Gaston College first baseman bound for NCAA Division II school after helping Rhinos to national ranking
To say the last year has had its share of unexpected turns would be an understatement for Gaston College baseball player Ahmir Cournier.
A Jackson, N.J., native, Cournier has seen his original college choice drop its baseball program before he came to help Gaston College gets it program restarted.
Now, after helping the Rhinos to national rankings and close to a Region 10 divisional title, Cournier knows what his collegiate future will hold after he committed last week to playing for Young Harris, a NCAA Division II school located in Northeast Georgia. Cournier chose Young Harris, which has been nationally-ranked this season, after also talking to Limestone and Anderson of the NCAA Division II South Atlantic Conference and several schools in the NCAA Division II Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.
As Cournier says, you can thank current Gaston College assistant K.J. McAllister for bringing him to the Rhinos.
"We were at North Carolina Central before this," Cournier said of him and McAllister, whose coaching job was eliminated before he came to Gaston College. "Coming from a program that disbanded last year to a program that's first-year this year and making history is pretty special."
Cournier has played a role in helping make it special for the Rhinos, ranked No. 2 in one National Junior College poll and No. 3 in two other polls entering Wednesday's 4 p.m. doubleheader against Cleveland Community College at Gastonia's Sims Legion Park.
He's started all 40 games at first base for the Rhinos, emerging as a key figure in Gaston College's powerful offense. Entering Wednesday, Cournier is batting .357 with two home runs, 45 RBIs and 15 stolen bases, has an on-base percentage of .469 and has collected at least one hit in 31 games.
"At first, I wasn't even looking at junior college," Cournier said. "I was looking at another (NCAA) D2 or (NCAA) D1 and back home there's a lot of good (NCAA) D2s and (NCAA) D3s. And then K.J. talked to me one day and was like, 'Have you ever thought about junior college? I'm at Gaston.'
"So he introduced me to (head) coach (Shohn) Doty and I went on a visit."
Once in Gastonia, Cournier loved the facilities and quickly realized he could be a part of something special when he looked around the locker room at the players who would eventually form the first Gaston College team since 1972.
"Towards the end of the fall (season), I was feeling pretty good about the spring," Cournier said.
A 19-0 start to the spring schedule that included the first national ranking in school history confirmed that Cournier was right to be so optimistic.
"I've never been a part of a nationally-ranked team so it feels pretty good," said Cournier, whose team debuted in the national rankings on March 1 and has remained ever since. "To have that target on your back feels good. You know people are coming after you with their best guys.
"We're everybody's World Series and we know we have to be our best in every game and have great energy."
Entering Wednesday's doubleheader, Gaston College has a chance to wrap up the Region 10 Division West Division title with a sweep of Cleveland Community College.
"We've got to get back to Cleveland," said Cournier, whose Rhinos lost 3-1 at Cleveland Community College last Wednesday. "They got us last game and it was definitely not our best game.
"I feel like we're going to come out with some fire."