by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC
To be the best, you have to beat the best and that’s the goal of Kansas City Kansas Community College’s baseball team in the opening round of the 2017 NJCAA Super-Regional at Wichita Friday.
The No. 8 seeded team in the 8-team tournament, the Blue Devils, will face the No. 1 seed, Hutchinson. The Jayhawk West champion, Hutch ranked No. 3 nationally among Division I teams with a 45-11 record.
The Blue Devils, who boast a 40-19 record and a tie for third in the Jayhawk East, are expected to start sophomore righthander Jake Purl in the opener of the double elimination tournament.. Game time at Wichita’s Lawrence-Dumont Stadium is scheduled for 4 p.m.
First round pairings:
Neosho County vs. Barton County, 10 a.m.
Fort Scott vs. Cowley, 1 p.m.
KCKCC vs. Hutchinson, 4 p.m.
Johnson County vs. Dodge City, 7 p.m.
A win would send KCKCC against the JCCC-Dodge City winner Saturday at 7 p.m.; a loss would pit the Blue Devils against the JCCC-Dodge City loser Saturday at 1 p.m.