LCC Ranked No. 1 In Baseball Poll
Bryan Hanks, Staff Writer
© The Free Press

Two weeks after earning a No. 2 ranking in its first-ever appearance in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division II poll, the Lenoir Community College baseball team has done the only thing that could trump that achievement: take the top spot.

Only moments before facing Community College of Baltimore County-Catonsville in a doubleheader Wednesday, the Lancers learned they had been voted the No. 1 team in the nation in the latest NJCAA poll. LCC was nearly a unanimous pick, receiving received all but one first-place vote.

Stony Wine is in his first year as the coach of the Lancers after taking the program over from Lind Hartsell in the offseason. Although he said he was proud of the honor (“It’s great for the school,” Wine said), the coach gave all the credit to the Lancers, who have won 33 of their first 38 games.

“I’m more proud of my team than I am of being No. 1 in the nation,” Wine said. “Those guys are the ones that made it happen.”

Sophomore shortstop Jes Snyder, who leads the team in several offensive categories, said the Lancers need to keep their eyes on the prize.

“Obviously, it’s a big achievement for us, but it’s only the middle of the season and we need to still be No. 1 at the end of the season,” Snyder said.

Bryan C. Hanks can be reached at (252) 527-3191, Ext. 250, or at bhanks@freedomenc.com. Check out Bryan’s blog at http://bhanks.enctoday.com.