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Western Nevada College quickly put a season-opening baseball loss to South Mountain Community College behind it on Sunday.

A day after collecting just three hits, the Wildcats of Carson City totaled 18 hits, including three home runs, in a 15-5 rout of the Cougars in Phoenix.

DJ Peters, Justin Mannens and Daniel Nist each homered and combined for 10 hits and nine RBI as the Wildcats made amends for a 6-3 defeat to the Cougars on Saturday.

"It was an incredible offensive explosion," said WNC coach D.J. Whittemore.

Through the first four innings of the 2016 baseball season, Western Nevada College played the type of baseball associated with the program's 10 previous winning seasons.

But the Wildcats of Carson City couldn't hold a three-run lead against South Mountain Community College in their season opener Saturday in Phoenix. WNC pitchers struggled to throw mid-game strikes, leading to a 6-3 comeback victory by the Cougars.

Western Nevada College entered the 2016 softball season with great expectations, and the Wildcats supported those high aspirations with a 5-4 upset of nationally ranked Pima Community College on Friday morning at the College of Southern Nevada Kickoff Classic in Henderson.

They have come from as far as 5,341 miles away to play for the Western Nevada College baseball team in 2016.
WNC coach D.J. Whittemore's roster includes players from Wilrijk, Belgium; Kingsport, Tenn.; Seattle, Wash.; Fort Collins, Colo.; Park City, Utah; and Glendora, Calif.

The Western Nevada College 2016 softball team is poised to accomplish what no other Wildcat team before it has done: post a winning season and compete on equal footing with the Scenic West Athletic Conference's top teams.

By the end of last season, the Wildcats were capable of beating any team in the SWAC with a predominantly freshman lineup. They won a program-best 23 games, posted their first winning record at home and won two games in the Region 18 tournament.

Now begins the offseason of baseball. Probably just as exciting as the regular season itself. With all of the trades and signings going on it really is Christmas for baseball fans to see what will be in store for baseball in 2016. I am here to talk about the potential rule changes that could be discussed and subsequently changed for the upcoming season.

Clouds lifted lazily over the pine nut mountains as Old Glory floated in the breeze. The smell of peanuts and popcorn caught noses with delightful surprise as foot long hot dogs tempted resolves with their sizzle and pop. The sounds of John Fogerty’s Centerfield crackled through the speakers and soon Whitney Houston’s 1991 version of the Star Spangled Banner would bring players and spectators alike to a standing salute.

Even though plans are in place to eliminate the Western Nevada College baseball and softball programs after the 2016 season due to funding shortfalls, most of the incoming freshman recruits plan to honor their letters of intent.

Given two prior opportunities to sign with a Major League Baseball team, former Western Nevada College two-way player Conor Harber couldn't pass up a third.

The Milwaukee Brewers and Harber came to terms on Thursday, July 16, just a day before the deadline to sign amateur players from the MLB Draft in June.

"He was very deliberate," said WNC Baseball Coach D.J. Whittemore. "He's had opportunities to sign in the past and has shown a lot of maturity, paying his dues and working to perform well at the level he's at before jumping to the next level.

The 17th hole at Edgewood Tahoe was the scene of the Korbel Hole-in-One contest Friday at the American Century Championship, bringing together some of the biggest names in sports and entertainment to help raise money for Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care.

STATELINE — Sports stars and celebrities worked out the kinks from tee to green Tuesday during the opening practice round of the American Century Championship at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course at Lake Tahoe.

Among the headliners to warm up and sign autographs at the famed Tahoe South course were defending 2014 champion Mark Rypien, retired New York Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens, American Olympic soccer star Brandi Chastain and first-timer Justin Timberlake.

Two Major League Baseball franchises, including the league's most decorated team, have recently armed themselves with past Western Nevada College pitchers.

The New York Yankees, winners of 27 World Series titles, signed former Wildcat pitcher Cody Hamlin to a free-agent contract on June 23. More recently, the Milwaukee Brewers signed former WNC relief pitcher Evan Parker, and have not yet come to terms with Conor Harber, who starred for the Wildcats on the mound and in the outfield during the 2013-14 seasons.

Conor Harber is batting 1.000 for the Major League Baseball draft since entering Western Nevada College in 2013.
The University of Oregon right-hander was selected in the 16th round by the Milwaukee Brewers on the final day of the draft Wednesday, marking the third straight year that the former Wildcat pitcher and outfielder has been selected.

WNC freshman outfielder DJ Peters was selected for the second time in as many years. The Texas Rangers took Peters in the 36th round. Peters was also chosen a year ago in the 36th round by the Chicago Cubs.

Postseason recognition is pouring in for recent alums of Western Nevada College's baseball program.
Christian Stolo, who pitched for the Wildcats from 2013-14, has been named Mountain West Conference Pitcher of the Year, following his junior season at the University of Nevada, Reno.

There’s one place where NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB rivalries meet annually to settle old scores. The venue: Lake Tahoe. The event: The American Century Championship. At stake: a share in the $625,000 prize purse. The scene: Six days of fist bumps, high fives, autograph signing, photos with fans, laughs galore and some great golf.

A blockbuster lineup of sports legends, all-stars, Olympians and hall of famers plus Hollywood celebrities of film and television will go tee to green July 14-19 at the 26th American Century Championship at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Club.

Sophomore outfielder Jake Bennett became the first Western Nevada College baseball player to win the Scenic West Athletic Conference Player of the Year honor outright when coaches selected their postseason honorees this week.
Bennett joined former Wildcat Brian Barnett, who shared the conference's top player award in 2008.

Western Nevada College freshman shortstop Makaylee Jaussi's speed, defense and productivity at the plate impressed coaches when it came time to name the All-Scenic West Athletic Conference softball teams.
Jaussi was selected to the first team on Wednesday and honored on Thursday during the opening day of the Region 18 Tournament in Taylorsville, Utah.

Shut out through the first six innings by Megan Mello, the Western Nevada College softball team didn't go down without a fight at the Region 18 Softball Tournament on Friday afternoon in Taylorsville, Utah.
College of Southern Nevada's Mello took a four-hit shutout into the final inning, but the Wildcats fought back to score two runs before falling in the elimination game, 7-2.

Western Nevada College had Salt Lake starting pitcher Chris Bradford on the ropes and nearly out of the game in the third inning Thursday night. But Bradford survived the Wildcats' three-run outburst and pitched the Bruins to a 4-3 victory in the Region 18 Baseball Tournament in Henderson.

The Wildcats of Carson City play College of Southern Idaho, which gave eighth-ranked College of Southern Nevada a scare in a 6-4 defeat, at 3:30 p.m. today, Friday, in an elimination game.

Western Nevada College Softball secured a fourth-place seat in the NJCAA Region XVIII Tournament, which continues through Saturday, May 9 at Salt Lake Community College. In the first tournament game the Wildcats faced Snow College who entered the tournament in fifth place. As the higher seed in the tournament, WNC secured the home team advantage.

Two pitchers who are being counted on to deliver postseason victories locked up in a pitchers' duel on Friday at Edmonds Sports Complex in Carson City.

Major League Baseball scouts coming out to see highly touted right-handed pitcher Phil Bickford on Thursday saw a couple of other arms to focus their radar guns on in Henderson.

Western Nevada College sophomore right-hander Max Karnos allowed just one hit through the first six innings and sophomore reliever Connor Zwetsch threw 1 2/3 innings of hitless relief as the Wildcats nearly handed Bickford his second defeat of the season.

Nearly perfect relief pitching was the key to Western Nevada College sweeping a Scenic West Athletic Conference baseball doubleheader from Colorado Northwestern on Saturday in Rangely, Colo.
Sophomore pitcher Max Karnos tossed a one-hitter over five innings of relief as the Wildcats of Carson City won the opener, 6-1, and then Connor Zwetsch and Ty Fox allowed just one hit to the Spartans for the final 6 innings as WNC completed the sweep with a come-from-behind 7-4 victory.

After two weekends on the road against two of the best teams in the nation, the Western Nevada College softball team showed that it knows how to win when the playing field levels. WNC completed a four-game Scenic West Athletic Conference softball sweep of Colorado Northwestern on Saturday at Edmonds Sports Complex in Carson City.

The Wildcats backed the six-hit pitching of Kristina George by lining a homer and five doubles in a 6-3 opening-game victory, then Gabriella Canibeyaz delivered two hits and two RBI in a 7-3 second-game victory.

Western Nevada College Softball plays host to the Spartans of Colorado Northwestern Community College this weekend for a four game series at Edmonds Sports Complex in Carson City. The Wildcats came away from Friday's doubleheader, topping CNCC 8-0 and 11-3.

Although Western Nevada College came away empty in its four-game series with second-ranked Salt Lake Community College on Saturday, the Wildcats demonstrated that their program isn't that far behind one of the nation's best.

Elisha Jahnke one-hit WNC over the first six innings of the opener and the Bruins scored five runs in the middle innings to win 6-1 in Taylorsville, Utah. Jahnke, Baylee Reeves and Lauren Frailey combined on a four-hitter and Raeana Gall knocked in four runs as the Bruins completed the four-game sweep with a 7-1 second-game victory.

The road certainly hasn't been kind to the Western Nevada College baseball team. After a difficult 11-6 loss to Salt Lake on Thursday, a game in which the Wildcats led 6-1 in the seventh inning, WNC didn't take advantage of a three-hitter by sophomore right-hander Max Karnos on Friday.

Western Nevada College's losing softball record certainly can be deceiving. The Wildcats gave second-ranked Salt Lake Community College all it wanted in their Scenic West Athletic Conference doubleheader on Friday at Bruin Field in Taylorsville, Utah.

Salt Lake held off WNC, 7-4, in game two after struggling to a 5-2 victory in the opener. With the sweep, Salt Lake remained in first place in the SWAC at 22-4.

Zac Willis doubled in two runs in the seventh inning and tripled in two more runs in the eighth as Salt Lake City Community College rallied to an 11-6 Scenic West Athletic Conference baseball victory over Western Nevada College on Thursday at Cate Field in West Jordan.

With four Wildcats supplying at least two hits, WNC staked freshman pitcher Matt Young to a 6-1 lead through six innings.

Phil Bickford and his history of being a top-10 selection in the 2013 Major League Baseball amateur draft didn't intimidate Western Nevada College hitters on Saturday in Carson City.
In fact, the Wildcats touched up the right-hander for two hits and a run before fans had completely settled into their seats at John L. Harvey Field.