Last updated on April 16, 2018
By Nick Kieser
The Volunteer State Community College Pioneers baseball team is winding down its season. The Pioneers lost this past weekend series to the Motlow State Community College Bucks.
“We are trying to get out of the play-in game and trying to get a postseason berth,” said Chase Haley, redshirt freshman.
The past weekend series loss is a blow to clinching a early playoff position. The next series is this weekend in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The series will make or break this postseason opportunity for the Pioneers.
“It’s crucial. We really gotta have these series so that way we are out of a play-in game,” said Collin Hopkins, starting catcher.
Hopkins has missed “about 20 games” games from having issues with his throwing shoulder and his ankle.
“We are pretty much out of winning the conference. We still have something to play for as far as seeding goes. If you do not win the play-in game series your season is over,” said Ryan Hunt, head coach.
The Pioneers are currently sitting in seventh place in the TCCAA standings with a record of 23-15 and in conference play with a record of 9-11.
“We still have three weekends to go do some things that can put us in a decent seed rather than play in a play-in game. As of now, the way the standings are, we would play Jackson State, and Southwest would play Roane State. Those two teams would go on to play the number one seeds,” said Hunt.
The last series of the season will be at home against Roane State Community College the last weekend of this month.
With seven games left and the postseason on the line, the Pioneers will have to win all the rest of their games to get to 30 wins on the season, a feat which has yet to be done under Hunt’s career at Vol-State. Last season the team fell short one win.
“It’s a matter of executing the pitches called. I’m not worried. I think we could take the conference tournament if we wanted to,” said Hopkins, optimistically about his team.
“It’s doing the little things. Little things equal doing the big things. Keep doing what we
ask to compete and play hard and just see what happens. We play our game and play like we can we can compete with anybody,” said Hunt.
The series in Chattanooga this weekend will start Friday at 1 p.m. and end with a double-header Saturday at 11 a.m.
For game updates and analysis follow the Pioneers on Twitter, @VSCCPioneersBSB.
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