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Crowder College baseball alumni head to the World Series.

KSMU | By Chris Drew

Published October 23, 2026 at 11:38 AM CDT

Aaron Ashby (left), Jacob Misiorowski (right) pictured in the Junior College World Series baseball cards.

Jacob Misiorowski and Aaron Ashby have both had record book seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers this year. Their post-high school careers started at Crowder College where they both led the Crowder Roughriders to Junior College World Series appearances. They'll face the Tampa Bay Rays in the MLB World Series starting tonight.

The World Series begins today in Milwaukee. The Milwaukee Brewers will face the Tampa Bay Rays. Its a big deal for both cities. Its also a big deal for Crowder College in Neosho, Missouri.

The small Junior College in Southwest Missouri has a reputation for sending talented athletes on to big universities and the Major Leagues. But this year, Crowder alumni Jacob Misiorowski and Aaron Ashby aren't just playing in the Major Leagues they've been dominant record setting forces on the Brewers pitching staff. Crowder College Coach Travis Lallemand said both pitchers were a part of Junior College World Series teams at Crowder, but they also faced adversity.

Jacob Misiorowski (left) and Aaron Ashby (right) pictured from their playing days as Crowder College Roughriders

"Ashby was here first in 2017 and 2018 and he, came in here and needed to continue to kind of refine his skills and ability and had some ups and downs as a freshman, but the ups came at the end of the year and led us to the World Series in '17, with a 92 pitch complete game against Seminole to get us there, but as a sophomore. Maybe one of the most dominant seasons of in junior college baseball history.

Miz, he was '21-'22. And, unfortunately in '21, he sustained a knee injury. And, it ended his season in February, so he went home, had to rehab, and we started seeing, you know, the, the best version of him late in the fall, just playing catch up from losing innings to injury, and then come springtime, he just continued to get better, continued to get better, and he had an eight inning 18 strikeout game against Jefferson in the regional, and another great performance against eastern when we were in New Orleans, and got us back to the World Series and started game one in the World Series as well."

Lallemand said the baseball program at Crowder is all about taking young players and preparing them for their next step. He credits their success to good facilities, and consistent hard work.

Coach Travis Lallemand has been head coach for Roughrider's baseball since 2005. He’s led the program to nine Region 16 Championships and five trips to the JUCO World Series. Lallemand has coached 154 players in his time at Crowder that have signed with Division 1 programs and 41 players have been drafted by Major League clubs.

"I think we're very blue collar," he explained. "I think we work and, and guys come here and they know that."

And Ashby and Misiorowski's success shows that work can pay off.

"Obviously those two have continued to get better as they've left," Coach Lallemand said. "But we hope to think that, you know, we got them to the level they needed to be when they left here to get into pro ball and get their foot in the door. And, you know, now they've taken it and ran with it."

Lallemand will be watching the opening game tonight from American Family Field in Milwaukee. Misiorowski is set to start for the Brewers; Ashby is likely to pitch out of the bullpen.