The 2023 Henry Ford College baseball team.
By KURT KRUG
For the Times-Herald
DEARBORN — The Henry Ford College baseball team advanced to the National Junior College Athletic Association Region XII Great Lakes Championship Regional Finals.
The Hawks took on No. 1 seed Kellogg Community College May 18, and defeated the Bruins at Jackson Community College 3-2 in the four-team double elimination tournament.
HFC then lost to Lansing Community College 12-4 May 19, and will face Kellogg in the losers bracket at 11 a.m. May 20, with the winner advancing to the championship round against LCC at 2:30 p.m.
The Region XII champion will advance to the NJCCA Division II National Baseball Championship World Series, which will be held in Enid, Okla., from May 27 through June 3.
For the 2023 season, the Hawks finished second in the Michigan Community College Athletic Association Eastern Conference with a record of 18-7. The team’s overall record is 25-14.
They defeated No. 3 seed Jackson College 2-1 in the first round of the NJCCA Region XII Baseball Championship May 12 to advance to the regional finals.
“This is our second straight year in the playoffs,” HFC Coach Mike Abney said. “That’s a big accomplishment for our program. I’m very proud and happy about that. Last year, we were happy to make it to the playoffs. This year, we want to go further.
“We have tremendous respect for KCC and the other teams in the conference, and we want to win this year and go to the World Series. That’s our objective.”