Oakton College Baseball Ranked No. 6 In The Nation Heading Into Season

DES PLAINES, IL — The Oakton College baseball team is set to begin its 2023 campaign ranked among the top 10 teams in the country.

According to the preseason poll of National Junior College Athletic Association, Oakton is the sixth-best Division 3 team in the country.

“I think we have potential to do very well this year,” Oakton Head Baseball Coach Bill Fratto said in a statement. “We are taking one step at a time, but I think we can compete for a national title this season.”

Last year, the Oakton Owls started the season ranked No. 3 and baseball wrapped up the season with a 43-28-1 record, winning regional and district championships. At the NJCAA World Series tournament, Oakton defeated the No. 2 seed before being eliminated after losses to the No. 6 and No. 8 seeds.

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This year's season begins March 10 against Alexandria Technical and Community College, Minn., in the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational.

Three recent Oakton alumni are also set to start new positions in the major and minor leagues this year, according to a college officials.

Derek Shoman begins his first season as the assistant hitting coach for the Minnesota Twins.

Marco Romero joins the Tennessee Smokies, the double-a affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, as minor league player development coach.

And Ryan Tuntland, a Des Plaines native and Maine West High School grad, starts as the hitting coach for the Frisco Roughriders, the double-a affiliate of the Texas Rangers.

Romero played on Oakton's World Series-winning team in 2018, while Tuntland was a member of the coaching staff.

“I came to the U.S. with a dream of playing college baseball," said Romero, who immigrated to the U.S. from Venezuela. "Oakton helped me realize that I can pursue a career in professional baseball."

“The Oakton motto ‘start here go anywhere’ was true for me,” said Tuntland, who previously played professionally in the San Francisco Giants organization. “As a coach, I was allowed to try new concepts at Oakton, which I incorporate in my current job.”

Related: Oakton's Fratto is 2018 ABCA/Diamond National Coach of the Year

Fratto said he could see the potential of Romero, Shoman and Tuntland early on as coach.

“I knew from day one that they were great. You could see it in the way they played,” Fratto said. “It is a great feeling knowing that Oakton and I played a part in their life and they moved on to do great things.”

According to Fratto, at least three current players have the potential to play professional baseball: Brady Jensen, an infielder from Mount Prospect and Prospect High School graduate; Jose Mendoza, a right-handed pitcher and Elkhart, Indiana, native, and Sam Arnold, a right-handed pitcher from Des Plaines and Maine West High School graduate.

Related: Oakton Baseball 'Accepts Challenge' Of National Preseason Ranking