Jackalopes looking for another magical second half
Will history repeat itself?
Will history repeat itself?
Grand Junction's trip to the 2022 Pioneer Baseball League (PBL) Championship took off in the second half of that season. Now, in 2023, the Jackalopes are looking to rally and return to the postseason.
The Jackalopes (10-9) are tied for second place in the PBL South Division with the Northern Colorado Owlz. The Rocky Mountain Vibes (13-6) have a three-game lead in first place. Whoever wins the division in the second half clinches a spot in the playoffs and will face the Ogden Raptors (7-12) in a best-of-three series for the right to go to the championship series.
Entering Tuesday, GJ has split its last six games (against Northern Colorado and Ogden) with a plus-18 run differential and two games with 20-plus runs. GJ beat Ogden 27-15 on Sunday.
That offensive firepower is what's boosting the Jackalopes' playoff aspirations.
Joe Johnson, an infielder, has a .405 batting average. When only counting players with at least 100 at-bats, that is the best in the PBL and is nearly 30 points higher than second place (.378 from Northern Colorado's Henry George). Johnson also has the most hits (118), doubles (32), third-most RBI (81), third-most triples (five) and fourth-most home runs (15).
But he's not the only Jackalope with a hot bat.
Jaylen Hubbard and Jake Cruce round out the top three in the PBL hits. Hubbard leads the league with 20 home runs, eight triples and has a .342 average. Cruce, meanwhile, is hitting .362 with 16 home runs. As a team, the Jackalopes lead the PBL in batting average (.335) and slugging percentage (.550), rank second in on-base percentage (.424) and have an OPS of .974. Newcomer Ron Washington Jr. has also continued his great PBL debut. He has 20 home runs and 70 RBI with a .346 average to boot.
The Jackalopes' pitching staff has its highs and lows. The group has the fourth-most strikeouts (530) in the league but its 9.30 ERA and 2.17 WHIP put them in the cellar.
But the Jackalopes have still had moments of pitching brilliance that can offset cold nights on offense. Look no further than Monday's 3-2 win over Ogden.
Chris Allen, a 26 year-old lefty, tossed six scoreless innings in which he fanned 12 of the 27 batters he faced, allowed four hits and walked five. He was pulled after 111 pitches and Keenan Bartlett pitched three solid innings of relief and earned the win.
The Jackalopes wrap up their series at Northern Colorado (who are also owned by Future Legends) tonight. Winning or tying the series should boost their pursuit of another playoff berth. The Jackalopes return to Suplizio Field on Friday for a three-game series against the North Division's Idaho Falls Chukars (6-12).
ALL-STARS ANNOUNCEDThree Jackalopes earned spots on the PBL's 2023 All-Star team.
Johnson got the nod at first base, Hubbard at second base and Washington for the right field spot.
SOME MORE FANSThe Jackalopes' per-game attendance has risen, though the club is still last in the PBL. Their average attendance is 1,361 over 36 games. That's a far cry from the top of the league but much better than their 1,204 average in late-June.
WHERE THINGS STANDThe Jackalopes have a two-game lead on fourth-place Boise (8-11) and a three-game lead on Ogden. Missoula (13-5) leads the pack in the North Division and is two games ahead of second-place Great Falls.
Billings is third with a 9-9 mark and Glacier and Idaho Falls are tied for last in the North.
Article by The Daily Sentinel