CCSN baseball team ranked 16th nationally

Spencer Patterson

Thursday, Jan. 25, 2001 | 10:57 a.m.

When a program posts a 47-10 record and earns a playoff berth in its inaugural season, what can it do for an encore?

The Community College of Southern Nevada's second-year baseball team is about to find out. And this time around, the Coyotes won't have the luxury of playing without pressure from the outside world.

"Last year, the only people that had expectations were my team and myself," CCSN coach Tim Chambers said during his club's Media Day festivities Wednesday. "Any other expectations were probably from the negative aspect, people who were shocked we went .500.

"Now, with the success we've had, the expectations will be big and that's tough," Chambers continued. "We're only 18 months in, and people are talking about us having a chance to go to the World Series."

With an improved roster that features most of last year's key players along with several promising newcomers, the Coyotes enter the 2001 season ranked 16th in the nation. And though Chambers said it's too early to start thinking about an appearance in the Junior College World Series, he would like to see his club advance past the Region I Tournament, where CCSN's season ended in 2000.

"Our goal isn't to win 48 games because we won 47 last year. It's to advance farther in postseason," Chambers said. "We've seen what the top teams in the country look like, and we're more mature, more focused and this year, the leadership is there."

Offered sophomore first baseman Joe Wagner: "Last year, we were going in blind, especially in the regional tournament in Arizona. This year, we're going into it with a plan. We have high expectations to live up to, but I think that's good."

The Coyotes begin their 62-game schedule Saturday with a doubleheader Saturday, beginning at 10 a.m. at the Henderson campus' Lied Field. Sophomore Nate Fouts (8-0, 4.27 last year) will likely start game one, with sophomore Amad Stephens (5-2, 4.24) the probable starter in the nightcap.

Though the team's lineup is not set in stone, Chambers said freshmen Tommy Rojas and John Caruso will split time behind the plate, with Wagner (.394, 11 homers, 61 RBIs), freshman second baseman Chris Hansen, sophomore shortstop Ben Quinto (.342, 55 runs) and sophomore third baseman John DiBetta (.429, 75 RBIs) beginning the year as the starting infield.

Sophomore Jon Slack, the team's leading hitter with a .446 batting average last year, will start in center, with sophomores Nick Didier, Jason Habel, Eric Kitchen and freshmen Landon Minear and Andrew D'Angelo all seeing time in the outfield. Sophomore Brent Tarbett and freshman Ronnie Burkey will see the bulk of the at-bats at DH.

Joining Fouts and Stephens in the pitching rotation will be sophomores Shane Clatterbuck (3-2, 3.86, five saves), Justin Mosier (5-2, 2.65) and Eric Kilby (6-0, 3.34), along with freshman Rejino Gonzalez. The team will also await the return of sophomore Ryan Myers, who is finishing a rehab stint for an arm injury.