(Miles City, MT)  The start of the 2019 Pioneer Baseball season is just around the corner and the Pioneers are preparing.  MCC moves back to Division II baseball in the MonDak Conference.  The Pioneers dominated their time in the MonDak, winning 14 championships in a row before moving up to Division I.  "Moving back down to DII and back into the MonDak will help in a lot of ways, particularly travel costs and distance," commented Head Coach Jeff Brabant when asked about the move. "Not playing six conference games in a row and having a balanced schedule where we will actually have more home games.  We have been away for four years, so I don't know much about the programs we will be facing, other than Dawson.  I expect they have all improved immensely and we will have our hands full.  Baseball is not your typical team sport.  The guy on the bump will typically dictate success or failure to a large extent.  Our number 1 vs our opponent's number 1 will be a great battle."

 The Pioneers begin with a four-game series against Western Nebraska Community College in Scottsbluff, NE on February 16-17.  MCC hope to improve on what was a good season last year.  The team went 32-22 last year and advancing to post-season play. 

Veteran head coach, Jeff Brabant is optimistic about the upcoming season.  "I have high expectations for our players and team.  I expect that we will have a successful year if we can stay healthy.  I feel that our guys have fully bought into our philosophy and have gelled well as a team.  How we handle our ups and downs will be a key in how we perform day to day.  We have the talent, but the gap between good to great will be our mental approach."

The Pioneers will return 10 players from last season, so there will be experience out there on the field in many positions.  Amongst the returners is NJCAA All-Conference catcher/outfielder, Nate Bloxham.   Bloxham's batting average his freshman season was .377 and he was 8th in the country in triples, with seven. Also returning is NJCAA All-Conference infielder, Will Riley. In his debut season with the Pioneers, Riley had 76 hits with a batting average of .440, good for 17th in the nation, and an on base percentage of .505.

Coach Jeff Brabant is ready for the first pitch, "I am tremendously excited for the season to begin.  We had a great fall season.  We have had some attrition, we have had fantastic strength gains proven with numbers but most importantly, we have a bunch of dirtbags that just know how to work!  We will be blue collar, we are not flashy and we will play with class and respect.  This team is not about any one individual, it is about the name on the front of the jersey.  Hopefully, we can do it proud and keep building on the legacy that our alumni have provided us.  If we are playing in the middle of May, we can look back at these days and say we did the right things.  The post season is my litmus test!  How far we go will be a direct correlation of our health and the gray matter between our ears.  Let's get it started!"