Lions Finish Another Good Season

North Central finished their season on Monday at LaGrave Field home of the Ft. Worth Cats in the Regional Tournament. The year brought a lot of success both on and off the field.

The Lions qualified for the Regional Tournament and played in front of over 1,800 people on Sunday against Howard College. The Lions took the lead two different times, but a controversial call at first in the 6th inning led to three runs in which the Lions could not recover. Ryan Morgan had a big day with a double and a homerun. They lost by the final of 7-3. In game two, the game was delayed over three hours. When the game finally got started, the Lions took an early lead again. A couple of errors costed the Lions five un-earned runs in which they eventually lost 7-3. The Lions finished with a 35-22 record. The Lions made it into the top 25 JUCO poll for the sixth time in past nine years.

Off the field, the Lions had just as much success as they did on the field. The Lions had three Academic All-Conference players. In order to be named to the Academic All-Conference team, players have to carry a 3.25 or better GPA for three semesters. Matt Nilo, Jesse Payne, and Bryant Lopez were named to the team. Jesse Payne and Bryant Lopez also were named to the Academic All-American Team. Players have to carry a 3.60 GPA for four semesters to qualify for that honor. The Lions have now had six players named Academic All-American in the past three years. The Lions also finished with their tenth straight semester with a overall team GPA over 2.75.

Post Season honors for on the field performance the Lions fared well. The Lions had three All-Conference players. Garrett Harris was for utility, Jake Arrington for second base, and Payden Bravenec was for closer.

The Lions had some players break into the team's record books. Bryant Lopez broke the stolen base record with 44. It was previously held by Blake Justice with 42 swiped bases in 2001. Lopez finished third all-time for a career with 65 bases. Lopez also finished with 35 walks ranking him fourth best ever. That number helped him to finish with 55 walks in a career placing him third. Jesse Payne finished with the fifth highest batting average in school history of .432. Jake Arrington finished with 63 RBIs which was the fourth best ever. Kyle Felts finished with 10 wins which ties him with five other players as the second best in school history. Aaron Gravis holds the record with 13 in 2001. Felts also tossed the third No-Hitter in school history in February. Garrett Campfield has caught two of the three No-Hitters in school history. Payden Bravenec finished in fourth place with 12 saves in a season. That great single season places him third in career saves.

The Lions had several players sign to go on to the next level. Ryan Morgan and John Neely are going to Texas Tech. Jesse Payne and Bryant Lopez are going to U.T.A. Zach Ragsdale is going to U. Arkansas Little Rock. Payden Bravenec is going to San Angelo. Sam Rivas is going to St. Mary's. Matt Nilo is going to U.T.D. Garrett Laird is going to U.T.A. Nick Ochoa is going to play Independent Professional Baseball at Alpine, Texas.