Centerville, IA – After early delays to open the season, the Indian Hills Baseball team is set to begin its 2022 campaign on Thursday. The Warriors will cover three states over the next week with nine games on the schedule.
"Our guys are excited to finally get out and compete against outside competition," stated head coach Matthew Torrez. "We have put together a challenging schedule early, along with an always challenging ICCAC schedule. It will be a fun year of baseball and I am excited to see our guys go out and compete."
The Warriors are coming off its first JUCO World Series appearance since 2004 after a thrilling run to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region XI and NJCAA Midwest District championships. Indian Hills capped its season with a 1-2 record at the JUCO World Series and finished the year with a 44-16 overall mark.
The 2022 schedule opens up with a four-game set against Cowley College (KS), currently ranked No. 6 in the NJCAA DI Baseball poll after a 6-2 start to the year. The Tigers are coming off a JUCO World Series appearance in 2021 as well. The two teams will square off for a single game on Thursday at 2:00 PM followed by a doubleheader at 1:00 PM on Friday and wrap up the series with a single game at 1:00 PM on Saturday.
The Warriors will then head to Crowder College (MO), ranked No. 9 in the NJCAA DI rankings for a single game at 1:00 PM on Tuesday, March 8. The Warriors and Roughriders met twice in last year's JUCO World Series as Indian Hills stunned the top-seed in the opening round before bowing out in the elimination round. The Roughriders finished third overall at the World Series.
Indian Hills will wrap up its road trip with a four-game set at Baton Rouge Community College (LA). The Bears will host Indian Hills at Pete Goldsby Field for a doubleheader on both Friday, March 11 and Saturday, March 12.
For the first time in 18 years, Indian Hills features a roster that has World Series experience, a group that Torrez will look to lead the program to another successful campaign. "We have a good core of players returning from our World Series run last year. These guys will add experience to a group of talented young players who will need to get oriented to college baseball quickly as they will be asked to play big roles early."
Shortstop Ricardo Van Grieken (Merida, Venezuela/San Luis) returns after earning First-Team All-Region XI honors last year with a .335 batting average and .939 fielding percentage. Tucker Ebest (Austin, TX/Lasa) brings a veteran bat to the lineup this year after a strong freshman campaign in 2021.
The Warriors will look to a pair of veteran pitchers in right-handed hurler Arturo Rodriguez (San Diego, CA/San Ysidro) and lefty Douglas Rojas (Valencia, Venezuela/U.E. Cabriales) who combined for 24 appearances on the mound last season.
A number of freshmen will look to contribute immediately for the Warriors. Transfer Jack Payne (San Antonio, TX/Clark) brings NCAA pitching experience from Louisiana Tech and Greg Campos (Laredo, TX/United South) will provide innings from the right side of the mound.
Torrez, who enters his fourth season at Indian Hills after being named the ICCAC Coach of the Year last season, will look to a number of freshman bats, including James Dutton (Toronto, Ontario/Forest Hill), Daniel Figueroa (Toa Alta, Puerto Rico/Leadership Christian Academy), and Adrian Vargas (Caracas, Venezuela/Instituto Central de Educacion Ice).
The Warriors will make its first appearance at Pat Daugherty Field in Centerville on Tuesday, March 15 with a doubleheader against St. Cloud Technical and Community College (MN).
Indian Hills, who earned votes in the preseason NJCAA DI Baseball Poll, was picked to finish second in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) Preseason Poll behind Iowa Western Community College, ranked No. 13 in the current national rankings.
The ultra-competitive NJCAA Region XI Tournament will be hosted by Indian Hills at Pat Daugherty Field May 12-14 as the Warriors have their sights set on another run to the JUCO World Series.