Mav grad goes from SPC to national title
St. John’s grad Lonnecker helps Trinity win NCAA D-III baseball crown
Jeffrey Lonnecker’s freshman season at Trinity University was challenging at times.
The 2015 St. John’s graduate, a standout pitcher during his career with the Mavericks, joined a veteran Trinity squad coming off an appearance at the NCAA Division III World Series. He also was sent to the bullpen after being a starter in high school.
“It was a big adjustment for me,” said the 19-year-old from Bellaire. “We had a senior-laden team, so I knew my opportunities would be limited. I also had never been a reliever before, but I learned how to handle it.”
Lonnecker’s perseverance paid off as Trinity rolled to the program’s first-ever baseball championship. The Tigers beat Keystone (Pennsylvania) College 14-6 and 10-7 in the best-of-three championship series at the NCAA Division III World Series in Appleton, Wisc.
“It was exciting to be part of something that had never been done before,” Lonnecker said. “It’s our first World Series and, hopefully, it won’t be our last.”
While Lonnecker didn’t see any action at the World Series, he helped Trinity sweep through the postseason, hurling the ninth inning in a 14-2 victory over the University of Texas-Tyler at the regional tourney in Spokane, Washington.
“We didn’t lose in our conference tournament or the postseason,” Lonnecker said. “I’m glad I was able to contribute.”
Lonnecker, who had six appearances and one start this season, helped Trinity set a school record for victories (44-7) while sweeping the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference regular-season title and tournament.
Lonnecker expects to play a more prominent role in 2017, with the Tigers graduating a number of key players. Trinity head baseball coach Tim Scannell, the NCAA Division III Coach of the Year, probably will send Lonnecker to the mound more often.
“Three of our four (starting) pitchers were seniors and we’ll lose most of our position players,” Lonnecker said. “We have a lot of gaps to fill, but there’s a lot of talented guys coming back. I’m already looking forward to it.”
To prepare for his sophomore season, Lonnecker is playing with the Houston Red Dogs in the Houston Collegiate Summer League.
“A couple of my Trinity teammates are in the league,” Lonnecker said. “I’ll try to get in as many innings as I can.”
St. John’s head baseball coach T. Riley is proud of Lonnecker for the character he showed during his rookie season.
“The coaching staff tries to keep up with all of our guys in college,” Riley said. “I thought Jeffrey took advantage of the chances he was given. He’s only going to get better.”