Softball at home Wednesday and Thurseday

                After 21 games on the road, the Western Nebraska Community College softball team will make its home debut on Wednesday and Thursday at Volunteer Field in Scottsbluff.

                The Cougars, 17-4, will host McCook Community College on Wednesday and Dawson Community College on Thursday. First pitch for both games is slated for 3 p.m.

                WNCC sophomore Kayla Romey said the team is excited to be playing at home after a month on the road.

                “I am actually really excited and it is nice to be home for once and to play on our own field, own turf,” Romey said. “It makes you feel appreciated because you have home fans. Everybody comes out to support us and there is cheering. It is real nice that way.”

                The Cougars enter this week’s two doubleheaders with plenty of success. At the same time, Romey said there is room to improve.

                “We have played really well although we have had our downs,” she said. “The four games that we lost we shouldn’t have lost. There is lots of room for improvement and as a team we need to learn to connect our hitting better. We need to hit in runs when they are needed. It is the simple things that we need to do better.”

                The McCook contests are conference games and are vital for regional tournament seeding. The Cougars are 3-1 in conference play while Otero Junior College is 6-2. McCook is 0-6 in conference play so far this season. McCook played Otero last week and lost 13-8 and 16-2.

The Cougars lone conference lass came to Otero Junior College last week 5-0. Romey thinks they learned from that loss.

                “I think we realized that everybody is out to get us,” the Gering High graduate said. “We are the team that everybody hates so, in our mindset, we need to learn to play every team to our full potential and not play with them. We need to play to the best of our abilities.”

                WNCC has shown plenty of offensive punch in the first 21 games. The Cougars have smashed 31 home runs this season which ranks fifth in the country, and two players are in the top 25 in home runs. Kasey Cash has blasted nine home runs and sits ninth in the nation. Bianca Duran is 22^nd with seven home runs.

                Cash is also hitting .441 on the season with 25 RBIs and seven doubles. During the Feb. 24 six-game weekend, Cash smashed seven home runs, including her first ever grand slam.

                Not only is the team hitting the ball over the fence, the Cougars have generated plenty of doubles this season. So far, the Cougars have hit 53 doubles, which ranks 10^th in the nation. Duran is 12^th in the nation with 11 doubles this season.

                Romey said this team has plenty of offensive weapons. WNCC is hitting at .373 this season, which is 12^th in the nation.

                “I think our potential for offense is great this year. We have a lot of potential; we just have to make it a consistency and not just a roller coaster of ups and downs.”

                Still, Romey said the team needs to come ready to play on both sides of the ball to pick up four wins against McCook and Dawson.

                “We need to stay focused in these two games and not act like we are going to push over them,” she said. “They are a good team and any ball club that comes ready to play will be able to win. I think we need to come out with our potential full force and take it to them like we know how.”

                After the two home contests, the Cougars will hit the road for three days, facing Trinidad State Junior College on Saturday, Luna Community College on Sunday, and Adams State Junior Varsity on Monday. They will then return home to face North Platte Community College on March 20.