To be the best, the Dixie College Rebels will have to beat the best.
As the Rebels begin their quest for the NJCAA national baseball championship they won't face anyone much tougher than the defending national champion and No. 3-ranked Grayson County College Vikings (Denison, Texas) Saturday at 9 a.m. in Grand Junction, Colo.
And the Rebels will go at the 42-10 Vikings with their best — sophomore righthander Brandon Lyon.
Lyon, who redshirted his first year after suffering a snowboarding accident, bounced back after the injury to go 13-2 in 1999 and 15-0 with a 0.43 ERA in 2000. He also has four saves, and he leads the nation in strikeouts with 139 punchouts in 105 innings pitched.
"With Brandon on the mound we know we have a chance to win," said Dixie coach Mike Littlewood.
The Rebels, who went to the JC World Series two years ago, were 50-7 in 1999 and finished a disappointing third place in the conference, and Littlewood said the 49-9 2000 Rebels are even better than last year.
"We have both vocal and silent leaders. We have guys that want to come out and play hard every day," Littlewood said. "We'll go at them like we have any only game. Intimidation won't be a factor. The first year we were happy to be there, and now we want to win as many games as we can."