CSN rolls into regional baseball tournament

Opponents know if they’re going to beat the College of Southern Nevada, they better do it in the first six innings.

Give the Coyotes a lead and let them turn over the baseball game to their bullpen, and it’s almost as good as over.

What’s easy to overlook about CSN, however, is its hitting. And it’s that hitting that has helped the Coyotes go on a tear to earn home-field advantage in the Region 18 tournament at Morse Stadium.

The top-seeded and eighth-ranked Coyotes (41-15) open play at 3:30 p.m. today against the winner of the play-in game between fourth-seeded Southern Idaho (29-22) and No. 5 Colorado Northwestern (14-32). After that opening game at noon, the tournament goes to a double-elimination format.

CSN coach Nick Garritano would love to capture the tournament and ensure home-field advantage for next week’s district tournament, but he said the primary goal is to win two games this week to guarantee a spot in that tourney. The top two teams from this tournament advance.

A 19-10 start to the season might have had Garritano wondering if the Coyotes would reach this point.

“On the offensive side, I saw there was some pressing going on,” Garritano said. “There were some guys trying to do a little too much and not be who they are, and I think that sort of hurt us.”

The turning point occurred March 19 after a 7-0 loss to Southern Idaho. Garritano challenged his team to not lose a series the rest of the season.

CSN didn’t, winning the next three games against Southern Idaho to begin a season-ending run that included 22 victories in 27 games, winning all seven of its final series.

“We knew how much talent we had, so we had high expectations coming into the season,” said first baseman Ali Deolarte, who is batting .317 with 25 RBIs. “It was just a matter of timing and how much confidence we had to know we were good enough as a team to get going.”

CSN enters the regional hitting .286, tops in the Scenic West Athletic Conference.

“One through nine, our hitters can get the job done,” said second baseman Tyler Brown, who leads the Coyotes with a .326 average and 33 RBIs. “A lot of lineups can’t say that.”

It doesn’t hurt that the Coyotes also lead the SWAC in pitching with a 2.88 ERA. Four pitchers have ERAs below 2.00, including ace right-hander Phil Bickford, who is 8-1 with a 1.48 ERA. Bickford also has 138 strikeouts in 73 innings.

As the No. 10 overall draft pick in 2013 by the Toronto Blue Jays, the Cal State Fullerton transfer is the face of CSN baseball and the anchor of the starting rotation.

But the key has been the work from the bullpen. Right-handers Josh Nuernberg (3-1, 1.53 ERA) and Alec Hutt (4-2, 1.64) have combined for 13 saves.

“I like our chances more than any year we’ve had because I feel like we’re the deepest we’ve ever been from top to bottom on our staff,” Garritano said. “We really feel that we can shorten up a nine-inning game with the back end of our bullpen that we have, so it takes a little bit more of the pressure off the starters, knowing they don’t have to go seven or eight innings.”

CSN has the makings to go on a deep postseason run, and this is a program with history, having won the 2003 national championship and appearing in the 2010 junior college World Series.

The Coyotes are just getting back to that level of play after being penalized in 2010, losing 20 scholarships over a two-year period because of rules violations committed under previous coach Chris Sheff. Garritano figured it would be a four- to five-year rebuilding process, and this is his fifth season.

“It hasn’t been an easy ride out here by any means,” Garritano said. “So I’m hoping this team can get us to the promised land and get to that national tournament and make these last three or four years of headaches sort of worth it.”

Contact Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow him on Twitter: @markanderson65.

.....We hope you appreciate our content. Subscribe Today to continue reading this story, and all of our stories.
Limited Time Offer!
Our best offer of the year. Unlock unlimited digital access today with this special offer!!
99¢ for six months
Exit mobile version