This weekend, the Cougar softball team will be back on that same field as they host the WNCC Classic to signify the start of the fall season. Action begins Friday night and runs all day Saturday with two-year and four-year teams from Wyoming, Nebraska and Utah taking part.
WNCC coach Maria Winn-Ratliff said the focus of the tournament is to gain experience for this year’s team that features just four players back from last year’s championship team that went 54-10.
“We are not trying to focus on what the team did last year,” she said. “We are only trying to focus on what this team is capable of doing.”
The Cougars will play two games each day, beginning with Weber State University Friday at 5 p.m. WNCC will also battle the University of Wyoming at 8:30 p.m. Weber State and Wyoming will battle at 6:45 p.m.
Saturday action begins at 8 a.m. with seven games scheduled with Wyoming meeting Weber State to kick things off.
Other games include Chadron State College facing Weber State at 9:45 a.m., Chadron State meeting North Platte at 11:30 a.m., Wyoming taking on North Platte at 1:15 p.m., Chadron State facing Wyoming at 3 p.m., WNCC meeting Chadron State at 4:45 p.m., and WNCC taking on North Platte at 6:30 p.m.
Winn-Ratliff said this year’s WNCC fall classic looks to be a competitive 2-day tournament.
“Chadron just continues to get better,” she said. “I really don't know a whole lot about Weber State except that they were very good last year. Wyoming always comes to play hard and North Platte is always scrappy and finds ways to win.”
But all eyes will be on this year’s Cougar squad, which features four returners and 16 new faces to the team. Kelsey Garner, of Regina, Saskatchewan, leads the returners. Garner set practically every pitching record a year ago while being named a NJCAA all-American. The other three returners include Alec Voci and Mandy Pounds of Colorado Springs, Colo., and Lauryn Smith of Berthoud, Colo.
Five of the newcomers come from north of the border. They include Casey Simpson of Nokomis, Saskatchewan, Adena Hagen of Birch Hills, Saskatchewan, Karleen Crone of Annaheim, Saskatchewan, Christy Degano of Surrey, Britsh Columbia, and Jaclyn Bourdon, of Duck Lake, Saskatchewan.
The other members of the squad include Brenda Hearn of Tijeras, N.M., Hannah Strauss of Arvada, Colo., Megan Burditt of Las Alamos, N.M., Stephanie Townsend of Roosevelt, Utah, Tiffany Lookabill of Spokane, Wash., Alyssa Hickey of Boulder, Colo., Kelly Pearson and Tonya Alencio of Denver, Colo., Katie Groves of South Jordan, Utah, Brittany Chacon of Broomfield, Colo., and Sofia Gomez of Riverton, Utah.
Winn-Ratliff said with this many newcomers it is hard to compare teams, but the talent is there to possibly repeat as champions.
“Offensively when it all come together, I think they will be the strongest offensive team we have had at WNCC,” she said. “We are very deep all the way around and have lots of competition for each position.”
Admission for the tournament is $5 for adults and $3 for children.
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