Katy Collegians Baseball Club
End of Summer - Bummer
Collegians stay in 2010 NBC World Series was short-lived
The 2010 Katy Collegians, a club that had played well in the field and had received solid efforts on the mound all summer, were swept out of the 76th annual NBC World Series in two straight games. Pitching and defense, or lack thereof, was the teams' downfall.
The club's opening game against the San Diego Force, originally scheduled for an afternoon or evening contest, was moved to a 10:30 am start, thanks in large part to the withdrawal of the Fairbanks (AK) Goldpanners from the tournament. The World Series organizers had to scramble in order to balance the tournament schedule which, unfortunately saw the Collegians and the San Diego Force draw the short straw of a morning game. The Collegians fell behind early, giving up three first inning runs and never recovered in dropping an 18-8 decision to the west coast club. Luke Clements did highlight the Katy offense and almost single-handedly kept the KC nine in the game. Clements had a double and hit a titanic grand slam home run to give the Collegians just a small reason to smile a little.
With the Tuesday morning loss, the Collegians were dropped into the"loser's bracket" where they drew the Austin (TX) Gold Sox. Before the game started, both coaching staff's joked about two things. First, an 8:00 am first pitch start time, which for the Collegians meant a second straight day of playing a morning game, and secondly, the fact that two Texas teams, who could have met in Brenham and played, were forced to play each other so early in the tournament (in Wichita, KS). The Gold Sox played "small ball" and got out to a 7-2 lead before the Collegians mounted a come back that saw them get 12 hits and have runners in scoring position in every inning. The Gold Sox did hold on, however, for a 9-6 victory and the Collegians, unforunately, bowed out of the premier amateur baseball tournament in the country before they had much time to even unpack.
The Collegians second full season is now complete. Going forward, there is a decided thought process concerning the future of the team. First, the management and board of directors of the team feels that they need to look at the make-up of the Coastal Summer Collegiate League and if it truly "fits" with the overall mission of the Collegians Baseball Club. The CSCL, is an amateur league, but it is certainly not a "college" league. Secondly, The Collegians desire is to play against club's that are similar in their roster make-up (college eligible players). With that thought in mind, consistency in a set schedule and in set team rosters is also a main focus of what kind of league the Collegians play in next summer. Too often, over the course of the past two years, the Collegians rarely knew who they were playing until they showed up to the park. Lasty and on numerous occassions, opponents rosters would change from week-to-week. Players would switch teams, sometimes between doubleheaders. With the above referenced NBC World Series in mind, the competive balance and the overall disposition of the Collegians Baseball Club must be the paramount focus as the program moves foward.
The players and coaches would like to thank all of their supporters for once again, stepping up to the plate and delivering. We could not make a summer baseball program work unless and without everyone in our community backing our efforts. As our players move back into their college dorms and apartments in preparation for another semester in school and on the diamond, they know that the time and energy they spent this summer wearing the navy, red, and white of the Katy Collegians, has made them a better ball player. Thanks, again, to everyone, for supporting the Katy Collegians Baseball Club and especially our young ball players.