The Junior College World Series (JUCO) will be played at the end of May, three months away. Teams already started the season and the whole goal is to get to Grand Junction, Colorado. JUCO is a double-elimination tournament. There are ten teams that make it and they represent the different districts in the country. Those are Southern, Southwest, East Central, South Central, Northern, Eastern, Gulf, Central, Southeastern, and Western. The only state that never plays in the JUCO World Series is California. They have their own state tournament during JUCO.
The first JUCO Division 1 poll came out. According to njcaa.org, last year’s winner Northwest Florida State is number one in the poll. It was their first ever appearance in Grand Junction. #2 is Walters State. They were also here last year. They competed all the way to the second to last game before they lost to McLennan out of Texas
San Jacinto out of Texas has made the trip to Grand Junction a record 20 times, including last year. They always seem to have a great baseball team and one that can make a run to a National Title. The Gators are ranked 10th. They have not won the tournament since 1990. Could this be the year the Gators win it? Time will only tell.
Palm Beach State has made one appearance at JUCO in 2013. Right now they are #15. They are in one of the most difficult districts, the Gulf District. There are many JUCO baseball teams in Florida and it’s one of the most competitive. Who knows where their journey could end? It might be here in Grand Junction.
A team that hasn’t played in JUCO since 2007 and ranked #15 is New Mexico Junior College. They have one National Title in 2005 which was their first appearance.
A school looking for their first journey to JUCO is Darton State College located in Georgia. They are #11 in the poll. It would be exciting for them to come to Grand Junction. It will be up to their play in the regular season and postseason tournaments.
These are just a few teams from the top 20 preseason poll. There will be lots of baseball to determine who will make it. Before we know it, the tournament will be here. Hopefully some of these teams will make the trip to Grand Junction.
Who would you like to see in the JUCO World Series?
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