WNCC baseball camp set for June 11-14

WNCC baseball camp set of June 11-14

Want to learn baseball from the coaches who led the WNCC team to the Region IX title in May? This will be your opportunity as this camp will be an excellent opportunity for youngsters to learn the game of baseball.

This camp will include instruction on hitting, throwing, fielding and pitching, along with actual game play during the four days of the camp. The camp will run June 11-14 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon at Gering’s Oregon Trail Park baseball field.

The camp is open to boys ages 8 and up. The cost is just $40 and includes a T-shirt. The baseball camp will be conducted by WNCC baseball coach Mike Jones, who was named the 2007 Region IX coach of they year, and his asssistants. Also, former and current Cougar players will help with the camp.

For a camp registration form, contact the college's athletic office at 308-635-6151. Registration forms may also be downloaded off the Cougar athletic website at sports.wncc.net.

Former Cougar baseball player Lyall Foran waiting for MLB draft in June

When Lyall Foran came to Western Nebraska Community College four years ago to play baseball, he came with the notion to get better.

Now, after a stellar season at NCAA Division I Norfolk State University, where he helped the team to the most wins in school history, his eyes are set on next month’s Major League Baseball draft. Foran is hoping to hear his name called once again.

“I have been in contact with a couple of [Major League] teams such as the Marlins, Nationals and Phillies. At this point, I have done all I could do and now I just have to let the chips fall where it may. You never know with the MLB draft because there are so many good players out there and people looking to extend their career. You can never tell what a team wants until they make their final decision. Hopefully, the good Lord willing, someone will look out for me and I will keep playing.”

Foran was a mid 40-round draft pick coming out of high school in Surrey, British Columbia by the Atlanta Braves. But, instead of signing he elected to attend four years of college, two years at WNCC and then year each at Tusculum College and then Norfolk State. It was a decision that he is glad he made.

“I have improved tremendously. When I got to college, I was basically a player that could throw and hit the ball,” Foran said. “I really wasn’t that great of a catcher when I arrived at Western Nebraska. Now, looking back, I can honestly say I really worked hard and catching is one of my strong points as far as receiving, blocking and calling pitches. It has really complimented my hitting and throwing.”

At Norfolk State, he was named to the All-MEAC team after leading the Spartans and being among the elite in the conference. Foran ranked fifth in the MEAC with a .377 batting average, topped conference in on-base percentage (.503), and also was among the conference leaders in doubles (14), RBIs (37), slugging percentage (.580) and walks (29). Foran also has four home runs, second on the team.

Foran also was up for CSTV Player of the Year, which he was grateful for.

“Just to be recognized for that is really special for me. I always believed that if you work hard, people will recognize you and you will be rewarded for your work,” he said. “That is something I never really thought about and recognized for. It is a huge honor.”

Foran didn’t finish in the top 10, but he has dreams of playing at the next level. The one team he wouldn’t mind playing for is the Seattle Mariners, which is the closest to his home in Canada. But, if he doesn’t hear his name, he has plans on playing minor league baseball in Missouri.

“If I hear my name at all in getting drafted, I will be happy, but you always would like to go to the team close to home and the Seattle Mariners would be it for me,” he said. “But if I don’t get drafted, my college coach is affiliated with an independent ball club in Missouri, which is not affiliated with any Major League ball club, and I probably be headed to Missouri to play the summer out there.”

For Foran, though, just playing Division I baseball has been something he has dreamed of from his younger days.

“[Playing Division I ball] is one of the biggest thrills that I have ever had in by baseball career,” he said. “Since the time I was 9 years old watching the college world series on television, playing Division I has been something I have always wanted to do and getting the opportunity to play against the best of the best.

“I am grateful to have the opportunity that I have had, to travel to so many places and play for so many different coaches and teammates. Being with so many different teammates has changed my view on things and helped me develop not only as a ball player, but also as a person.”

Current listing of 2007-08 incoming freshmen on the WNCC athletic web

The 2006-07 school year just finished with graduation ceremonies May 19 and with the departing of several sophomores also signal the incoming freshmen. So far the WNCC coaches have been busy recruiting. Six of the seven sports have new players already signed. The complete list of the recruits are on the WNCC athletic website (sports.wncc.net) along with some head shots of players.

Here is a quick list of first-year players in the respective sports:
Volleyball -- Fatima Balza, 6-3 MH from Merida, Venezuela; Jasmuhn Carlson, 6-foot MH from Cheyenne, Wyo.; and Nayka Benitez, 5-6 OH/DS from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Also, 6-0 Chelsey Lyles, who played basketball for WNCC last year, signed to play volleyball.
Men's Soccer -- Joseph Carter from Albuquerque, N.M.; Chris Simpson of Union Grove, Ala.; David Castillo, Lazaro Torres and Nicholas Ouzounis from Aurora, Colo.; Shayne Tower of Scottsbluff; Morgan Wall of Alliance; Antonio Herrera-Young of Windsor, Colo.; and Mark Zigray of Ft. Collins, Colo.
Women's Soccer -- Maria Garcia, 5-2 defender, Ashley Quintana, 5-6 forward, Claudia Gomez, 5-2 midfielder, and Alisha Ropkin, 5-2 midfielder, all from Aurora, Colo.; Mara Crouch from Hillsdale, Mich.; Terri Hunnington, 5-9 goalkeeper from Bluffdale, Utah; Lara Merkey, 5-4 defender, from Windsor, Colo.; Tamika Smith, Jessica Arreguin and LeeAnna Paxton all from Greeley, Colo.; and Rachel Watson, from Riverton Wyo.
Softball -- Kayli Allen and Lauryn Smith of Berthoud, Colo.; Kelsi Baldwin of Riverton, Utah; Alexandria Griffin of Ft. Collins, Colo.; Kayla Hall, Kary Garcia and Jackie Jaramillo all from Pueblo, Colo.; Mandy Pounds and Alex Voci from Colorado Springs, Colo.; and Lindsey Paulson of Castle Rock, Colo.
Baseball -- Dallas Liptac of Scottsbluff; David and Aurulio Monteagudo of Miami, Fla.; and Dustin Javins of Cooper City, Fla.
Women's Basketball -- SeLina Ysac, 5-9 guard from Scottsbluff; Tawny Drexler, 6-foot forward from Lakewood, Colo.; Kathleen Harley, 6-2 center from Calgary, Alberta, Canada; and Cheri Palmer, 5-4 guard from Aurora, Colo.

More names will be released and posted on the website as the signing continues to heat up, including men's basketball. So, keep checking the website.

WNCC June 9 Cougar Golf Classic still has some openings

Western Nebraska Community College’s athletic department’s fourth annual Cougar Golf Classic is fast approaching. The tournament, which is set for Saturday, June 9, still has some openings for interested teams.

The golf tournament will take place at Monument Shadows Golf Course. The Golf Classic is a four-person scramble with a shotgun start at 8 a.m. Entry fee is $50 per person, with a limit of 36 teams. So far, about 24 teams have signed up. All proceeds will benefit athletic and Ron Brillhart scholarship funds, with a payout for first, second and third places.

Sponsors for the golf tournament include Scottsbluff Screen Printing, Safetyline Consultants, Roy’s Plumbing and Heating, Runza, Roy’s Plumbing and Heating, Bytes Computer, Linweld and Mary Kay.

For more information on the golf classic or for sponsoring opportunities, contact athletic director Jennifer Pedersen at 308-635-6798 or pedersen@wncc.net. Registration forms can also be downloaded at sports.wncc.net.

WNCC volleyball youth camp date changed, other camps still have openings

Western Nebraska Community College volleyball coach Chris Green made a change on this year’s volleyball camp schedule.

Green changed the dates of the young girl’s skills camp to June 21-22 so it doesn’t run on a weekend. This camp is for girls in grades fourth through sixth grades. The camp will have an afternoon session on June 21 and then two sessions, morning and afternoon, on June 22. Cost is $50, and includes a T-shirt.

The other skills camps for the older girls are 2/3 full. The dates of the camps include July 2-3 for middle school grades, and July 5-6 for high school-age girls. Both camps will have two sessions each day and costs $60 and a T-shirt.

The final volleyball camp is a setter/hitter camp July 9 and 10 for players in the 11^th and 12^th grade. This camp costs $75 and will be an intense camp with a lot of reps and one-on-one instruction. Hitters need to be physically prepared for heavy use of shoulders and legs. This camp is limited to 24 hitters and 12 setters. This camp still has some openings.

Camp registration forms can be downloaded from the WNCC athletic website at sports.wncc.net. For more information on the camp, contact Green at 308-635-6028 or at greenc@wncc.net.

WNCC's Orta signs with the New York Mets

Story submitted by Jeremy Woznick, Star-Herald Sports Reporter For print version, buy the Sunday, May 20 Star-Herald

Ask Phillips Orta who his favorite major league baseball player is and he’s quick to answer Pedro Martinez of the New York Mets.

After being drafted by the Mets in the 10^th round of last year’s draft, Orta is now officially part of the same organization of his idol after signing a seven-year deal with the club Saturday afternoon at Western Nebraska Community College in Scottsbluff.

“This has been a dream all my life and today is a big day for me,” Orta said. “I’m happy to sign with the Mets and I’m thankful for the opportunity. It’s very exciting to be part of their team.”

After being drafted by the Mets in June, Orta decided to return to WNCC for his sophomore season. As the ace of the pitching staff, he helped lead the Cougars to their first regional championship in school history last weekend. WNCC had its season ended just a few wins shy of the JUCO World Series on Thursday in the NJCAA Western District Baseball Tournament.

After returning to his home country of Venezuela to obtain a work visa, Orta will report to the Mets’ minor league headquarters in St. Lucie, Fla., for extended spring training.

According to Larry Chase, area-scouting supervisor for the Mets, Orta will be there until the team breaks camp and he’ll probably end up in short-season rookie ball in Kingsport, Tenn., or the single A team in Brooklyn.

“I’ve had interest in Phillips since the first time I got to see him in the fall of 2005,” said Chase, who is in charge of scouting for the Mets in Nebraska, Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas and Arkansas. “Phillips has the potential to bring three above-average pitches to the table, which can translate into him being a No. 2 or No. 3 starter at the major league level in a few years. The last two years at Western Nebraska he’s learned to control the strike zone, and this year his slider has really improved. He throws strikes and locates his pitches very well.”

Chase, who is in his 17^th year with the Mets and has signed a number of players to big-league contracts most notably A.J. Burnett currently of the Toronto Blue Jays, believes the sky is the limit for Orta.

“The more time he gets on the mound, the better he’s going to get,” Chase said. “I think you’ll see him as one of our bright spots in the New York Mets organization in the next few years.”

Already bolstering a fastball in the low-to-mid 90s, Orta’s development as a pitcher was furthered this year with WNCC as he developed a slider that proved almost un-hittable on a regular basis.

Orta finished the season with an earned average under 2, and led the Cougars in strikeouts and innings pitched.

In the regional tournament in Lamar, Colo., last week, Orta pitched one of his best games of the season in a heart-breaking loss to the tournament’s top seed Trinidad State Junior College. Orta took a 1-0 shutout into the bottom of the ninth inning before the Trojans managed to rally for a 2-1 win on a walk-off home run.

Orta and the Cougars bounced back to reel off five straight wins to win the tournament, including two wins over Trinidad State on Sunday. The tournament-clinching victory saw Orta enter the game and record the save.

“He’s improved a lot since he came here to Western Nebraska,” WNCC coach Mike Jones said. “When he came here, he was a guy with a real live arm. Since then, he’s grown mentally as a pitcher and understands how to control the game. This season he learned how to throw his good slider, especially the last three or four weeks of the season. That completed him as a pitcher.

“It’s been fun watching him develop as just a guy with a strong arm, to a pitcher with the mechanics to control the strike zone and throw three pitches that can dominate a game.”

Orta is the first player to be drafted straight out of WNCC. Francisco Leandro, who played with the Cougars in 2002 and 2003, was drafted by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the 23^rd round of the 2004 draft after transferring to Central Missouri State where he earned NCAA Division II All-American honors.

Western Nevada headed to JUCO World Series

Western Nevada Community College’s Chuck Howard had just at bats in Friday’s championship game of the Western District Baseball Tournament at Cleveland Field. After striking out in the seventh inning, he had the hit that sent the Wildcats to the NJCAA Junior College World Series with a 3-run blast to give WNCC a 13-10 win.

“This win is amazing. This is our first time going to the World Series. We are on the right track right now,” a jubilant Howard said after the game. “We are excited [to be going to nationals] and everyone is ready to go. But, we are not done yet, though.”

Western Nevada came into the Western District tournament as one of the underdogs, a team that is only in their second year. And, now they are headed to Grand Junction, Colo., next week for the World Series. Howard believes they should do well.

“We are deep in pitching and we are coming together hitting,” he said. “So, I think we will do well.”

It took some clutch hitting for the Wildcats to avoid a second game today in the Western District if Central Arizona would have held on for the win. And Howard’s shot was just part of a team win.

Western Nevada exploded out of the gates for a 6-0 lead through three innings behind a 3-run home run by Andy Reid. Central Arizona came storming back scoring seven runs in the fourth and fifth inning to grab a 7-6 lead.

The Vaqueres added another three runs in the seventh behind a 3-run shot to right field by Tony Pechek. It was Pechek’s second home run of the game.

The Wildcats fought back in the eighth inning scoring seven times on five hits. Western Nevada also took advantage of four walks and several passed balls before Howard’s monster hit.

“I was just trying to get a good pitch and trying to do whatever to help the team out,” Howard said of the go-ahead run. “

Western Nevada pounded out 16 hits in the game. Kyle Bondurant went 4-for-5 with four singles and three runs scored to lead the team. Also collecting multiple hits were Clifford Shepard with a 2-for-5 day, including a double; Thomas Miller going 2-for-3 with two RBIs; Reid going 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs; Logan Parsley 2-for-5; and Taylor Mieres going 2-for-4.

Central Arizona also hit the ball with authority with 16 hits, led by Pechek’s 3-for-5 day, including two home runs, three runs scored and five RBIs.

JT Putt also had a home run in the game, a 3-run shot in the fourth inning to lead the Vaqueros.

Western Nevada, 39-22-2, will now advance to the NJCAA Junior College World Series that begin May 26 in Grand Junction, Colo.

Central Arizona 000 430 300 — 10 16 0
Western Nevada 321 000 07x — 13 16 1
WP — TJ Wohlever, Save – Stephen Sauer. LP – Austin Davis. 2B – WNCC (Shepard, Parsley);, CAC (Tooley); HR – WNCC (Howard, Reid), CAC (Pechek 2, Putt).

Brian Joyce takes over men's basketball program

A familiar face to Region IX will guide the Western Nebraska Community College men’s basketball program next season.

Brian Joyce, who was the head coach at Northeastern Junior College from 2002-2006 and spent last year as an assistant at Colorado State University, will take over a Cougar program that has had three head coaches since 2000. He will also teach criminal justice classes at the college.

“I am ecstatic about the opportunity, excited about the future and I am ready to get going,” Joyce said Friday at a press conference. “Having been in the region before, I understand what it takes to compete for a national championship. That is why I am here because I think there is a commitment from the administration, the community and the other sports in the department to excel at a high level and I want to be part of something that is special. I expect to do some great things here, but I know it takes a lot of support from a lot of people to make that happen, and to balance between the athletic and academic side. I expect great things from our program on and off the court.”

Joyce comes to WNCC with an impressive track record. On the court, he served has only the third head coach in NJC history, guiding them to a 97-38 record, including a national tournament berths in 2000 and 2005. His teams were ranked six of seven years in the top 20, and received Street and Smith’s Magazine top 15 rankings in three of the last five years.

He has also proven himself as a top recruiter. At Colorado State last season, he helped sign two junior college all-Americans, a commitment from Mr. Basketball finalist in Colorado, and two players the from No. 4-ranked junior college team in the nation. He has also sent 32 players onto Division I schools and 18 of his players have been starters at the Division I level.

Off the court, his resume is just as impressive. He has had four academic all-Americans and 31 of 33 sophomores have graduated with an associate’s degree.

“I am in this profession because I think you can utilize this game to impact their lives,” Joyce said. “I know that it is a cliché that a lot of people use, but my track record speaks for itself with the loyalty I have from past players. I was fortunate to be under some older coaches along the way that helped me understand the true root of teaching and how coaching fits into that.

“I want the players to know the bar is high and the expectations are there and they are going to have to fight me if they don’t want to achieve that high goal and high expectation both on and off the court. I am committed to them succeeding both on and off the court. We are going to have some struggles and stumbles a long the way, but that is the reality of dealing with college kids. I told them I will be there for them as long as they do what they are suppose to do in the framework of the institution and the framework of our program.”

Joyce has not only excelled on the coaching front, but he was a good player as well. Joyce was a first team all-state selection for La Cueva High in Albuquerque, N.M., where he led his team to a state championship.

He followed that up with two outstanding years at Northeastern Junior College, where he played for the legendary Lowell Roumph from 1991-93. During those years, he scored 801 points and made 108 3-pointers. He was also the school record holder for assists and steals, helping the Plainsmen to 43 wins in two seasons.

After that he played at Idaho State University for one year before transferring to Oklahoma Christian University, where he was nationally ranked in assists, 3-point shooting and free throw shooting.

Joyce said he expects the same passion for the game that he had and still has as.

“My programs have been known as tough, hard-nosed teams. That is how I played,” he said. “They will play with a lot of energy and passion because that is how I coach. I told the [returning Cougar players] last night is that the one thing you can count on me for throughout the whole year and the time you are here, is you are going to have energy and juice from me anything that I am involved in. I expect high energy and passion and that they will play real hard and people will know it will be a difficult game against Western Nebraska.”

Joyce met with returning players Thursday night and will start recruiting. He said they are a little behind in the recruiting cycle, but believes they will field a competitive team.

“I still think we are in a position to field a good team and I have high expectations of that,” he said. “I want to be in a position like I was at Northeastern to have a chance to win a national championship. I think the commitment from the administration is here, the support is here and the support from the campus and community. I want to embrace what is happening in the athletic department and the success the other programs are having and be on par with that and see what special things we can do.”

What attracted Joyce to apply for the head coaching position was WNCC’s rich heritage of success. In fact when he was at NJC, he measured the success of that program with what he did against the Cougars. Now, he will be the barometer measuring success to other programs.

“I understand how important it is to have a foundation and in the last 25 years, Western Nebraska has won more Region IX championships then anybody,” he said. “Knowing that and competing against that, that was the barometer when we were at Northeastern to comparing ourselves to Western Nebraska and how we compete and excel at the level. Having an opportunity to come back to the benchmark and the barometer for the region is exciting for me and I am excited to jump aboard.”

WNCC falls short in bid for College World Series; Western Nevada goes 2-0 in districts

Photos of the Tournament are in the blog below this story
By JEREMY WOZNICK, Scottsbluff Star-Herald Sports Reporter
with contribution by MARK REIN for the second and third games

The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team had its magical season come to an end Thursday in the opening day of the NJCAA Western District Baseball Tournament at Cleveland Field in Scottsbluff.

Fresh off their first regional championship in school history on Sunday, and making their first appearance in the district round, the Cougars dropped both games of the tournament. In the opener, WNCC struggled to get anything going against Central Arizona College starter Josh Spence in dropping an 8-4 setback.

Spence struck out 10 and kept the Cougar hitters off-balance throughout.

In the nightcap, the Cougars dropped an 11-8 decision to Western Nevada Community College.

Western Nevada earned a 5-4 win in Thursday’s other game.

The Wildcats will take on Central Arizona today at 7 p.m. A Western Nevada win would advance the Wildcats into the JUCO World Series, while a win by Central Arizona would set up another meeting between the teams on Saturday at 1 p.m.

WNCC finishes its season with a record of 29-29.

“This team has gone farther than any team I’ve coached,” Western Nebraska baseball coach Mike Jones said. “They’re a special group because of their attitude and their approach to the game. They want to win and they’ve earned every step of it. Nobody gave it to them. It was not easy for them and they earned it.”

In the opener, Central Arizona broke on top against WNCC starter Phillips Orta in the top of the second inning by plating four runs. The big blow was a three-run double by Cade Thompson with two outs.

The Vaqueros increased their lead to 5-0 in the top of the third on a solo home run by Tony Pechek. A ringing single by Christian Johnson on the very next pitch prompted a WNCC pitching change. Eneldis Vazquez replaced Orta on the mound and pitched out of any further trouble.

WNCC managed to get on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fifth when Marco Moreno deposited a Spence fastball over the leftfield fence to make it 5-1. Travis Lindhorst followed with a double down the leftfield line and managed to score a few pitches later on a wild pitch. However, that would be all the Cougars would get in the inning as Spence collected a crucial strikeout to get out of the jam.

Upon entering the game in the third, Vazquez kept the Central Arizona bats in check until the sixth inning when the Vaqueros got three important insurance runs on run-scoring hits by Pechek, J.T. Putt and Jesus Arzaga.

Trailing 8-2 in the ninth, WNCC managed to make things interesting when Daniel Martinez’s single scored both Moreno and Abraham Cervantes to make the score 8-4. But that would be all the Cougars would get as Spence struck out the side to end the game.

In his complete-game win, Spence finished the game throwing 138 pitches. It was his 16^th complete game in 16 starts this season.

Johnson paced the Vaquero offense with four hits, while Pechak and Evan Raley added two each.

Moreno led WNCC offensively with three hits, two runs scored and a run batted in. Martinez added two hits and two runs batted in.

Orta struck out four in two innings of work on the mound for WNCC. In relief of Orta, Vazquez scattered seven hits and struck out four in the final eight innings.

In the second game, the Cougars found themselves down 11-2 after six innings before rallying to make things interesting. The Cougars scored five runs in the seventh on just two hits, including a three-run double by Martinez.

The Cougars plated another run in the eighth to make the score 11-8 when JC Perez singled and scored on an error. That would be as close as Western Nebraska would get as Western Nevada’s Daniel Grubbs shut the door.

“They jumped out to a lead early and kept putting it on us,” Jones said. “We could have easily folded and given up on our season, but this group’s been fighting all season long and they went down swinging until the final out.”

Despite the season-ending loss, Jones credited his ball club for such a great finish to the year.

“We’ve gone through a lot the last two weeks,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of tough ball games, a lot of digging down deep and some of our guys got hurt here down the stretch. Of course, that’s part of the game and that’s what you have to do.

“We got beat by some good teams. They earned their right to be here and they showed why they are here. We faced some really good pitching today and I wish both these teams the best of luck.”

Western Nevada pitchers combined for 11 strikeouts in the game. Justin Garcia registered the win on the mound, while Grubbs recorded the save.

For the Cougars, Cervantes was 2-for-4 with two doubles and two runs scored.

For Western Nevada, Clifford Shepard and Logan Parsley each had home runs. Chuck Howard finished with a triple.

Western Nevada 5, Central Arizona 4
Western Nevada Community College plated a pair of eighth-inning runs to rally past Central Arizona College 5-4 in the second game of Thursday’s NJCAA Western District Baseball Tournament.

Clifford Shepard’s triple scored Kyle Bondurant to tie the game at 4-4 before Shepard scored on a sacrifice fly by Thomas Miller with the game winner.

Daniel Grubbs picked up the win on the mound for Western Nevada out of the bullpen.

Andrew Reid paced the Wildcats offensively with three singles. Bondurant added a pair of hits, including a solo home run in the third inning.

For Central Arizona, Drew Tooley and Tony Pechek each had two hits. Pechek finished with a single and a solo home run in the fifth inning.

Game 1
Central Arizona 041 003 000 — 8 13 1
Western Nebraska 000 020 002 — 4 9 2
WP — Josh Spence; LP — Phillips Orta. HR — Marco Moreno (WNCC), Tony Pechek (CAC); 2B — Travis Lindhorst (WNCC), Drew Tooley, Cade Thompson, Ryan Pilgrim (CAC).

Game 2
Western Nevada 01 011 020 — 5 8 3
Central Arizona 111 010 000 — 4 6 4
WP — Daniel Grubbs; LP — Austin Davis. HR — Kyle Bondurant (WN), Tony Pechek (CAC); 3B — Clifford Shepard (WN); 2B — Cade Thompson (CAC).

Game 3
Western Nebraska (29-29) 110 000 510 — 8 8 2
Western Nevada (38-22-2) 102 341 00x — 11 13 1
WP — Justin Garcia, LP — Chris Cuadra; 2B — W. Neb. (Martinez, Cervantez 2), W. Nev, (Andrew Ferguson); 3B — W. Nev. (Howard); HR — W. Nev. (Shepard, Parsley).

Western District Baseball Photos

Western District Baseball Tournament Photos

Western District Baseball: Central Arizona and Western Nevada bring solid pitching to Cleveland Field

Western District Baseball Tournament
Thursday's Schedule (with pitching matchups)
1 p.m. -- Western Nebraska (Orta) vs. Central Arizona (Spence)
4 p.m. -- Central Arizona (Anson) vs. Western Nevada (Rohrbough)
7 p.m. -- Western Nevada (Garcia) vs. Western Nebraska (Cuadra)
Friday's Schedule (depending on Thursday's action) is at 7 p.m.
Saturday's if necessary game is scheduled for 1 p.m.

Central Arizona College enters the NJCAA Western District baseball tournament will a lot of tradition behind them, including a national championship.

The two WNCC ball clubs – Western Nebraska Community College and Western Nevada Community College – are on the opposite end, with both winning their first regional championship this year.

CAC coach John Wente said while they have won the national tournament before – in 2002 – and six regional titles, but this is actually they have competed in the 3-team district playoff format.

“I think we have to be one of the top junior college baseball programs and we have been very fortunate with some great players,” Wente said. “We [as a school] have been through this before. The kids haven’t obviously, but as a coaching staff we know what this is about. It definitely is not easy and we respect the teams that are here. It is always tough to go on the road and play at someone else’s house. That is a challenge, but it is a challenge that our program needed to make because the last couple of years we missed the playoffs, and it is a challenge to get our program back.”

Western Nevada coach D.J. Whittemore is just building the Wildcat program. This is the second year of baseball at WNCC and they are just glad to be playing for a Junior College World Series berth.

“Central Arizona has one of the best resumes of any team in the country. They have a great history and our program in just in the early stages,” he said. “We are really excited to be here and see how we match up with a couple of the nation’s powerhouses.”

Both teams bring fundamentally sound teams to Cleveland Field today for the round-robin format tournament. Central Arizona, 42-19, open against Western Nebraska at 1 p.m. and then play Western Nevada at 4 p.m. Western Nevada, 36-22-2, will also play Western Nebraska at 7 p.m.

Both coaches see pitching as a key in picking up a district tournament. “Our pitching staff is our strength,” Whittemore said. “We have good starting pitching and we have good depth in our bull pen. We really rely on our pitching and we play good defense behind them.

“In a 9-inning game, you need a good bullpen. We are used to playing 7-inning games and we are used to playing wood bat games, so this will be a different challenge for us. The key element will remain the same in trying to throw the low strike and swing at good pitches.”

The Wildcats enter with a team earned run average of 2.08 with five pitchers with a 2.00 or lower ERA. The team is led by Atlanta Braves’ draft pick Cole Rohrbough, who has a 9-3 record and a 1.31 ERA. He also struck out 113 in 85 innings of work. Rohrbough will get the nod on the mound against Central Arizona. Justin Garcia will get the start in the day’s final game against the Cougars.

Garcia picked up the for the Wildcats in the teams 6-4 win in the regional championship game against Community College of Southern Nevada, where he pitched six scoreless innings.

“Justin was excellent last weekend against CCSN and that had special meaning for him because in grew up in Las Vegas and went to high school there,” the coach said. “He was unrecruited by a community college in southern Nevada, so getting a chance to beat them in a regional championship was very rewarding for him and us.”

Central Arizona will also throw its top hurlers. Josh Spence will get the start against Western Nebraska, while Joe Anson will start against Western Nevada. Both bring sizzling ERAs to the park. Spence (12-3) has a 0.96 ERA with 139 strikeouts, while Anson (6-3) had a 1.92 ERA. As a team, the pitching staff has a 3.23 ERA with 418 strikeouts.

But, Wendt said they are not just solid at pitching, but have been excelling offensively and defensively as well. “We are good at all aspects. We are not great at any one aspect by any means,” he said. “We are pretty good defensively, we can hit the ball a little bit, and we can pitch a little bit. We are not outstanding in any area, but we play very well as a team and we are well coached. My assistant coaches do an outstanding job."

Even though Central Arizona comes into the Western District with a little bit of national tournament swagger in them, everybody realized the title is up for grabs.

“As a team we are very excited to be here because there are three teams left in our district and we are fortunate enough to be one of them,” Wendt said. “All three teams are playing really well right now. For us to win, we need to continue to make the plays defensively, pitch a little bit and score some runs when we need to. Being in this position before, it comes down to the team that executes the best for two or three days.”

Whittemore said they are just excited to be playing in Nebraska.

“We are like the other two teams here, we want to keep playing,” he said. “This group of guys enjoy being around each other, they enjoy the opportunity to play and travel on the road, and hopefully to be competitive this weekend.

“All year our goal was to be playing good baseball at the end of the year and try to get better every day. We have been able to do that to this point, but you are only as good as your next game. We are excited to play two quality teams and give it our best shot.”

MJCAA Western District baseball schedule set for this weekend

Cleveland Field will be filled with exciting baseball action this weekend as Western Nebraska Community College gets set to host the NJCAA Western District Tournament this weekend.

WNCC earned the right to host the 3-team playoff after winning their first Region IX baseball title. The winner of the playoff will advance to the Junior College World Series in Grand Junction, Colo., May 26-June 2.

Western Nebraska will be joined in the tournament by Central Arizona College, the Region 1 winner, and Western Nevada Community College, the Region 18 winner.

Thursday’s action will be a round-robin format with Western Nebraska (29-27) facing Central Arizona (42-19) at 1 p.m. to open the district playoff. Then, Western Nevada (36-22-2) will take on Central Arizona at 4 p.m. The Cougars will then battle the other WNCC team, the Wildcats from Nevada, at 7 p.m. to finish out the day.

Friday’s and Saturday’s action will be determined by Thursday’s results. Friday’s game will be played at 7 p.m. while Saturday’s game will tip-off at 1 p.m.

Admission for the Western District is $6 for adults, and $3 for students, children and senior citizens.

WNCC's Cook, Suarez thrilled with regional title

Western Nebraska Community College’s Carson Cook and Pedro Suarez spent the last three years helping the Cougar baseball team try to win a Region IX title. Sunday’s victories in the regional tournament proved not only extra special for them, but for the team.

“I have been here three years now and this is the best this program has ever done in its history,” the catcher from Fremont said. “It gives us a chance to play together for another week as a family and a team. This is one of the best teams I have ever played on. We mesh together well. I think we will have a good chance at this district championship.”

The WNCC baseball team earned its first Region IX title in convincing fashion defeating Trinidad State Junior College that hard way in two games, defeating the Trojans 11-3 and 14-9 to push their record to 29-27 on the season.

In fact, it was a team effort as they received clutch pitching from starters Eneldas Vazquez and Chris Cuadra. They also pounded the ball with authority, registering 29 hits and 25 runs, including four home runs and six doubles.

Cook and Suarez said they had plenty of motivation, especially after Trinidad pushed the Cougars into the loser’s bracket with a 2-1 defeat on Friday.

“When we lost that game to Trinidad, it kind of killed us, but it also gave us fire,” Cook said. “We just couldn’t stop after that and won every game. Every body was up in the dugouts, every body was hitting, every body was playing great defense, and we just got set on fire. We wanted Trinidad back. We wanted to play them again and we ate them up.”

Suarez said that loss, lifted the team to a new level.

“We knew we just had to go out there and play,” the sophomore from Miami said. “There was no holding back because we couldn’t afford to lose a game. We just went out there to do what we had to do as a team as a whole, and got those two victories.”

What led the team to the victory was their all-around play from pitching, offense to defense. The team committed just two errors defensively on Sunday in 18 innings of play.

"It was a great team effort. The pitching was there. The defense was there. Offensively, it wasn’t just two or three guys; it was everybody getting their hits when they had to, getting on base and manufacturing runs for us.”

In the first game, the Cougars dominated from start to finish, scoring three runs in the second and fourth inning in racking up 12 hits. Daniel Martinez led the team offensively with a 4-for-4 game with a double, four RBIs and a run scored.

JC Perez also collected two hits, while Marco Moreno had a big 2-run home run. Eneldas Vazquez picked up the win throwing seven strong innings, scattering nine hits while striking out 12 and walking four.

Vazquez said the pitching staff held their own. “Winning felt very good and was very important to the team,” he said. “In this tournament we pitched a lot of innings because they were nine inning games. We just tried to do our best and worked hard all the time. We are tired from this tournament. We lost the second game and we worked really hard to win the title.”

The Cougars continued their stellar play in the championship dominating once again from start to finish. WNCC jumped out to a 7-3 lead after two innings and led 10-3 after four. Trinidad made a bold comeback, slicing the lead to 10-9, only to see WNCC score four runs cruise to the 14-9 victory.

WNCC pounded out 17 hits in the win, including five players with multiple hit games. Suarez paced the team with a 3-for-6 performance with two home runs, three runs scored and two RBIs. Perez also finished with three hits, including a home run, three RBIs and four runs scored.

Abraham Cervantez finished 2-for-5 with two doubles, two RBIs and a runs scored, while Vazquez and Richie Stewart each went 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored. Vazquez also had three RBIs.

Cuadra picked up the win going five innings and allowing five hits and six runs. He also struck out two. Phillips Orta picked up the save, going 2 1/3 innings with three strikeouts.

Cook couldn’t say enough about the way the pitchers performed. “Every single pitcher pitched really well. They all did their job,” Cook, who caught nearly 60 innings in the tournament, said. “Pitching is one of our strongest points. We had enough pitching to last the entire tournament. We even could have played a few more games with the pitching we had left.”

First Game
WNCC 030 310 103 – 11 12 1
Trinidad 000 000 120 – 3 11 1
WP – Vazquez; 2B – Martinez, HR – Moreno.

Second Game
WNCC (29-27) 430 300 040 – 14 17 1
Trinidad (34-26) 300 013 200 – 9 8 1
WP – Cuadra, Save – Orta; 2B – Cervantes (2), Vazquez, Perez, Stewart; HR – Suarez (2), Perez.

WNCC baseball celebration Tuesday

WNCC will honor the Cougar baseball team Tuesday, at 9:50 a.m. with a celebration for winning the Region IX baseball tournament this past weekend. The celebration is open to the public and their will be refreshments and announcements made.

Come out and help celebrate the baseball team's first Region IX championship since the program was started in 2001.

WNCC REGION IX BASEBALL CHAMPS

LAMAR, Colo. -- It's official, the WNCC baseball team can call themselves Region IX champs after taking care of Trinidad State Junior College in two games on Sunday in the Region IX tournament in Lamar, Col0.

The Cougars earned the title by defeating Trinidad 11-3 and 14-9. It is the first Regional Championship for WNCC coach Mike Jones and the first for Cougar baseball since the program was started in 2001.

"It is a great feeling. I am extremely proud of these guys," Jones said. "They are an excellent group of people. it shows they care so much and there is no give up in them. I am very proud of them."

WNCC opened the day by beating the Trojans 11-3 behind the pitching of Eneldas Vasquez, who threw eight strong innings. The Cougars held a 7-0 lead after five innings.

That win pushed the Cougars into the if necessary game and they survived with a strong contest against the Trojans. WNCC led 7-3 after three innings before Trinidad sliced the lead to 1 at 10-9 after seven innings. The Cougars then scored four runs in the final innings for the win.

Chris Cuadra picked up the win. while Phillips Orta pitched the eighth and ninth innings to collect the save. The Cougars pounded out 17 hits in the second game.

For the day, the Cougars had four home runs. Pedro Suarez had two, while JC Perez and Marco Moreno each had one.

WNCC will now host the NJCAA District playoffs this week, Thursday through Saturday. Besides WNCC, Central Arizona College and Western Nevada Community College will make their way to Scottsbluff. Western Nebraska will enter with a 29-27 record, while the other WNCC team, Western Nevada, comes in with a 36-22-2 record. Central Arizona will venture to Cleveland Field with a 42-19 mark. Full bracket and times will be announced next week.

Here is a full recap of WNCC's scores in the Regional Tournament
Thursday
WNCC 4, Otero Junior College 3
Friday
Trinidad State 2, WNCC 1
WNCC 9, Lamar C.C. 6
Saturday
WNCC 4, McCook 2
WNCC 11, Northeastern Colorado 6
Sunday
WNCC 11, Trinidad State 3
WNCC 14, Trinidad State 9

Cougar baseball plays for Region IX title

Saturday's Scores
WNCC 4, McCook 2
Trinidad 6, NJC 5
WNCC 11, NJC 6
Sunday's Games
Noon -- Trinidad State vs. WNCC
3 p.m. -- Trinidad State vs. WNCC, if necessary

Special thanks to Jeremy Woznick, of the Star-Herald for taking the phone call.

LAMAR, Colo. — The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team will play for a Region IX championship after picking up two more wins Saturday in the Region IX tournament in Lamar, Colo.

The Cougars earned the right to play for the championship because of some outstanding performances. In the first game on the day, freshman Greg Crowe struck out nine in a 4-2 victory over McCook Community College. WNCC then defeated Northeastern Junior College 11-6 behind a 13-hit attack.

The wins advance the Cougars into a matchup with Trinidad State Junior College today at noon. The Trojans beat NJC 6-5 on Saturday and are unbeaten in the tournament. WNCC will have to beat the Trojans twice today to capture the tournament title.

“These guys have big hearts and they’re going to go out and give it everything they’ve got,” WNCC coach Mike Jones said. “I know they’re going to be tired. It’s going to be tougher on us than it will be on Trinidad, but I like their attitude and I think we have a great chance.”Against NJC, the Cougars erupted for nine runs on eight hits in the third inning to break the game wide open. Richie Stewart’s three-run double was one of a number of big hits in the inning.

Stewart, who went 2-for-4, was one of four Cougar hitters that finished the game with multiple hits. Daniel Martinez led WNCC’s hitting attack with a 3-for-4 performance at the plate, including a double and three runs scored. Pedro Suarez added two hits and two runs scored and Abraham Cervantes finished the game going 2-for-4 with two runs batted in and a run scored.

Todd Stachura pitched eight strong innings to earn the victory on the mound. Stachura struck out eight before Chadron’s Eric Bissonette came out of the bullpen to pitch a scoreless ninth. Against McCook, Crowe didn’t need much offensive support as he struck out a career-high nine McCook hitters in eight innings of work. Dan Bauer worked the ninth to record the save.

Offensively, WNCC scored all four of its runs in the bottom of the second. The inning was highlighted by a run-scoring triple off the bat of Gilbert Gonzalez and a RBI-single from Cervantes. Both players went 2-for-4 in the contest.

Game 1
McCook 000 002 000 — 2 6 1
WNCC 040 000 00x — 4 8 0
WP — Greg Crowe; S — Dan Bauer. 3B — Gilbert Gonzalez.

Game 2
NJC 013 001 010 — 6 8 2
WNCC (27-27) 209 000 00x — 11 13 5
WP — Todd Stachura. 2B — Daniel Martinez, Richie Stewart.

WNCC still alive at regional tournament; defending champs eliminated from tournament

Friday's Scores
Northeastern Colorado 8, Lamar 6 (12 innings)
Trinidad State 2, WNCC 1
WNCC 9, Lamar 6
Saturday's Games
WNCC vs. McCook, 11 a.m.
NE Colorado vs. Trinidad State, 2 p.m.
Winner 11 a.m. vs. Loser 2 p.m., 5 p.m.
Sunday's Games
Championships Noon and if necessary 3 p.m.

LAMAR, Colo. — The Western Nebraska Community College baseball showed plenty of character during the second day of the Region IX baseball tournament in Lamar, Colo., and it was the bat of sophomore Abraham Cervantes, who belted two home runs and five RBIs, to keep the Cougars title hopes alive.

The Cougars opened the day falling in a heartbreaker to Trinidad State Junior College 2-1 in the winner’s bracket on a walk-off 2-run home run. WNCC quickly regrouped by eliminating host and defending champs Lamar Community College 9-6.

WNCC will play McCook Community College today in an elimination game at 11 a.m. If they win, they will face the loser of the Trinidad State and Northeastern Junior College at 5 p.m. The championship is slated for Sunday.

“A lot of teams would have folded after they [TSJC] hit that walk-off home run, but not this group,” WNCC coach Mike Jones said. “We have a group of guys with strong character, big heart, and they came right back and put up four runs in the first inning against the next game.

“Even though we split, I don’t know if it was the best I have ever seen us play, but it might be real close. I saw us play with a lot of heart and I saw us play great defense on both games and we played as a team.

The loss to Trinidad State was a heartbreaker not only for the team, but also for starting pitcher Phillips Orta. Orta went the distance, striking out 11. Trinidad State Jones said it was the best he has seen the sophomore right-hander throw.

The only difference was a two-out walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth that the Trinidad batter took a 1-2 count, slider out of the ball park.

“Our team was just crushed after that game,” Jones said. “But, oh my gosh, it was one of the best ball games I have seen. Their pitcher was good and ours was great.”

WNCC manufactured a run in the seventh inning. Travis Lindhorst led off with a walk and then went to second on a Daniel Martinez bunt. Lindhorst then went to third on a Pedro Suarez groundout, before scoring on a while pitch.

WNCC managed just six hits in the game – all singles. JC Perez was the only Cougar finish with two hits. Trinidad finished with four hits with two coming in the ninth inning.

WNCC quickly rebounded with authority against Lamar Community College, who lost a 12-inning thriller to Northeastern Colorado earlier in the day 8-6. Jones said his team came out hitting, collecting four hits and four runs in the opening inning.

Martinez started things by blasting a double followed by a Suarez single. Suarez then stole sec to put runners in scoring position. Perez came through with a 2-RBI single. Gilbert Gonzalez walked and then Cervantes reached base on an error to score Perez. Marco Moreno then singled in the fourth run.

Lamar came right back with three runs in the second inning to close the gap to 4-3, only to see the Cougars put up three runs in the third inning. Perez started things with a walk followed by a Gonzalez single. Cervantes then delivered a 3-run home run, the first of his two for the game. Cervantes came back with a 2-run blast in the 8th inning to put WNCC up 9-4.

“Abe was the difference in that game,” Jones said. “Abe was huge for us and those home runs carried us to the victory.”

The pitching also was stellar. Jeff McDonald picked up the win striking out eight, while Bauer took the save, while striking out two.

WNCC pounded out 10 hits on the day, led by Cervantes’ 3-for-4 day, which included five RBIs and two home runs. Also collecting extra base hits were Martinez and Suarez each with a double.

Jones said his team needs to keep the offensive cranked in today’s contest against McCook. Greg Crowe will get the start on the mound.

“We need to put up some runs on McCook and keep our offense rolling,” Jones said. “We need to have really good at bats and put up some runs, and give Crowe an opportunity to go out there and pitch.”

Jones doesn’t know what to expect from McCook today.

"I am curious who McCook is going to pitch,” he said. “Their right-hander that beat us at McCook only pitched two innings against NJC [on Thursday] and their left-hander that beat us at McCook has thrown way too much and he is not coming back. I don’t know if he will try to bring the right-hander back or throw someone else that we have beat.”

In other Cougar news, five players were named to the all-region team. Perez was a first-team third-baseman, Suarez first-team outfielder, Richie Stewart first-team first-baseman, Gonzalez second team second baseman, and Carson Cook second team catcher.

First Game
WNCC 000 000 100 — 1 6 0
Trinidad State 000 000 002 — 2 4 0
LP — Orta.

Second Game
WNCC (26-27) 403 000 020 — 9 10 0
Lamar 030 001 011 — 6 7 1
WP – McDonald; 2B — Martinez, Suarez; HR — Cervantes (2).

WNCC baseball team wins opener over Otero

LAMAR, Colo. — Western Nebraska Community College’s Eneldis Vazquez came off the bench and delivered a pinch-hit single to lift the Cougars to a thrilling 4-3 win over Otero Junior College in the first round of the Region IX baseball tournament Thursday.

Vazquez’ came in with the bases juiced in the bottom of the ninth inning and delivered a single to score Marco Moreno from third for the game-winner. Vazquez, though, was just one of the Cougars’ outstanding performances. The others were pitchers Chris Cuadra and Dan Bauer.

WNCC coach Mike Jones said Cuadra had a no-hitter going through four innings before giving up his first hit in the fifth. Cuadra was then rouged up with three runs in the seventh as the Rattlers tied the score. Cuadra finished the game with four strikeouts before he was pulled for closer Dan Bauer.

Bauer then came in and mowed the Rattler hitters down in collecting the win. Bauer allowed one hit, while striking out three.

“Today we did enough to get the win,” Jones said. “Chris pitched really well and controlled them until they were able to get three runs off of him. Bauer then came in and held them down to get the win.”

The Cougars opened the scoring with one run in the second and two in the third. JC Perez got things started in the second with a walk followed by a single by Gilbert Gonzalez. After a double steal, Perez scored on a sacrifice fly.

WNCC opened up their offense in the third inning, where they recorded three of their game-high five hits. Travis Lindhorst and Daniel Martinez led off with back-to-back singles. Richie Stewart followed with a 2-run scoring double to put WNCC up 3-0.

Stewart had the only extra base hit for the Cougars.

WNCC will now face Trinidad State Junior College today at 2 p.m. Jones said the Trojans are a team that has the potential to score a lot of runs. Phillips Orta will get the start on the mound for WNCC.

Other scores in the regional tournament saw Northeastern Junior College defeat McCook Community College 10-2. McCook then came back and eliminated Otero 5-1.

Otero 000 000 300 — 3 5 2
WNCC (25-26) 012 000 001 — 4 5 4
WP — Bauer; 2B — Stewart.