Brian Peters, in back, and Rusty Rakowitz, in catcher's gear, discuss strategy with pitcher Kris Looper during a game with the Jackson County Thunder. Looper is a recent graduate from Wharton High School and an Alvin Community College recruit.
The Thunder is rolling in Jackson County
by Paul Harrison
(Posted 6/18/2010 08:50 am)
In 1998, Brian Peters played in the Austin tournament of the National Baseball Congress. The semi-pro team in Shiner had won their division, but their star pitcher, Jeremy Fikac, was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 19th round and was no longer eligible to play. Peters, a Ganado graduate, was asked to fill the roster spot and pitch in the tournament after Shiner faced him as a member of the Jackson County Thunder during the summer. Peters won the first game, but the Shiner team would be eliminated, falling first to current Florida Marlin pitcher Brian Sanchez and then to eventual World Series MVP and Boston Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett.
“Hopefully, this gives you an idea on the competition that we can face in our league,” Peters said.
Cory Ellison, Jason Hurta formerly of Edna and James Baker of Inez began the Jackson County Thunder team in 1998 and ran the team for about three years. Will Sorenson and Peters got the team restarted in the summer of 2006. The Thunder is a part of the South Central Texas Amateur League including Bernardo, Victoria, Schulenburg, and Flatonia. There have been teams from Hallettsville, Shiner, Weimar, Brenham, Yoakum, and Sealy as well. The winning team plays in the NBC tourney in Austin, the State level tournament, and the winner advances to the Midwest Regional tourney in Wichita, Kan.
Thunder pitcher and catcher Randy Rakowitz had returned home from college in 2005 after being a relief pitcher at Shreiner University for the previous four years.
“All it took was a phone call saying ‘You want to play baseball this summer?’ I didn’t even have to think about it,” Rakowitz said...
