[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 110 (Thursday, June 24, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E688-E689]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  RECOGNIZING THE McLENNAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE BASEBALL TEAM AND COACH 
                                THOMPSON

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MICHAEL GUEST

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 24, 2021

  Mr. GUEST. Madam Speaker, the McLennan Community College baseball 
team recently won the National Junior College Athletic Association 
(NJCAA) Division I National Championship. The Highlanders capped their 
season with a victory over reigning champion Central Arizona by a score 
of 7-3 at Suplizio Field in Grand Junction, Colorado, in the 
championship game to complete an undefeated run at the Junior College 
World Series. For McLennan, located in Waco,

[[Page E689]]

Texas, this was the team's first appearance in the finals since 2015 
and its second national championship in baseball, with the first coming 
in 1983.
  The Highlanders are led by head coach Mitch Thompson, my brother-in-
law. For Thompson, who has had a long and distinguished baseball 
career, this was his first national championship. Thompson played 
college baseball at Fort Hays State University in Kansas, where he 
twice earned academic all-conference honors and served as team captain 
as a senior. Following his graduation from Fort Hays State in 1988, 
Thompson began his coaching career. Prior to being named the head coach 
at McLennan in 2013, Thompson served as an assistant at Mississippi 
State University, Radford University, Auburn University, and Baylor 
University. Additionally, he was a scout for the Kansas City Royals 
organization in 2013. Throughout his coaching career, Thompson has 
become widely respected as a recruiter and evaluator of talent.
  I want to congratulate Coach Thompson and his team on their fantastic 
season. Coming off a year in which the baseball season was cut short, 
this season provided unique challenges and was unlike any other the 
players had previously experienced. I am proud of the McLennan team and 
all that the Highlanders accomplished this year by bringing home the 
top prize in junior college baseball.

                          ____________________