With a headline paying tribute to the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical about the Sooner State, a string of features chronicling Monroe Community College Baseball’s trip to the 2026 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II World Series in Enid, Oklahoma.
By PAUL GOTHAM
ENID, OKLAHOMA — It was the sixth inning of a one-run game.
Monroe Community College needed 10 outs to claim the East District Championship and clinch a spot in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II World Series.
Jaden Sherwood faced a two-on, two-out situation.
Two years earlier, not much thought would have been required. The former Notre Dame-Batavia hurler would have relied on his fastball to retire the side. The only question being how many pitches he needed to end the threat.
That was high school baseball, and the batter Sherwood was to face on this day, Jordan Raba was top five in the nation hitting a couple ticks under .500 heading into the weekend.
The Mercer County Community College leadoff man was 0-for-2 with a walk in his previous trips to the plate that day. Both of his outs were “loud” in nature – an opposite field line drive to left center in the first and then he was robbed on a bases-loaded situation when Michael Sardou climbed the ladder to take away a possible two-run single.
The Tribunes had walked Raba twice in the previous day’s game opting to not give the sophomore left-hander a chance to ignite the Mercer offense.
That tact was not a choice in this situation with the heart of the Mercer lineup due at the plate.
Pitching coach Matt Petrossi made a trip to the mound and outlined the plan.
Two pitches. That’s what Petrossi wanted to see. A get-it-over curveball followed by a changeup.
Execution of said strategy was Sherwood’s responsibility.
Raba watched the first pitch out over the plate. The 6-foot-4 left-hander rolled over Sherwood’s off-speed offering. Sardou easily fielded the ball and made the throw to first to end the threat.
“He’d been hitting fastballs all day,” Petrossi said of Raba. “And here’s Sherwood, a kid who’s got such a great fastball, that’s his pitch. He’s in a jam in a big game, and he goes with his two secondary pitches that were nonexistent last year and even earlier on this year. That was a cool moment.”
Monroe went on to defeat Mercer, 6-3 and advance to the World Series.
That Sherwood was in that spot represents the work the 6-foot right-hander has put in over the past 20 months.
A year ago, he logged 30 innings over 11 appearances and registered an ERA of 6.60. His lone postseason effort came in a 28-12 loss to UConn-Avery Point. He entered in the fourth inning with MCC trailing, 12-4.
Last Sunday, was Sherwood’s third postseason appearance. He has worked 11-plus innings during the playoff run allowing four runs, two earned.
At the heart of his success has been his ability to set up batters with a three-pitch arsenal.
“He’s really only developed that curveball in the last month,” said head coach Dave Brust. “That’s kinda been one of the missing pieces for him.
“He was a dominant pitcher in high school. He was undersized, but he had an electric arm. You could see that right away… His arm speed, athleticism, what he can do with spin and sinking his fastball, makes him dangerous.”
It was a matter of bringing all those aspects together to take a thrower with a lively arm and develop him into a pitcher.
“There were always glimpses of him being able to throw a really good breaking ball,” Petrossi said. “But for a while, it was just him trusting it, and throwing it with a lot of confidence in game.
“He hasn’t given up, and that’s the thing that a lot of guys don’t understand. There are times when you start working on a new pitch, and it might not come to you for a year or two. But the day it does click, you know, that’s what matters. That’s why you can’t give up on something if it doesn’t start working right away. He’s really stuck through this process. That’s just a testament to him, and the pride he takes in his craft as a pitcher.”
Sherwood’s numbers bear it out. In 41-plus innings of work over 18 appearances in 2026, he has lowered his ERA to 2.83 and raised his strikeout per nine innings ratio from 8.1 to 10.03. At the same time, he has shrunk his WHIP from 1.77 to 1.19.
“Since coming back from Arizona, I’ve just been really confident with it and staying aggressive throwing it early in counts,” Sherwood said of his breaking pitch. “That’s what has allowed me to get these good hitters out.”
Sherwood becoming a Tribune was less of a question than when he was going to develop his curveball. His older brother, Trevor was a teammate of Petrossi’s on the 2018 and ‘19 World Series teams.
“He’s been like a father figure to me, the younger Sherwood said of his older brother whose 6-foot-5 frame with a gangly wing-span earned him the nickname of ‘Bird.’ “I just listen to him and I know he’s gonna point me in a good direction.”
MCC (37-8/No. 24 NJCAA DII) will be the No. 10 seed when it opens the World Series against No. 7 Iowa Central Community College (50-10/Region 11).
The Tribunes have won five straight postseason games heading into the weekend’s action.
“We’re really close this year, and we just want to get it done for each other,” Sherwood said. “We just want to keep having more days with each other. That’s what’s helped us to win these games and just keep moving on and winning every pitch.”
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