Coyotes baseball puts six on board

Thursday, Nov. 11, 2004 | 8:53 a.m.

Kyle Price attended Oklahoma's 28-13 football victory against Texas Tech at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on Oct. 2. Chris Siewert, Ryan Tabor and Mike Dunn watched Tennessee beat Florida, 30-28, in Neyland Stadium on Sept. 18.

Los Angeles, the University of Southern California baseball program and a juicy prime rib, and not necessarily in that order, persuaded Shawn Olsen to give the Trojans an oral commitment.

Those were just some of the recruiting experiences for six Community College of Southern Nevada baseball players who signed written commitments to Division I programs Wednesday to start the NCAA's early-signing period.

Olsen, a native of Provo, Utah, who left Salt Lake Community College to get more exposure at CCSN, became the first Coyote to sign with prestigious USC in the five-year history of coach Tim Chambers' program.

"I fell in love with it while I was there," he said. "We ate at one of the nicest places I've ever eaten, and they put me up in a place 10 stories high, with a view of the Hollywood Hills."

Under Chambers, who guided CCSN to an NJCAA national championship two seasons ago, 51 CCSN players have received D-I scholarships.

His latest group that will continue playing college ball, if professional offers aren't adequate next spring, includes Jesse Craig, a pitcher from Basic High who signed with BYU.

Siewert, a shortstop/outfielder, gave his oral commitment to Tennessee soon after he returned to Nevada. Tabor, a Green Valley High graduate who made his stint at UNLV last season a short one before landing at CCSN, followed suit.

Dunn, a pitcher/outfielder who moved to Las Vegas with his family from Farmington, N.M., before his senior year at Cimarron-Memorial High, chose Texas A&M, where longtime friend Kyle Nicholson pitches.

Siewert first met Chambers at Bishop Gorman, where Chambers coached, during his freshman year at high school. But Chambers left for CCSN before Siewert's sophomore year, when he made the jump to varsity.

"He always told me and my parents that he wanted me to play for him," Siewert said. "I didn't get a chance to play for him in high school, so I came here. It was the best thing I could have done. He has always worked his butt off for us."