Scottsbluff's Lofink inks with WNCC baseball

                When Beau Lofink suits up for whatever sport he is playing, the one thing someone is guaranteed to see is a guy that will give his heart to that sport, whether it is playing or just by leading.

                Now, the Scottsbluff High senior will take his playing career to the college level after inking with Western Nebraska Community College to play baseball.

                Lofink, who plays for the WESTCO Zephyrs, said playing for Coach Mike Jones at WNCC was a wise choice.

                “I just thought WNCC was the best place that I could come right know,” he said. “They gave me the best opportunity to live my life and live my goal of what I always wanted to do and that is play baseball.”

                Lofink participated in three sports in high school with football and basketball during the school year and baseball in the summer. While, he was thinking about playing football, he realized that baseball was where his real love was.

                “I was considering playing football, but overall baseball was my top sport that I was going to go play,” he said. “At WNCC, I am assuming more than likely I will end up playing infield because I feel that is the best spot for me.”

                WNCC head coach Mike Jones said he is getting a player that can play a multitude of positions.

                “We basically signed an excellent utility player,” Jones said. “He can fit in anywhere and do a lot of things with the leadership he brings on the field. We are going to continue to develop him as an overall baseball player.”

                Jones said he has watched him play baseball in the summers as well as on the football field and basketball court and likes what he brings to the table.

                “We have had a chance to see him play the infield and pitch a lot. We also saw Beau play football and basketball and we have seen his athleticism and how well he can move,” he said. “We are not going to limit him to just the infield. We are anxious to get him on the field and bounce him around the positions to see what he can do.”

                Lofink joins a Cougar team that already has three WESTCO players on it this season in Joe Moran, Tharyn Curtis, and Ty Wilson.

                This past fall, Lofink played fall ball for the WYCO team out of Cheyenne. Lofink said playing fall ball on weekends really helped him improve as a player.

                “I felt it helped me a lot because it gave me more time on the field and to get ready for what I will be doing later on in live,” he said. “It was a good experience for me to play against older kids and playing junior college teams in and around the area.”

                Lofink brings a lot to the Cougar team. Last season for WESTCO, Lofink batted .321 with 26 runs scored, 25 RBIs, and five doubles. On the mound, he had a 3.572 earned run average with 83 strikeouts, while allowing just 45 runs. He was second in the team in strikeouts, behind Eric Moreno who is now pitching for Lamar Community College.

                Lofink said this year’s WESTCO team should be pretty good. Last season, they went 35-17 and participated in the Class A state tournament.

                “We should be really good again this year because Eric will be coming back and [Caleb] Geary is coming over from Gering, so that will help us with our arms,” he said. “Other than that we return almost everyone from last year’s team. We lost a guy or two.”

                Lofink is hoping to continue his baseball playing after two years at WNCC.

                “I would love to play baseball and go someplace at another college, but I just have to see what my opportunities are,” he said. “I am just going to see where baseball takes me after junior college. If I don’t get anything I will probably end up going to the University of Wyoming.”