Harford Community College Baseball Team Heading to NJCAA Division I Baseball World Series in Grand Junction, Colorado

The Harford Community College baseball team is heading to Grand Junction, Colorado for the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I Baseball World Series after capturing the NJCAA Division I East District Championship with a 2-1 series victory against Florence-Darlington Technical College last weekend. It’s the Fighting Owls’ first trip to the national tournament since 2022.

Harford clinched the series the afternoon of Saturday, May 9, with a dramatic 13-12 win at Lexington County Baseball Stadium. The series featured 63 combined runs and 82 hits across three games, with Harford’s offense producing in key moments throughout the weekend.

“This series provided three of the best, most difficult, emotional games we have not only played this season, but that I have experienced at Harford,” said head coach Josh Houser. “All three games ended in the bottom of the ninth with the bases loaded and tying and/or winning runs on base. It was great to see how our guys performed in one high leverage moment after another. We knew all year this group was made for that and they certainly showed themselves and a lot of others [during this series].”

Ty Mercado led the Fighting Owls’ power surge during the series, going 4-for-14 with two homers, a triple and six RBIs, adding six runs scored.

Nathan Wingenroth tied Mercado with a team-high six RBIs in the series, while slashing .385/.429/.538, had an on-base plus slugging of .967 and led Harford with two doubles.

Derek Poole added a team-high seven hits, while slashing .438/.438/.625 and scored four runs.

Harford opened the series Friday afternoon with a wild 14-13 victory that saw the Fighting Owls (54-6) erupting for five runs in the first inning. Poole delivered an RBI single before James Asmus lined a two-run double to right field. Mercado capped the inning with a two-run homer to center.

Jaxon Kehoe extended Harford’s lead with a solo homer in the third inning before the Fighting Owls broke the game open in the sixth. Asmus launched a two-run homer, and Wingenroth followed with a two-run single during a five-run frame that stretched the lead to 11-8. Matthew Galli closed the door with two strikeouts to earn the save after Harford stranded the tying run.

Game two belonged to Flo-Dar, which evened the series with a 7-4 victory late Friday afternoon.

The decisive third game turned into another offensive showcase on Saturday.

Flo-Dar struck first on Costin’s RBI single in the opening inning, but Harford answered quickly in the second when Poole tied the game with a solo homer. Wingenroth later added a sacrifice fly to give the Fighting Owls a 2-1 lead.

Harford extended the advantage in the fourth inning. Danny Scullion crushed a three-run homer to center field after Jack Fitzpatrick and Asmus reached base.

After Flo-Dar cut the lead to 5-3, Harford answered again in the fifth. Fitzpatrick lined an RBI double to center before Wingenroth reached on an error that allowed two more runs to score. Reyes added an RBI groundout to make it 9-3.

Fitzpatrick delivered arguably the game’s biggest swing in the sixth inning, hammering a three-run homer to left field that pushed Harford’s lead to 12-3.

The Stingers scored four runs in the sixth inning, then pulled within one in the eighth when Little blasted a grand slam to right field off AJ Palumbo.

Harford carried a 13-11 lead into the ninth inning before Flo-Dar loaded the bases with no outs. The Stingers scored once on a double-play grounder, but Galli induced a game-ending groundout from Little to secure the district title.

The two wins were the only one-run games the Fighting Owls have played in all season.

Harford batted .347 as a team in that series and pounded 15 extra base hits. All nine starters had three or more hits in the series.

“The emotions of this weekend from everyone were essentially two years of work coming together,” Houser said. “It was a win that touched far beyond our present players and sophomores, and I think that’s why it was special. You can say we avenged last year’s heartbreaker, but I believe this was something that we were destined to do this year, with this group, at this time.”

For more information on Fighting Owls baseball and Harford Athletics, visit www.harfordathletics.com or contact Rocco Geppi, Coordinator for Athletic Communications at rgeppi@harford.edu.