Yucaipa baseball talent helps lead Mt. San Jacinto College to Foothill title

Yucaipa coach and former Thunderbirds baseball players having an impact on Mt. San Jacinto College Eagles' baseball fortunes.
Courtesy Photos

SAN JACINTO - Jim Holden, long time Yucaipa Valley resident and baseball coaching guru is an assistant coach with the Mt. San Jacinto College Eagles baseball team.

Along with Holden, the team also includes two former Yucaipa High Thunderbirds baseball players - Josh Ray and John Eshleman.

Both Ray and Eshleman are having outstanding seasons in helping the Eagles claim the championship of the Foothill Conference with a 20-4 record, 31-9 overall. The Eagles should find out on Saturday, May 2nd, who they will play in the State Playoffs.

According to the California Community College Athletic Association, Eshleman currently holds the #5 spot in the entire state with 63 hits, #7 with a .450 batting average, and is tied in the #7 spot in triples with 5.

Meanwhile, Eagles' left fielder, Josh Ray, has signed a Division I Scholarship with the University of North Dakota. Ray signed on Wednesday, April 8.

Of the entire 91 community colleges in the state, Mt. San Jacinto currently is #1 in team batting average at .359.

But there's more state accolades for the Eagles:
#4 in slugging percentage at .504.
#5 On Base Percentage, .425.
#11 Runs Scored with 301.
#6 In Hits with 438.
#13 Runs Batted In at 266.
#6 Triples with 17.
#6 Earned Run Average, 3.27.
#1 Complete Games Pitching, 14.
#4 (Tied) with 4 complete games.
#4 in strikeouts with 312.
#1 in strikeout per nine innings with 9.91.
#3 in home runs allowed in nine innings at 0.19.

The Eagles could very well land a home series, Holden said. I will keep you advised on when they play. Mt. San Jacinto is about a 21 mile trip from Yucaipa.

Click Here to Visit Eagles Website