Mesa Sports Memory: Tony Cirelli wins game 1,000

Mesa Community College head baseball coach Tony Cirelli earned career win number 1,000 against Chandler-Gilbert Community College on Feb. 15.

After a back and forth game the T-Birds were able to walk off the Coyotes in the bottom of the 11th inning to earn the 7-6 victory.

The Thunderbirds coming off a 19-0 loss the day before at the hands of the Coyotes were looking not only for revenge but to get their coach over 999 wins which he had been sitting on since Feb. 8.

It was a game in which the Coyotes jumped out on top early as they scored three runs in the opening frame. The Thunderbirds were able to answer rather quickly as they would put up one run in the second and three in the third to take a 4-3 advantage that would stand until the 7th inning.

CGCC would put up three more in the 7th but again MCC would answer as they would put up one in the bottom of the 7th and one in the bottom of the 9th to send the game into extra innings.

Neither team could get the upper hand in the 10th inning but MCC was able to gain some momentum in the 11th that would help make history.

A lead off walk followed by back to back perfect bunts that not only advanced the runners but did not sacrifice an out put MCC in the position to win the game as Freshman Jaxon Brooks would draw a walk to give the Thunderbirds the win 7-6.

Cirelli has been the head coach of the baseball program since 1995, and over time has become the most successful coach in program history.

Cirelli originally was a student at MCC and played on the baseball team in 1981. After graduating from Arizona State University, he came back to MCC as an assistant coach for Roger Schmuck for 10 years.

After taking over for Schmuck in 1995, Cirelli led his team to their 9th ACCAC championship and won ACCAC Coach of the Year in just his second season.

In 2002, Cirelli and the team posted their best year under their skipper, as they had a 45-15 record and took home yet another ACCAC title.

From 2002-2007, the MCC baseball program went on their most dominant run since the early 1970's, as they went 237-130, went to the NJCAA World Series twice, won three Region I DII titles, as well as three district championships.

In the 2005 season, Cirelli earned victory number 381, and in doing so, passed Schmuck. Up until that point, Schmuck had held the record for most wins as a head coach in program history. 

From 2007 until 2013, MCC stayed quietly successful and under the radar, as they did not make noise in the postseason. 

In 2014, the T-Birds broke that streak in a big way as they posted a program best record of 52-13, were ACCAC co-champions, won the district title, took the Region I crown, and ended up winning it all as they took home the NJCAA National Championship. 

Cirelli also earned himself his third Conference Coach of the Year award.

The 2014 team was a special one, as they were mainly freshmen who stepped up in the moment and rose to the occasion in the tournament. 

The team lost a game in the first round, and faced a grueling test to get themselves back in a position to win it all. After five win-or-go home victories, the team battled all the way through extra innings to bring home the trophy.

Just five short years later, in 2019, MCC baseball found themselves back at the NJCAA World Series again, but came up just short as they took home runner up honors.

The success that the program has enjoyed could have very well lost them their leader, but Cirelli stayed true to the program he has helped build. 

In his time at MCC, Cirelli has amassed a multitude of achievements, including three ACCAC championships, four Southwest District titles, and one National Championship in 2014. 

However, the countless impacts Cirelli has made on the hundreds of players he has had on his teams over the nearly 30 years as head coach, and 10 as an assistant, are what can't be recognized on a statsheet.

This story is the original content of "The Mesa Legend" newspaper.