The rivalry with Richland -- gone.

Playing for a conference championship -- gone.

Then in early June, Jon Groth -- the coach who guided the Apaches for 17 years -- announced he was stepping down.

It appeared to be one setback after another for a program that had become a contender in NJCAA Division III and a national champion in 2007.

Through all the changes and uncertainty, one thing remained the same: TJC's facilities, including the campus and Mike Carter Field. Also, TJC minimized the impact of a coaching change by promoting Doug Wren and holding on to pitching coach Hart Hering.

The bottom line is TJC was able to sign another good class of players to keep the program performing at a high level. The Apaches have a record of 96-24 against teams from the Metro Athletic Conference since 2007, a winning percentage of .800.

"We felt like we wanted to recruit them to TJC, and not so much to a certain conference or a division," Wren said. "We try not to make a big deal out of (being non-scholarship) because we feel like we can stack up against other teams. We want to bring in guys to where we can compete against the D-I teams.

"Being independent -- it does have its drawbacks -- but we were able to play a pretty good schedule (against) a bunch of D-Is. We were able to throw our No.1 1 and 2 (pitchers) against D-Is instead of throwing our Nos. 1 and 2 against D-III in conference."

Wren said TJC's facilities, campus, environment and winning tradition are powerful recruiting tools. So far this school year, the Apaches have won national championships in men's and women's soccer, and men's and women's tennis. Baseball could be next.

"Everybody wants to go to a program that has success," Wren said. "What we try to do is highlight some of those things in the recruiting process, and hopefully those kind of override some of the things like not (giving scholarships) and not being in a conference."

Coming to the end of his first season ever as a head coach, the 26-year-old Wren could not have scripted things any better. The second-ranked Apaches are playing in the Division III World Series, on their home field, beginning at noon Saturday against No. 1 Gloucester County College (N.J.).

The Apaches (43-12) are undefeated against D-III competition this season, and they have 13 wins against junior colleges that give scholarships.

Despite its independent status, TJC still had to be given a chance to make the World Series. First, the Apaches had to finish the regular season with at least a .500 record and then win a "play-in" series against a MAC team for the right to participate in the district playoffs.

TJC swept Brookhaven and then defeated Eastfield, Richland and Cedar Valley at the District C Tournament to advance to the World Series.

Wren has first-hand knowledge of Division I vs. Division III as both a player and a coach. He played for TJC when the scholarships were taken away before the 2003 season, and was one of the few who stayed during the transition.

Wren coached at Division I Weatherford College before coming to TJC after the 2007 season, thus he wasn't a part of the national championship.

"Coming to D-III, it is a different kind of player. Not so much athlete-wise … (D-Is) typically get the more physical kid," Wren said.

The Apaches have just seven players on their roster listed at more than six feet and 200 pounds. The norm is more like right fielder Eric Weiss (6-0, 175), who has the third-most RBIs on the team; and center fielder Josh Bates (5-10, 160), who has 21 stolen bases.

"Sometimes we get kids that ability-wise can play, but they're not as physically built," Wren said.

In other words, they don't necessarily pass the eyeball test.

"When you're recruiting, there's a few tests that you go through and size (plays a role)," Wren said. "Something we've tried to do the last couple of years is bring in athletes, and not care so much about size or whether they're strong enough."

The Apaches assemble their recruiting class during the summer -- long after the Division I programs are done signing players.

"We do a lot of our recruiting in May, June, July," Wren said. "Everybody wants to hold out for a scholarship. And then you'll get your handful that will get a scholarship to some school, but they choose us either because of facilities or winning tradition."

Each year, 150 players participate in summer tryouts for the Apaches. There are three tryouts, and each one has a maximum of 50 players. Many players get turned away, said Wren, who may filter through a thousand names during the year.

"We hear about kids 100 different ways," he said.

The tryouts double as a recruiting visit. The recruits spend part of the day on the TJC campus, talking to the coaches about what is expected of them on and off the field, before showing the coaches what they can do on the baseball diamond.

Some of the recruits have been previously scouted by TJC, while others "we don't know are coming" and they end up being great players.

Transfers are also a key to TJC's success. Freshman Josh Salmon, who leads the Apaches with a .455 batting average, seven home runs and 60 RBIs, and No. 1 starting pitcher Derek Bowen started out at Division I Panola. The other transfers are relief pitcher Todd Immel (Northeast Texas), first baseman/designated hitter Tanner Smith (Northeast Texas) and designated hitter Clayton Warren (Weatherford).

"Right now colleges are winding down their seasons and having their meetings. This is when kids are deciding whether they want to go back to that school or whether they want to move on. This is the time when I'll get transfer calls … so we invite them to the tryouts. The transfer kids have always been big for us."

In a 17-year career at TJC, Jon Groth won 460 games and made eight playoff appearances. He won back-to-back conference championships (2007, 2008) and one national title. His pedigree included playing college baseball for the University of New Orleans and in the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.

Wren was named interim coach last June and permanent coach in August.

"It was definitely an honor, something that you can't script out any better," said Wren, who played high school baseball at Arlington High and four-year ball at Howard Payne. "I have a lot of respect for (Groth) and the way he ran his program, and what he did on and off the field. It's big shoes to fill.

"The great thing about coaching is I've been able to take things from different coaches that I've had, that have had an impact on my life. You take bits and pieces and create your own philosophy. Coach Groth is a big part of that.

"The great thing about coach Groth was that he was here for his players, he wanted them to grow and to move on. But he also did the same thing with his coaches. He spent a lot of time with us and each year I worked under him he was able to give us more and more responsibilities."

Article by

Joe Buie

Tyler Morning Telegraph