Gaston College baseball ready for its historic World Series appearance

Gaston College's historic season will continue on Sunday at noon Eastern Time when the Rhinos meet Blinn, Tex., in their first-ever National Junior College Athletic Association World Series appearance.

Gaston College (49-11) is not only is making its first appearance, it is the first N.C. team to play in the event since Pitt Community College in 2010 and comes in a season in which the Rhinos extended the school's streak of winning a league regular season or tournament title to six years.

The streak dates to the four years before the school shut down its athletic program in 1972; Gaston College was N.C. Community College Conference champions each year from 1969 to 1972.

Coach Shohn Doty's team has done so with a talented roster of seven All-Region 10 honorees and 12 players who have committed or signed to play next season at four-year schools.

Sophomore Adam Quintero, who transferred to Gaston College from William & Mary, was chosen Region 10 player of the year and first team Region 10 infielder and will enter the World Series with a team-best .410 batting average along with nine home runs, 62 RBIs and 16 stolen bases.

"It was a whole change of events for me," Quintero said. "I came here thinking this might be my last chance. I just worked my butt off as hard as I could. I was able to get better in so many ways. It's a credit to all of these coaches. They've been working with me and developing me every day."

Other Region 10 honorees were first team outfielder Trey Truitt (.319 average, team-best 15 home runs, team-best 65 RBIs, 18 stolen bases), first team pitcher Derek Vartanian (9-0 record with 2 saves, team-best 2.32 ERA, 73 strikeouts), second team outfielder Wade Kelly (.342 average, five home runs, 42 RBIs, team-best 38 stolen bases), second team pitcher Nolan Straniero (team-best 10 wins, team-best 86 strikeouts, 3.79 ERA), second team pitcher Kyle McKernan (8-1 record, 3.24 ERA, 76 strikeouts) and all-defensive team shortstop Enrique Wood (.296 average, two home runs, 30 RBIs, team-best 99 assists, team-best 18 double plays).

The Rhinos have been off since rallying from the loser's bracket in the East District tournament Gaston College hosted at Gastonia's Sims Legion Park from May 12 to 14; The Rhinos knocked off nationally-ranked Region 10 regular season champion Florence Darlington Tech twice on the final day to claim the title and earn their historic World Series bid.

Doty's team has rested and practiced since then.

"For our players, we've got to heal up and handle all of the administrative stuff to get to Colorado," Doty said. "Then we can get back to the business of baseball and have good practices and just try to keep it as calm as we can."

The full NJCAA Division I World Series pairings (with seeding, district title won followed by team and record):

(Saturday, May 27)
Game 1: No. 4 Southwest- Weatherford, Tex. (50-9) vs. No. 7 South Central- Delgado, La. (45-11), 11 a.m. ET
Game 2: No. 1 South Atlantic- Central Florida (51-6) vs. No. 10 Appalachian- Andrew, Ga. (34-23), 2 p.m. ET
Game 3: No. 2 Plains- Johnson County, Kansas (55-8) vs. No. 9 South- Shelton State, Ala. (31-28), 5 p.m. ET
Game 4: No. 3 Midwest- Wabash Valley, Ill. (53-11) vs. No. 8 West- Salt Lake, Utah (31-18), 9:30 p.m. ET

(Sunday, May 28)
Game 5: No. 5 Mid-South- Blinn, Tex. (44-13) vs. No. 6 East- Gaston College (49-11), noon ET
Game 6: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, 4 p.m. ET
Game 7: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 loser, 9 p.m. ET

(Monday, May 29)
Game 8: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 11 a.m. ET
Game 9: Game 6 winner vs. Game 7 winner, 3 p.m. ET
Game 10: Game 1 winner vs. Winner 2 winner, 9 p.m. ET

(Tuesday, May 30)
Game 11: Game 5 loser vs. Game 8 loser, noon ET
Game 12: Game 10 loser vs. Game 9 winner, 4 p.m. ET
Game 13: Game 8 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 9 p.m. ET

(Wednesday, May 31)
Game 14: Game 11 winner vs. Game 13 loser, 4 p.m. ET
Game 15: Game 10 winner vs. Game 13 winner, 9 p.m. ET

(Thursday, June 1)
Game 16: Game 14 winner vs. Game 15 loser, 5 p.m. ET
Game 17: Game 15 winner vs. Game 12 winner, 9 p.m. ET

(Friday, June 2)
Game 18: Game 17 winner vs. Game 16 winner, 9 p.m. ET

(Saturday, June 3)
Game 19 (if necessary): If Game 17 winner loses Game 18