MELISSA RODRIGUEZ
@_melisssaaaa

The 2017 Kleberg Bank College Classic, hosted by Corpus Christi Hooks and Islanders Baseball, was held at Whataburger Field on Feb. 24-26, showcasing four baseball inter-sectional teams.

 
This year’s classic included the University of Houston, University of Missouri, University of Illinois and the Islanders, to participate in a weekend of collegiate level baseball.

 
“You get to see all the different colleges come out and play at a minor league baseball field,” said Jorden Klaevemann, Islander alumni and now Hooks sales associate. “So that’s always exciting for everyone, especially for the locals and of course your college teams.”

 
The first team the Islanders faced was the Illinois Illini on Feb. 24. The Islanders battled it out in a very close game, but ultimately fell one run short to the Illini. Islanders started off with the lead in the first two innings, but Illinois came back to end the game with a win of 15-14 over the Islanders putting them at an overall 2-5 record.

 
Islanders played the Mizzou tigers on Feb. 25, but again failed to overcome their opponent. Islanders did not manage to score any runs, while Mizzou, at the time 6-1, racked up nine runs by the end of the game.

 
“I have always been a big baseball fan,” said Ivy Howard, sophomore biomedical science major. “So I love coming out to support the [Islander] team any chance I get.”

 
Islanders played their final game of the tournament, facing UH Cougars, then 5-2, on Feb. 26. This game showed the strongest defense for Islanders for the weekend as they managed to hold off the Cougars to only four runs. However, TAMU-CC did not manage to match their defensive strength to their offense, leading them to fall behind again resulting in a final score of 4-2.

 
“This was my first time coming to an actual baseball stadium that isn’t a high school one, so it has been a great experience,” Howard said. “And no matter what the scoreboard says, I’m always rooting for our boys.”

 
The final tournament results put University of Missouri on top winning all 3 of their games, University of Houston in second with 2-1 record, University of Illinois coming in third with 1-2, and Islanders at 0-3.  For more detailed reports and game updates, follow @IslandersBSB.

 
At the end of this tournament, Islanders stand with a 1-6 overall record, with none of the games previously played counting towards conference record.

 
“Good luck on your season [Islanders] and keep on dreaming big, it’ll happen if you keep on going,” Klaevemann said.

 
Don’t forget to check out @IslandWavesToGo for more about Islanders sports and other university events.