Four MCC baseball players moving on to NAIA programs
McCook Community College Baseball Coach Jon Olsen has announced that four more of his players have signed letters of intent to move on to four-year schools in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).
Those four include pitchers Mikey Acierno and Owen Lester, shortstop Alliskair Descartes and outfielder Trent Elshire.
Acierno will pitch at Keiser University in West Palm Beach, Fla. Lester signed on with Briar Cliff University in Sioux City, Iowa. Descartes will stay in Nebraska and play at Hastings College and Elshire is headed to Park University in Gilbert. Ariz.
Acierno, a 6-2 right-handed pitcher from Thornton, Colo., appeared in a team-high 18 games this season, starting 11. He had a 5-4 record with three complete games and struck out 69 hitters in 67.2 innings. For his career, we went 9-5 in 120.2 innings of work with 140 strikeouts and a 7.90 ERA.
"Mikey played a big role for us on the mound over his two years here, he was a big part of this year's pitching staff both as a starter and then a key piece of our bullpen late in the year," said Olsen. "If he hadn't got hurt in the region tournament, I feel we may have had a little different ending to our year in the region and district."
Olsen said one of Acierno's main goals was to play in Florida.
"So we are happy he found a really good school to play at," said Olsen.
Lester is a 5-6 right-hander from St. Charles, Ill., who appeared in 16 games, and started 10 with a 6.3 record and 5.34 ERA in 57.1 innings pitched. He struck out 67 hitters.
"Once we moved Owen into the starting rotation this year both individually and as a team we really took off. He was the missing piece in our rotation," said Olsen. "He bounced back and forth early in the year and when he got put into the rotation, he took it and held on and played a key role down the stretch."
This was Lester's third year with the team, having arrived on campus as a catcher and second baseman in the 2020-2021 season.
"Now three years later was starting Game 2 in the region championships on the mound," said Olsen. "I'm just super proud of the work he put in, one of the best workers and teammates that you will find."
He went to pitching full-time in the 2021-22 season and went 2-1 with a 9.13 ERA in 22 innings worked.
For his career he went 8-4 with one save and one complete game and struck out 95 hitters in 80 innings and compiled a 6.41 ERA.
Descartes is a 5-9 infielder from Thornton, Colo., appeared in 61 games and batted .304 with eight home runs and 54 RBIs.
"The way Alliskair played this year was a key to the season that we had," said Olsen of the transfer from Unidad Eucativa Colegio. "He transferred in and won the spot in the fall, but honestly, I didn't expect the spring that he had. He played at a ridiculously high level."
He hit seven of his eight home runs against Region IX opponents and hit .317 in Region IX play while slugging .592. In addition to being great in the field and having an excellent year at the plate, Olsen said Decartes is towards the top on the list of guys that he's had that just loves to play the game.
"Hastings is getting a great player," said Olsen.
Elshire, a 5-11 outfielder from Plattsmouth, played in just eight games as a freshman, batting. 167 in 18 trips to the plate but played a more substantial role this season.
"Trent is a great example of a kid that just kept working hard and he just stuck with it," said Olsen. "Halfway through his freshman year we didn't know if he would redshirt or not, but he got an opportunity and played well the last third of his freshman year."
The coach said in the fall and this spring he did it again and worked himself into the starting lineup where he appeared in 34 games and batted .282 in 117 at bats with a pair of home runs and 14 RBIs.
"Trent can play any spot in the outfield and is an excellent defender. He had a nice year at the plate as well," said Olsen.
Brent L. Cobb
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