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.”

WNCC softball signs 12 players

                 The Western Nebraska Community College softball team signed 12 players to play for the Cougars beginning next fall.

                Seven players committed to the Cougars on Saturday, Jan. 18 in a softball signing event at Cougar Palace. Those signing include Shaela Heath of Windsor, Colo., Courtney Medina of Ft. Collins, Colo., Brittany Corrales of Greeley, Colo., Jade Morton of Henderson, Colo., Desirae Visser of Thornton, Colo., and Laramie Rewerts of Broomfield, Colo., RaeLe Riley of Torrington.

                Inking with the Cougars later included Chloe Miller of Maple Valley, Wash., Christian Bobian of Aurora, Colo., Shaylee Rickard of Lingle, Wyo., Whitney Fields of Grantsville, Utah, and Andi Hancock of Ogden, Utah.

                All the players are excited to be joining a Cougar program rich in softball tradition. The players have extensive softball backgrounds.

Christian Bobian, who inked on Sunday, comes to WNCC from Cherokee Trail in Aurora, Colo. Bobian played infield and pitcher in high school. She had a .464 batting average with 16 RBIs. She also represented her high school in the CCGS all-state game. She was a Centennial League second-team all-conference player.

                “WNCC was the right fit for me and when I visited; it just felt right,” she said. “Softball is the only sport I've ever played competitively.”

                Bobian is hoping to get better as a player in her two years at WNCC.

                “I love softball because my dad played baseball and my mom played softball, so it's in my blood,” she said. “My goals at WNCC are to get better and compete.”

                Brittany Corrales comes from Greeley West High where she was named a second-team Front Range all-conference selection. Corrales hit .533 her senior year with four doubles and three home runs. She had 32 hits in 60 at bats.

                Corrales, who plays shortstop or third base, is excited to be joining the Cougars.

                "I decided to come to WNCC because I like how small the school is and how everybody can get to know each other," she said. "It is also not far from home. At first I wanted to be far from home, but then I decided not to."

Whitney Fields played high school softball at Grantsville High and also played summer ball for the TC Thunder. Fields is a utility player, who also pitches. She comes from the same high school as former Cougar Mariah Shepherd. Fields earned second team all-state as a sophomore and when selecting a school, she kept an open mind.

                “I picked WNCC because I really like Coach Winn and the environment of the program and school,” she said “I was keeping an open mind about all schools and didn’t really know where I wanted to go. I have been playing softball since I was five and it has been a goal of mine to play softball in college.”

                Her biggest softball memories have just been playing in out-of-state softball tournaments.

                “I love meeting new players and coaches at camps and tournament,” she said. “And when playing softball, it is a special feeling that I don’t get anywhere else. My goals when I get to college are to work hard in becoming a better person and player and prepare myself for the future.”

Andi Hancock comes to WNCC from Bonneville High in Ogden, Utah, from a softball family where she watched her three older sisters play. At Bonneville, Hancock was a three-year starting pitcher and first baseman. Hancock was all-state first team, all-area first team, and all-around Player of the Year in 2013. She was also all-area and all-state in 2012.

                “I have three older sisters that I loved to watch play for many years before I even started,” Hancock said. “I look up to them so much and I learned to play watching them.”

                Not only is Hancock a start on the diamond, but she is a setter on the volleyball team. But, it is on the diamond where she excels.

                “Softball is my escape from whatever is going on in my life,” she said. “I love the natural high I get whenever I play. Oddly enough, I love the soreness that comes after a really long day or weekend of softball. I just hope to improve in any and all ways possible, do my best to be a great team player, and of course hopefully make a lot of lifelong friends.”

                Hancock had a couple of other offers for softball, but choose WNCC because of its softball reputation.

                “WNCC seems like a great place to go to school and live,” she said. “I have heard very good things about the school and the support given by the community. I’ve also heard a lot of praise for the softball program.”

Shaela Heath comes to WNCC from Windsor, Colo., where she batted .451 as a senior with 16 runs scored, 19 RBIs and five doubles. Heath has played several positions, but is mainly a catcher now. Heath is excited to be coming to WNCC.

                “One of my biggest deciding factors in coming here was because have the small classes. I really like Coach Winn and the way she runs things with the softball program,” Heath said. “It is close to home and it will be exciting to have my parents and grandparents come and watch me play.”

Courtney Medina joins the Cougar program from a stellar career at Fossil Ridge High in Ft. Collins, where she was named to the second team Front Range League. Last season, Medina batted .403 with 18 runs scored and four doubles while playing the outfield position.

                Medina, who finished with a three-year total at Fossil Ridge with 43 RBIs and 51 runs scored, is excited for the next level as well as becoming a part of a big recruiting class next year.

                “I like Coach Winn and the program she has set up as well as the small classroom feel,” she said. “It is also really exciting to be part of a big incoming freshman class next year. I have played with and against some of the girls here and it is exciting to see familiar faces.”

Chloe Miller played softball at Tahoma High in Maple Valley, Wash. Miller, a middle infielder, has played on an 18-under select team since she was 14 and hopes to get even better as a player.

                "My goals are to become a better player, a better athlete, and a better person," she said. "I want to improve my game so I can live my dream and go play for my dream school."

                Miller's dream school is Arizona State. She said she was going to go to Western Washington and then junior colleges came calling and opted that route.

                "I chose WNCC because I knew I wanted to start off at a junior college and when I met coach Winn, I knew that she is the kind of person I would want to be coached by," she said. "I love the game of softball because every time I step on the field I am at my happiest."

                Jade Morton played softball at Prairie View High in Henderson, Colo., where she was one of the top 10 hitters in Class 5A with a .538 average with 11 doubles, four home runs, and 26 RBIs.

                Morton said she is coming to WNCC to get better as a player and to win a championship.

                "I really didn't think I wanted to go to a junior college, but when I came here I fell in love with the town and everyone in it," she said. "I just want to win like everybody else and I know I have to work hard to be out there. If I don't make it, I will keep working hard."

Laramie Rewerts joins the Cougar program from Legacy High in Broomfield, Colo., a program that captured the 5A state championship in the fall. Rewerts has played on the Angels summer team that competed at the Northern Nationals in North Platte in 2012, as well as the ASA/USA Nationals in 2011.

                Rewerts started out as a pitcher but now prefers to play in the outfield. She said she is excited to be joining the Cougar program.

                "It is really exciting to meet all the girls and push myself even harder than I have been pushed before," Rewerts said. "Coming into a program like this is good pressure because who doesn't want to win. It is a lot of pressure, but at the same time it will be a lot of fun."

                Shaylee Rickard is coming to WNCC as a 3-sport athlete from Lingle, Wyo. Because Wyoming doesn’t have high school softball, her playing days were on traveling summer teams. Rickard had an impressive year with Twisters, who finished fifth at the ASA Northern Nationals and finished 82-9-1.

                She finished with a .420 batting average with 18 doubles, seven home runs, 60 RBIs and 51 runs scored. In the circle, Rickard was 45-5 with an earned run average of 1.02 with 287 strikeouts, 82 walks. She faced 1,128 batters and tallied 4,164 pitches.

                “I am really excited [coming here] because I have always wanted to play college softball,” Rickard said. “This is just making my dream that much better and I want to continue after college, too. Hopefully I can get to that level.

                “[WNCC has] a really good program and ever since I was little I was always going to their camp. It is just a dream of mine to play here.”

                RaeLe Riley comes to WNCC playing on the same Twisters team as Rickard. Riley is a middle infielder and outfielder and had been attending WNCC camps during the summer for a number of years.

                “I really like the community and I have been around here for so long. I like Coach Winn. I like the girls. I have been going to camps at WNCC for a long time,” she said.

                She added that playing summer ball has really improved her game and is hopeful to improve even more under Coach Winn.

                “My Twister coaches really helped me become who I am right know and that is why I am the softball player I am now,” she said.

                Desirae Visser, played at Mountain Range High where she batted .302. Visser is a third baseman who had a fielding average of .951 with just three errors in 61 total chances.

                "I really like the atmosphere here of how it is so small and everyone is so close," she said. "I also like the softball program at WNCC."