Coyotes lick wounds after extra-long playoff season

Rob Miech

Tuesday, May 16, 2006 | 7:48 a.m.

2000 47-10

2001 52-9

2002 42-17

2003 55-10*

2004 39-20

2005 46-14

2006 13-45**

Total 294-125

* won the National Junior College Athletic Association World Series title

** includes the forfeiture of 27 victories

In the end, what amounted to a seventh playoff week proved to be too much for the Community College of Southern Nevada to overcome.

The loss of Cole Miles punctuated the Coyotes' demise.

A speedy freshman from Utah, Miles attempted to swipe second base Wednesday in the third inning of CCSN's Region 18 tournament opener in Carson City when the Southern Idaho shortstop stepped on his left hand.

All four of Miles' fingers were dislocated, five bones were chipped and a cut required five stitches.

"Without that guy, we have no chance," CCSN coach Tim Chambers said. "We could have won a game or two. No way we win the whole thing."

The Coyotes lost that game, 5-0. Up at 5:45 a.m. the following day for an 8 a.m. game in the losers' bracket, CCSN lasted 12 innings before losing to Eastern Utah, 6-5.

An injury- and forfeit-filled season officially ended for the Coyotes at 13-45. The National Junior College Athletic Association, after a random audit, in March docked CCSN 27 victories for using two ineligible players.

Chambers was hit with bad news even before the seventh season of the program started, when budget cuts forced him to release longtime pitching coach Glen Evans.

New pitching coach Steve Chatham, who played on Cal State Fullerton's 1995 national championship team, and Chambers struggled with the pitching staff.

"I thought I mismanaged our bullpen all year long because of that," Chambers said. "That was big. In 70 percent of the games, I was trying to figure out how I wanted to manage my bullpen and starters."

Then Bryce Massanari and pitcher Andy Jangard were lost to injuries.

After that came the forfeits, which forced the Coyotes to rally for six weeks - on the road - just to squeak into the conference playoffs.

"I've never had that many things happen," said Chambers, who coached at Bishop Gorman High School before starting the CCSN program. "I thought we had enough to be competitive, but we were hanging on a rope for six weeks.

"Everything wore us down. We were down to 20 guys at the end of the season, and that's not enough to win the (league) tournament let alone a national championship."

Chambers received some scholarship funding that he had lost, so the news wasn't all sour.

He conducted exit interviews with his players Monday .

"Back to the drawing board," he said. "We'd never been through so much, but I'm proud of my guys, just to get back in it and have a chance to win at the end."