By Shawn Wansley
JCJC Sports Information Director

ELLISVILLE – It has not taken long for Christian Ostrander to make his mark on the Jones County Junior College baseball program.

In just his first season as head coach, the Liverpool, N.Y., native and Delta State University graduate has taken the Bobcats to the MACJC State Tournament for the first time since 2002 when the team won the championship. This past week, the Bobcats swept Northeast Mississippi Community College, 10-1 and 6-4, in the MACJC opening round playoff series to reach the state tournament.

Ostrander has led JCJC to a 36-14 record so far this season, which is a school-record for victories. It is a complete turnaround from last year when Jones posted a 16-32 record.

The Bobcats will open play in the state tournament at 3 p.m. on Thursday vs. Holmes Community College at Joe G. Moss Field on the campus of Hinds Community College in Raymond. Hinds meets Itawamba at 6 p.m. in the other opening round contest. The tournament concludes Saturday.

“We are not done yet,” said Ostrander. “We still have some things out there we are trying to go get.”

Ostrander was quick to credit his assistant coaches, Reggie Richardson and Dusty Holifield, for helping the team be successful this season.

“It was a great opportunity for me walking in here to have two guys that care about this institution so much,” he said. “Both of those guys played here and both Coach Richardson and Coach Holifield are in their second year as assistant coaches. I was the newcomer.

“To be able to go to work every day with two guys who have a passion and want to see the program succeed really means something and I appreciate that. They have done a great job.”

Ostrander said everything has come together in a perfect way to contribute to the record-setting Bobcat performance in 2009. He said the players that returned, the incoming freshmen class, the transfers and the players who made the team via tryouts have all played a major role this season.

“The sophomores here this year who were here last year are the foundation of the team,” he said. “Then we had a great signing class Coach Richardson and Coach Holifield brought in to campus guys that were high school seniors last year and are freshmen this year. Then in August we had a tryout and a handful of guys who are vitally important to what we are doing we kept.

“After football, we got a guy (leading hitter Chris Lofton) who took off his pads and put a glove on and he has been tremendous. This past Christmas, we had four guys looking for a new place to play and we were fortunate enough to lure them here. Out of all of those parts and pieces, it has all come together and been a special group. And it’s special because they have a lot of character and there are no egos. It’s a group of guys that goes out there and plays hard every day.”

Ostrander’s Bobcats are gunning for the state championship this weekend in Raymond. However, just one win would qualify them for the Region 23 Tournament May 14-16 at LSU-Eunice.

Ostrander was named head coach on July 11 of last year. He came to JCJC after serving as two years as head coach at Gulfport High School. Prior to that, he was the recruiting coordinator/pitching coach under Keith Kessinger at Arkansas State University. He served as an assistant coach at his alma mater from 1999-2002.

For more Bobcat baseball information and a look at Bobcat player profiles, go to the school’s baseball page at http://www.jcjc.edu/athletics/baseball/baseball.php and click on the ‘Spring Media Guide’ link.

Also, fans can follow the Bobcats in action in the state tournament by logging on to the school’s website at www.jcjc.edu and clicking on the ‘JCJC Baseball Listen Live’ link on the left hand site of the page.