Kirkwood’s Nick Drahozal
Third-seeded Eagles look for first championship under Rima
Cedar Rapids, Iowa (May 12, 2016)-The Kirkwood baseball team begins postseason play today (5/12) in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II Region XI Baseball Tournament. The third-seeded Eagles (34-18, 20-8) will take on the sixth-seeded Ellsworth Community College (12-44, 8-20) Panthers.
Head Coach Todd Rima guided his team to a top-20 ranking all season long, peaking as high as 13, which is the highest ranking Kirkwood has had under the head coach. Currently, the Eagles are ranked 18th in the nation.
This year the leadership has come from many different players on the team. Sophomore pitcher Nick Drahozal earned Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) Pitcher of the Week honors in April. In addition, sophomore outfielder Matt Paciello was named ICCAC Athlete of the Week in April as well.
Two players on the team have already signed letters of intent to play Division I baseball after this season with Kirkwood. Drahozal will play with the Nebraska Omaha Mavericks and sophomore shortstop Jack Fitzgerald has signed with the Houston Baptist Huskies.
The 2016 NJCAA Division II Region XI Baseball Tournament happens May 12-16 in Waterloo, Iowa at Riverfront Stadium.
Kirkwood’s game against Ellsworth is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m.
To get tournament updates and a link to the live stream of games, click here.
For more Kirkwood Eagles Athletics coverage, go to www.kirkwoodeagles.com.
