LOOKING IN ON: CCSN BASEBALL

By Rob Miech (contact)

Thursday, April 26, 2007 | 7:04 a.m.

Morse Stadium will have custom trimmings when the College of Southern Idaho visits to decide the Scenic West Athletic Conference this weekend.

The Community College of Southern Nevada (36-15, 26-10 in the SWAC) trails CSI (39-12, 27-9) by a game, an edge that CSI gained by sweeping a four-game series from the Coyotes in Boise this season.

CCSN hopes to return the favor in doubleheaders on Friday and Saturday at Morse, although the Coyotes can win the regular-season title - and home-field advantage in the league playoffs next week - by beating CSI three times.

CCSN coach Tim Chambers believes his team will have a considerable advantage this weekend on its own field, where it's 15-1 this season. It will be cut much shorter, and play much faster, than Southern Idaho.

"They have long grass that gobbled up (balls)," Chambers says of CSI's field. "It should be in the 90s here this weekend, and we're cutting ours to half an inch. It will play faster than AstroTurf.

"If you're not used to that, it affects you."

A switch

Usually, Chambers goes into weekend doubleheaders with a set four-man pitching rotation. This week, he will go with a two-man rotation, setting a premium on winning both games Friday.

In that first doubleheader, Chambers, if he needs to, will use every pitcher except Tyler Lavigne, an ace reliever whom Chambers plans to start Saturday.

Lavigne, a 6-foot, 180-pound right-hander from Centennial High, has sparkled this season. He leads the SWAC with an 0.67 earned-run average, and he's 6-2 with five saves. He has struck out 48, walking 13, in 40 innings.

Foes are hitting .147, with only three extra-base hits, against Lavigne, who hits 90 mph on the radar gun.

"He locates his fastball," Chambers says, "and his breaking ball is really, really good."

Mercy, mercy

Last weekend at Salt Lake Community College , CCSN was drubbed, 11-0 by the mercy rule, in the first game. It won the next two, then dropped the nightcap of the second doubleheader, 3-1.

But that fourth game was moot - win or lose that one, the Coyotes knew they'd win the SWAC by beating CSI at least three times this weekend.

What about that 11-0 deal?

"It just got away from us," Chambers says. "Bases were loaded and they got a double, the next guy doubled and, before we could blink, we were down 6-0, then 7-0."

Short hops

Freshman first baseman Tylien Manumaleuna's home-run stretch of seven in nine games ended at Salt Lake, although he missed getting one by about 6 inches. Chambers says that liner almost knocked the outfield wall down ... Kyle Bostick, a freshman catcher/infielder from Silverado High, collected six hits at Salt Lake ... Continuing elbow problems probably will keep freshman lefty pitcher Andy Jangard on the bench for the rest of the season. He had been on the shelf for about six weeks until he made a relief appearance two weekends ago.