When the Cochise College baseball team won the Western District Championship this past spring, the Apaches made district, region and school history.
The Apaches won back-to-back district titles, in 2013 and 2014, the first Western District team to do so since district tournaments were implemented in 2000. With those wins, the Apaches have made back-to-back appearances in the NJCAA Division I World Series — a feat not accomplished in Region I since Cochise did it in 1988 and ’89.
“Every coach wants his program to stand out, be special,” said head coach Todd Inglehart. “What we have accomplished recently has separated Cochise baseball from a lot of other programs across the country. I don’t get caught up into what other programs do or don’t do but I know our results speak for themselves.”
Cochise baseball left its mark in Grand Junction at each of the last two World Series. In 2013, the Apaches finished third in the nation.
“Our goals here are high: National Championship,” Inglehart said. “You can’t just say those things without knowing how hard it really is. It has been within our grasp for the last two years and I see no reason why we can’t put ourselves in position again.”