TJC’s Junior College World Series Win Produces Storybook Ending
baseball, mike carter field, recreation, sportyler, storybook ending, tyler junior college, world series,
Tyler Junior College and SporTyler worked furiously in advance of the 2007 National Junior College Athletic Association Division III Baseball World Series to ensure a successful event.
The event was so well planned that the only uncontrollable variable was which team would emerge victorious.
Fortunately, the TJC Apaches baseball team picked up the ball on that front.
“The event was well received by the community and well received by the teams,” says Walter Wilhelmi, who served as chairman of SporTyler in 2007. “The weather was great, and the fact that Tyler Junior College won it was unbelievable.”
The World Series victory added to TJC’s impressive trophy collection in Division III athletics. It was the 37th national championship in the school’s history. Additionally, the school finished the 2006-07 school year in the Top 10 in the nationwide Pepsi Cup, which measures overall success in men’s and women’s sports.
“Our program is pretty strong nationally in all of our sports,” says Tim Drain, Tyler Junior College’s athletic director.
Tyler has also built an impressive reputation as a host, which aided its efforts to attract the World Series. The school served as the host of the NJCAA Soccer Championships for eight years at Pat Hartley Field, while the tennis national championships have also been conducted in the community.
“They like to come down here,” Drain says of the NJCAA. “The hotels are good and the hospitality is phenomenal.”
The World Series was landed through the combined efforts of the school and SporTyler, a nonprofit organization that re-formed in 2006. One of SporTyler’s three primary functions is to attract and promote high-level sporting events to the community.
“These are exactly the types of events we have sought to promote,” says Mark McDaniel, the deputy city manager who is the 2008 chairman of SporTyler.
The World Series pulls in eight teams for the six-day event. Most of the 2007 field consisted of teams from the east coast, plus the local team. Though trophy-less, the visitors went away impressed.
“There weren’t many negative comments at all, and that’s always a positive when you’re hosting for the first time,” Drain says.
Still, the SporTyler officials are convinced that with a little bit of practice, the community can do even better. And Tyler will get the chance, as TJC and Mike Carter Field will host the event for the next two years. The 2008 dates are May 16-22.
Story by Dan Markham
Photo by Todd Bennett
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