No. 1 Walters State reaches JUCO World Series for 12th time in program history

MORRISTOWN, TN – For the 12th time in program history, No.1 Walters State is headed to the JUCO World Series.

Taking on No. 16 Georgia Highlands on Thursday in game two of the NJCAA Appalachian District Series, the Senators fell behind two runs in the opening inning. Not deterred, Walters State kept hanging around and hanging around until a Taylor Harris home run in the sixth gave the Senators the lead for good. Walters State would add one more run in the inning, and the pitching shut the Chargers down for the 6-5 victory.

With the win, the Senators improved to 55-6-1 and have won 21 straight games. It's Walters State's 12th World Series appearance in program history and the sixth time since 2014. 

"I am just so proud of this team and all they have accomplished this year," Walters State coach Dave Shelton said. "It's been a unique team all season because there's no issues with them. I don't have any off the field issues with them or work ethic issues. They get after it and do everything the right way. Anyone that coaches knows that's hard to come by. It's a testament to their parents and how they were raised and the competitive nature they have.

"It's just a special group, and I'm excited. We've had a two year hiatus going to Colorado, but I'm just so excited that this group is getting to go. They've really earned it." 

There were a lot of big time plays made by the Senators in the game but none bigger than the relief outing of Jace Kirby. Coming into a 6-5 game with one out in the bottom of the eighth and runners on first and second, Kirby got a ground ball back to the mound and turned a 1-6-3 double play.

Kirby then came out for the ninth and got two flyouts and a strikeout to win the game and the series. 

"That was huge," Shelton said. "For Jace to bounce back after a rough outing in the conference tournament, that was phenomenal. I knew they had multiple lefties coming up, and I told him to be ready for these lefties and he was. He was good." 

The big swing in the game came from Taylor Harris in the bottom of the sixth inning. With Walters State trailing 4-3, Harris stepped up with a runner on and mashed a two-strike pitch over the fence in left that gave the Senators the lead for good. 

"You look at Taylor Harris, who is a third year sophomore," Shelton said. "He's been here grinding it out. There were times this year where he really struggled with breaking balls, but today he gets probably the best breaking ball he's seen all season and whacks it off our building for a home run. You have to have guys step up in big situations if you want to have a championship caliber team."

Before Kirby closed things out on the mound, Aiden Robertson (11-1) got the start and threw seven innings. Robertson allowed five runs on seven hits and struck out 10. Robertson gave up five solo home runs but never let things spiral, keeping the Senators in the game. 

At the plate along with Harris, Tyler Myatt had three hits and a home run. Myatt's home run was his 29th of the season and tied Kyle Koeneman's single-season record at Walters State. Walker Morgan homered in the game, as well. 

Georgia Highlands started off quick in the game, hitting back-to-back solo homers in the first inning. Myatt cut the lead in half almost immediately in the top of the second with a solo shot, but the Chargers answered in the third with a solo homer that made it 3-1.

Again, a solo shot cut the lead in half in the top of the fourth, this time by Morgan. Walters State would then tie the game at three later in the inning as Jack Torbett scored on a fielder's choice. Georgia Highlands would briefly take the lead back in the fifth on a solo homer, but Harris gave the Senators the lead for good in the sixth with his two-run home run.

Walters State would add one more run in the sixth when Jack Vogele hit a huge two-out RBI single to score Kole Fenton and make it 6-4. The Chargers hit one more solo homer in the sixth, but that was all as Robertson, Matthew Porchas and Kirby shut them down from there. 

"The first interview I gave about this team, I said it was a very talented team and they're inexperienced and make mistakes," Shelton said. "We could've written a book on the mistakes we made today, but we persevered and were able to get it done in the end. I'm just so proud of all of them." 

Up Next:

The Senators will leave next week for Grand Junction, CO and the JUCO World Series. The World Series will be from May 24-31, with the selection show to be held on the NJCAA Network on Tuesday, May 20 at 5 pm ET.