Phoenix, AZ—
It’s not often that we feature a lot of sports from the Community College level, but after the run the Mesa Community College Baseball team had this past season at 52-13, it is easy to say that this team under Head Coach Tony Cirelli qualifies as one of the best in the Nation at all levels. They not only managed to put another National Title under their belts, they continue to build great kids towards a future of leadership and playing sports on the national stage.
“It starts with Coach Cirelli’s work ethic in his players,” said Mesa Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator Doug Rose. Rose who has been with the program since 1998, knows the system well and has done an amazing job of getting players from as far away as Chicago to come to Arizona to learn from one of the best in the business.
Rose commented briefly about Cirelli’s work ethic making sure the kids know the “hard-nosed” old school way of playing baseball. “Our kids aren’t afraid to get down and dirty and work hard. “To be a part of this program is an honor for myself and it is joy to work with our kids,” said Rose.
At a recent Wade Miley Charity Baseball camp at Salt River Fields, Rose made sure that his kids know about the value of giving back to the community by donating his time along with bringing a few of the key parts of the 2014 season to the field all to benefit Brain Cancer Charities. Mesa pllayers Daniel Lutz (Fr., Phoenix, AZ/Shadow Mountain H.S.) and James Anderson (Fr., Henderson, Nev/Coronado H.S.), along with Rose’s son, Kaden, were on hand to help part of another successful part of their season.
Over the past 29 years, Mesa has been in the playoffs 24 times with four NJCAA World Series appearances. Cirelli and Rose’s 2006 squad finished with a record of 44-21 and a #1 national ranking.
In the past 19 years, 45 MCC players have been drafted by Major League Baseball teams or played professionally. Of those 45 players, only five had been drafted prior to coming to Mesa. Most recently, Brian Broderick made his Major League debut with the Washington Nationals in 2011.
Look for Mesa to continue to produce one of the best baseball programs year after year with excellent leadership and a place for people to learn the real meaning of baseball.
