CCSN showing amazing perfection on diamond

Steve Guiremand

Friday, March 16, 2001 | 10:26 a.m.

At first glance, the Community College of Southern Nevada's record just has to be a misprint.

28-0?

As tough as it is to win 28 straight games in any team sport, baseball might be the toughest. After all, just one bad hop or one hanging curveball or one hot opposing pitcher is all it takes for a team to taste defeat.

But in just their second year of existence, Tim Chamber's CCSN Coyotes have done the unthinkable on their brand new state-of-the-art diamond in Henderson.

Twenty-eight games. Twenty-eight victories.

"It is pretty incredible to be (28-0)," Chambers admitted before a recent practice. "I mean, going (28-0) in baseball is tough even if you're playing the Children of the Blind."

Let the record show that none of the Coyotes' wins has come against the Children of the Blind. Or Joe's Meatpacking Plant. Or any other creampuff opponent.

The Coyotes won both of their games against then fifth-ranked Dixie College by scores of 18-2 and 11-0. They swept a three-game series against the team that knocked them out of last year's National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region 1 playoffs, 17th-rated South Mountain Community College of Phoenix. They've also beaten respected western junior college programs such as Arizona Western, Snow College and College of Southern Idaho.

CCSN also won the McDonald's Slugout in Twin Falls, Idaho, two weeks ago.

"It was an all-wood bat tournament, too," Chambers said. "That was different for our kids because we swing aluminum bats. It was freezing cold and we were using wood bats and we still put some runs up on the board."

How cold was it?

"One game it was 18 degrees," Chambers said. "And we played one seven-inning game and it snowed the entire seven innings. I think the warmest it got for any of the four games we played up there was 30 degrees."

This weekend the Coyotes host longtime Southern California power Fullerton Junior College in a four-game series starting with a 7 p.m. game today. The teams play a doubleheader on Saturday starting at 11 a.m. and conclude their series Sunday with another 11 a.m. contest.

Among the other teams visiting in the next few weeks are Mount San Antonio College of Walnut, Calif., and Los Angeles City College.

"It's important for people to understand that just because we're beating up on people doesn't mean we're not playing anybody," said Chambers, who left Bishop Gorman High School to start the CCSN program. "We did play a semi-soft schedule last year (when the Coyotes went 47-10) primarily because I got the job in June and we just played who we could get. This year we tried to make the schedule tougher. We're playing everybody."

And beating them, too.

"I don't think anybody expected to be undefeated at this point," CCSN center fielder Jon Slack said. "It's such a phenomenal thing. But we just come out each day and play hard and play together and try and keep it rolling. We just take it day by day."

Chambers has built his juggernaut mainly with local prep talent.

Slack, who prepped at Green Valley High School and was a 48th-round draft pick of the Toronto Blue Jays, is the leadoff hitter and is batting a team-high .493. He already has scored 41 runs in just 27 games and has 15 stolen bases.

Infielder/outfielder Eric Kitchen, a sophomore from Durango High who transferred to CCSN after a year at College of Southern Idaho, is hitting .434 with 33 RBIs while another Durango product, sophomore infielder John DiBetta, is hitting .415 and leads the team in doubles (15) and RBIs (38). He has signed a letter of intent with Texas Tech and was a 15th-round draft pick of the Padres.

Chambers said a key to his team's success has been its defense, particularly the play of sophomore Ben Quinto (signed with University of San Diego) and a pair of talented freshman catchers, Tommy Rojas of Silverado and John Caruso of Chaparral.

The pitching staff has been anchored by sophomore Nate Fouts (5-0, 1.54 ERA, 46 strikeouts in 35 innings) of Bishop Gorman and sophomore closer Shane Clatterbuck (4 saves) of Chaparral.

"I know it sounds cliche-ish, but it really has been a team effort," Chambers said. "To put together a streak like that, it would have to be that way."

Hosei University previously tied NCAA opponents UNLV 2-2 on Wednesday and USC 4-4 earlier in the year. Hosei also played Cal State Fullerton, a Top10 team, earlier this season and lost by one run.

Leading the 19-hit Coyote attack was Jon Slack, who went 3-for-4. John DiBetta, Nick Didier, and Tommy Rojas added two hits apiece for the Coyotes.