first game of the regional. Peirce batted .312 in 39 regular-season games with 39 hits and 23 runs. He added five doubles, four triples, seven home runs, 23 RBIs and five stolen bases. UCLA and Florida State are the other two teams in the Auburn Regional.
Stillwater Regional
Juan Colato is an infielder for the Grand Canyon University Antelopes out of the Western Athletic Conference. The Antelopes are the No. 3 seed in the Stillwater Regional and will face the University of Arkansas in their first game. Colato batted a team-high .384 with 81 hits and 47 runs in 53 regular-season games. He added 16 doubles, three triples, seven home runs, 50 RBIs and six stolen bases.
Shawn Triplett is a right-handed pitcher for Grand Canyon, although he has not appeared in any games in the 2022 season. The host Oklahoma State Cowboys and Missouri State are the other teams in the regional.