Pierce College Raiders Win NWAACC Baseball Championships

The Pierce College Raiders celebrated their first Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges baseball title with a 10-8 victory over the Mt. Hood Saints on May 28 at David Story Field in Longview.

The Raiders won the championship game on a 4-6-3 double play in the ninth inning, a thrilling end to a hard-fought series with the Saints, who battled back from a 10-2 deficit at the start of the inning.

After the game-winning play, the Raiders dog-piled into the infield, leaving gloves and hats scattered for the trophy presentation.

Head Coach Mike Nadeau, who was named 2012 NWAACC Coach of the Year on Monday, credited the team’s success to a core group of sophomores, who made it to the NWAACC championships last season, earning a fifth place finish.

“They got that experience at the playoff level last year and were able to come back this season and win it all,” Nadeau said. “It’s a great win for us. The boys did such a great job. Some of them have been with me for quite a while and to get this win is an indescribable feeling. The boys deserve it.”

Josh Potter, Raider first baseman and relief pitcher, was chosen the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. Potter led the team with a .426 tournament average, while collecting a team-high 11 hits. Potter led the Raiders’ offense this season with a team-high .351 average, and took top honors in hits (47), RBIs (32), and walks (19). He was also selected as the West Region MVP, the second such honor for a Raider in program history. Teammate Brian Corliss won the award last year.

Five Raiders joined Potter on the All-Tournament team: Brian Corliss, DJ Gee, Levi Goodwin, Deven Kaaiwela, and Des Santos.

The Raiders finished the year with an overall 33-13 record, capturing the West Region title for the second straight year.  The team’s success led to eight Raiders joining Potter on the West Region All-Star list.  First Team honors went to sophomore standout Brian Corliss (utility), and freshmen sensations Ryan Schmitten (pitcher) and DJ Gee (outfield).  Corliss led the Raiders in league play with a .365 average, collecting 27 hits and driving in 20 runs.  Schmitten finished the season with a 7-1 record, and led the NWAACC with the lowest ERA (.71), allowing just six earned runs over 76 innings, and finishing in the top 10 in strikeouts, with 66.  Gee hit .322 with a team high two homeruns, and played solid defense in leftfield.

The Raiders dominated the Second Team selections, as well, with honors going to sophomores TJ Horsfall and Miles Nagel (pitchers), Des Santos (infield), and Jacob Phillips (utility), and freshmen Deven Kaaiwela (infield) and Isaac Kim (outfield).

Coach Nadeau was selected, for the second straight year, as the Coach of the Year.  This is Nadeau’s third year with the Raiders.  Over the past two years, his Raiders have shattered school records, earning two straight western regional titles, with a combined two-year record of 42-6.

A celebration to honor the Raiders is now being planned at Pierce College.

For a full championship game recap and full list of all-star honors, visit the NWAACC website. To see additional photos of the game, visit the Pierce College Facebook page.