CCAC-Boyce baseball team shows growth in title-winning campaign

A pair of losses in the National Junior College Athletic Association Region XX tournament wasn't what the players and coaches of the CCAC-Boyce baseball team was hoping for, but assistant coach Bill Spina said just being there and the many positives from the season will have a lasting effect.

“It's a step in the right direction for the program's future, especially the guys returning,” said Spina, a 2005 Plum graduate who played community college baseball at Hagerstown (Md.) C.C.

“It won't be brand new to them, and they can help the young kids coming in. Overall, it was a great experience, and we plan to be there next year and win it.”

Boyce lost to host Westmoreland County Community College in extra innings in the first round at regionals and fell to No. 1 Montgomery County C.C. in an elimination game.

“I don't view losing those two games as a negative,” Spina said. “If anything, it was probably the most positive experience that we had for the program. We had grown so much as a team in the month before regionals that we really never had the thoughts of the season ending. But the experience was awesome both for the players and the coaches.”

Boyce finished its season 16-15, and this spring's run included the program's first conference title since 1985. The 16 wins marked the most in a season in the program's 55-year history.

The team captured the Western Pennsylvania Collegiate Conference title with an 8-6 win over CCAC South on May 5.

“The look on the kids' faces after we won the conference was special,” Spina said. “We, as coaches, live for moments like that. It's for these guys.”

CCAC started its season 2-9. The team, consisting of a trio of players from Western Pennsylvania schools and others from Florida, Georgia, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, used an 8-1 stretch to get to .500.

It finished the regular season 4-3 and set itself up for the two victories in the WPCC tournament.

“The first 10 games or so were a struggle for everyone,” Spina said. “We tried to be stern and strict, but the players weren't responding, so we took a more encouraging and nurturing approach. It took a while, but it worked.”

Spina said there was a lot of self-reflection and soul searching after the rough start.

“We won a few games, and the guys really started to believe in themselves and the team,” Spina said. “They say baseball is 90 percent mental. Well, the wins and confidence helped their mindset.”

Freshman Ian Logue, a Thomas Jefferson product, finished with one of the top ERAs in the region and was second in strikeouts. He also was the team's cleanup hitter, played first base and earned a spot on the All-Region XX first team.

“We responded well from some early struggles,” Logue said. “It showed the character of the team. That's what I loved about it. We knew we had the talent. It was just a matter of getting it done.”

Logue led the team with a .385 average (35 for 91) and 23 RBIs.

Fellow freshman Doug Johnson, a graduate of Perry, was utilized at every position except catcher. He fronted the team with six triples.

Sophomore Patrick Mahon, an outfielder from Mt. Lebanon, was second on the team in batting average (.376, 32 for 85).

Sophomore Rafael Ramos (.354), freshman Alexander Gomez (.333) and sophomore captain Edwin De La Rosa (.320) also helped pace the offense that produced a .295 team batting average.

“Edwin was our eyes and ears off the field,” Spina said. “Some of the players jokingly refer to him as ‘Dad.' He's a great kid and great leader”

Gomez joined Logue on the all-region first team. Ramos was an honorable-mention pick.

Ten players return, and eight will be moving on.

“The great news is that the majority of our core is coming back next year,” Spina said. “We have a few local recruits coming in with a ton of southern ball players. From the sounds of it, our roster will be doubling next fall. We're bringing in players to compete and hopefully take the team to the next level.”

Michael Love is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at mlove@tribweb.com or via Twitter @Mlove_Trib.