JUCO Baseball World Series

For one week every year since 1959, junior college baseball is celebrated in Grand Junction, Colorado. From around the country, 10 teams vie for the NJCAA Division I national championship, and thousands of fans fill Sam Suplizio Field to cheer their favorite teams. The JUCO World Series is a proving ground for future Major League Baseball stars. Past greats such as Kirby Puckett and Curt Schilling and current big-leaguers Travis Hafner, Cliff Lee, Adam LaRoche, John Lackey and rookie Brandon Belt have made a stop in Grand Junction, as well as the No. 1 draft pick of 2010, Bryce Harper.

The Junior College World Series was first played in 1958 in Oklahoma. A contingent from Grand Junction, headed by Jay Tolman, then the dean of men at Mesa Junior College, and baseball coach Bus Bergman, made a successful bid to move the tournament to Grand Junction. The first tournament turned a modest profit, and ever since, Grand Junction has become synonymous with junior college baseball. Paris (Texas) Junior College won the first title in Grand Junction, the first of 17 national championships for Texas schools, led by San Jacinto College-North, which has won a record five crowns. JUCO has grown every year since, with more than 120,000 fans annually filling the stands.

Games are now streamed live on the Internet, allowing fans everywhere, including those stationed overseas in the military, to watch their sons, brothers, nephews and grandsons compete. The JUCO World Series is a special week every year that creates memories for a lifetime.

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