JUNE 2, 2007 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   

SMC Pioneers End Record Breaking Season
27-12 Defeat At Hands Of Chipola Ends Pioneers’ World Series Championship Bid

GRAND JUNCTION, CO – Spartanburg Methodist College’s most successful appearance in the National Junior College Division I World Series ended Saturday night in a 27-12 defeat at the hands of the Chipola College Indians.

SMC closed out its 2007 World Series appearance before a crowd of 4,520 at Sam Suplizio Field.

It was the furthest the SMC Pioneers had ever advanced in the Series, and the first time since 2003 the Pioneers had been to the Series.

“One of the local reporters [in Grand Junction] told me this was the furthest an Eastern District team had advanced in JUCO since 1992,” says SMC head baseball coach Tim Wallace.

The Pioneers head home from Colorado with a record number of wins in a single season, with a combined season record of 54-15. They closed the regular season 44-12. After winning both the Region X and Eastern District titles, they went into the Series with a 51-13 record.

“Our first win out here put us at a new school record for single season wins. That in itself is a tremendous accomplishment. And even though we’re disappointed right now that we lost this game [Saturday against Chipola], just to finish third in the series is a tremendous honor and is a great cap to the season,” adds Wallace.

“We had an amazing experience this week. We were able to do some great things on and off the field – and our players represented our college very well,” says Wallace.

Following their loss to Chipola Saturday evening, the Pioneers were ranked first in the Series for team batting with a Series .380 average.

Pioneer player Brooks Robinson, of Evans, GA, closed out that game tied at 12 with Chipola’s Jesus Barroso as the Series leader in individual hits. SMC pitcher Allen Caldwell, of Sumter, had a series leading 10 RBIs.

Caldwell and Phillip Morgan, of Inman, were tied at 3 as Series homerun leaders. Caldwell also led the Series with 22 total bases.

The Pioneers will leave Grand Junction Sunday in the pre-dawn hours and return to Spartanburg late in the evening.

Wallace says that the 2007 season, his 16th as head coach of the Pioneers, “was just a great season. It was an experience we will never forget.”

SMC athletic director Mark Perdue says that he and the entire Spartanburg Methodist College community are very proud of what the 2007 Pioneers accomplished.

“They represented Spartanburg Methodist College like gentlemen and played their hearts out, showing tremendous sportsmanship throughout the Series. I told them they can not let one loss overshadow what they’ve accomplished this year. As an athletic director, I couldn’t be more proud of them,” says Perdue.

He says the entire season has been a tremendous success for Spartanburg Methodist College baseball.

“They’ve accomplished more and been more successful than any other SMC baseball team I have ever seen. It was a very exciting year for Pioneer baseball,” says Perdue.

For more information contact SMC director of public information Brian Fulkerson at (864) 587-4254.

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On the Net:

JUCO World Series Standings and Leaders - http://www.jucogj.org/2007/stats_07/lgsumm.htm

SMC JUCO Team Stats - http://www.jucogj.org/2007/stats_07/spartan.htm