Millington, TN – After a 279-day layoff, the Indian Hills Baseball team is set to return to the diamond as the Warriors head to the Flag City Classic at the USA Baseball Stadium in Millington, TN.

DETAILS: 2023 Flag City Classic

USA Baseball Stadium  |  Millington, TN

Friday, February 17 – Sunday, February 19

FOLLOW LIVE: Indian Hills Warriors Gamechanger (mobile only)

WATCH LIVE: HiCast Sports Stream

The Warriors will travel to Millington, TN to open the 2023 campaign for a three-day, four-game series at the historic USA Baseball Stadium Complex. The Warriors will take on Southwest Tennessee Community College, Lake Michigan College, Jefferson College (MO), and Lincoln Land Community College (IL).

FIRST PITCH

Indian Hills will open up the 2023 campaign coming off a 37-17 record last season where the Warriors reached the elimination game of the 2022 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region XI Championship game.

• The Warriors have won four of their last six season openers, including the last two.
• The Warriors will be making their first trip to the state of Tennessee dating back through the 2001 season.
• Head coach Matthew Torrez is entering his fifth season at the helm of the Warriors. Torrez has led the Warriors to 81 victories over the last two seasons.
• Indian Hills has been picked second in the preseason ICCAC Coaches Poll. Defending region champions Iowa Western was picked first while Marshalltown and Southwestern tied for third.

SOPHOMORE EXPERIENCE

The Warriors return just nine players from a year ago, but a number of individuals look to build off successful freshman campaigns.

• Daniel Figueroa was an All-Region XI First-Team selection after batting .353 on the year with 43 stolen bases, the second-most in a single season in school history
• Greg Campos, Jack Nelson, and Sam Hart provide experience on the mound for the Warriors this year. The trio combined for 110 innings pitched and six victories.
• Merrick Mathews, Adrian Vargas, and Sergio Chavez will provide veteran leadership on the defensive side of the field and at the plate.

SCOUTING THE SALUKIS

The Warriors will take on the Saluqis for the first time in program history in the opening game of the Warriors' trip to Tennessee.

• Southwest Tennessee, an NJCAA DI program in Region VII and the Tennessee Community College Athletic Association (TCCAA) has jumped out to a 9-2 record to begin the season and are 7-1 on their home turf this season.
• The Saluqis are off to their best start in recent memory and have not had a winning season dating back through the 2013 season, including a 26-32 campaign last year.
• Through 11 games this year, Southwest Tennessee has outscored its opponents 75-30 and has posted a team batting average of .326.
• The Saluqi pitching staff has struck out 83 batters in 70 innings of work this year.

SCOUTING THE RED HAWKS

• Lake Michigan will be making its first appearance of the season on Friday as the Red Hawks take on Iowa Central Community College before squaring off with the Warriors on Saturday.
• The Red Hawks, an NJCAA DII program out of NJCAA Region XII, posted a 23-18 record last year and have had a .500 record or better in each of the last four seasons.

SCOUTING THE VIKINGS

A perennial JUCO World Series contender, the Vikings and Warriors will meet for the first time dating back through the 2001 season.

• The Vikings enter the Flag City Classic with a 6-2 record, but have dropped two in a row, both 2-1 ballgames, including a one-run loss to Southwest Tennessee.
• Jefferson's pitching staff sports a 2.62 ERA entering the weekend and have tossed three shutouts so far on the year.
• The Vikings have won at least 30 games in three of the last four seasons, including 33 last year. Jefferson most recently reached the JUCO World Series in 2018.

SCOUTING THE LOGGERS

The Warriors will wrap up the Flag City Classic with a matchup against Lincoln Land, the first meeting between the two clubs dating back through the 2001 season.

• The Loggers, an NJCAA DII club out of NJCAA Region 24 will open up their season at the Flag City Classic with two games before squaring off with the Warriors.
• The Loggers have averaged 41 wins per season over the last three full years and have made two World Series appearances during that span.
• Lincoln Land returns three veteran pitchers in Ben Draeger, Evan Herpstreith, and Brannan Kraft who combined to win 19 games last year.

WHAT'S NEXT

Indian Hills' trip to Millington, TN this weekend is the first of two treks to the USA Baseball Complex as the Warriors return February 24-25 for a four-game series as part of the Babe Howard Classic.

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