Wildcats

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.

Welcome back, Wildcats. The 2016 spring semester begins today at Western Nevada College. While you’re wandering around campus, make sure to check out the new exhibit in the Bristlecone building’s Main Gallery. Relax after your first day of classes with a tasting sampler at the Feisty Goat Pub. ‘Suds for Seniors’ is a fundraiser for Meals on Wheels and lets you try five of the draft beers on tap. Enjoy the Monday Night Music Series at Sierra Place Senior Living on West College Parkway. Sandi ‘Pipes’ Medley will be singing some jazz favorites.

MONDAY:

This is not just for Western Nevada College baseball but all athletics at WNC:

As this season draws near for WNC baseball, I can’t help but think of the great people, Helaine Jesse Morres and Dr. Carol Lucey just to name a couple of the many major key players, that brought athletics to the college and the hard work they endured and accomplished.

Western Nevada College Baseball continues to add players to the NCAA Division I ranks. Three more players have signed letters of intent. DJ Peters, Josh Mill, and Matt Young have added their names to the long list of players to move on in Wildcats history.

Hello, Carson City. I'm suffering from an internet outage and want to make sure I get this information to you. I truly apologize that it is without my usual links or banter, but my little tablet can only do so much. As always, there is a great time to be had in Carson City, so please take a look at my list, grab your friends and family, and enjoy our great valley!

SATURDAY:

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.

Do you like shopping, Carson City? Check out the Vintage Fair at Du Sorrella downtown. The last Farmers Market of the season is at Third and Curry, so get your fix of fresh fruits, veggies, honey and more before the leaves fall. Wild Horse Children’s Theater is hosting a huge Warehouse and Multi-family sale; if you need a Halloween costume, you won’t want to miss it. The Teixeira Pavilion at Mills Park is where you’ll find the Autumn Earth Spirit Faire with vendors, workshops, and more.

Ready, set, GO! Whether you want to watch camels race, or hot air balloons light up the sky, this is a great weekend in Northern Nevada. If cool cars are more your style, join the Freaks of Nature Car Club at a show and shine in the parking lot of Yogurt Beach in North Carson. It’s root, root, root for the home team as the WNC Wildcats play a double header at Harvey Field.

SATURDAY:

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.

The most veteran-laden squad in Western Nevada College softball program history enters the fall with the confidence and experience to produce success.

Eleven different opponents and a series of intrasquad games highlight Western Nevada College's upcoming fall baseball season. The Wildcats begin their two-month fall scrimmage campaign with intrasquad games on Friday and Saturday at John L. Harvey Field in Carson City.

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.

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.

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.

Just when it looked as if Western Nevada College was going to make a late-inning rally against Salt Lake on Friday night, reliever Jared White had other ideas.

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.

Giving up a three-run edge in the final inning could emotionally deflate a team. College of Southern Nevada's comeback only served as more motivation for the Western Nevada Wildcats on Saturday.
Makaylee Jaussi's sacrifice fly with the bases loaded in the last of the seventh inning lifted the Wildcats to a 5-4 Scenic West Athletic Conference softball victory at Edmonds Sports Complex in the Carson City.

Have you picked your pony yet? The Kentucky Derby is today, but that is far from the only thing running today. Chili on the Comstock is hosting their inaugural Fun with the Runs 5K Saturday at 10 a.m. The 1926 Edwards Motor Car is running, too, and ready for rides at the Nevada Railroad Museum. The wine walk is always a good time, and with Mother’s Day next weekend, it can’t hurt to peruse the shops before you run out of time to pick the perfect gift.

SATURDAY: Kentucky Derby Day:

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.

The Genoa Cowboy Festival is just starting, and I suspect that’s where Calamity Jane would be spending her birthday. If not there, than maybe up in Virginia City: today marks the first ‘Flashback Friday’ of the year, when all of the museums have free admission. Tonight she could catch some laughs at Carson Comedy in the Nugget or at the Brewery Art Center for First Friday Improv. Saturday she'd likely trade in her six-shooter for a wine glass, because it is Wine Walk Weekend.
FRIDAY:

• ’Drink One for Dane’ Muscular Dystrophy Association Fundraiser at Dutch Bros Coffee
• Genoa Cowboy Festival: A variety of daytime events are FREE at the Cowboy Festival including: Chautauquas, Living History Tours, Musical Performances, Cowboy Poetry, Melodramas, and Historical Reenactments

After dropping two of the first three games to Snow College by two runs or less, the Western Nevada College softball team found the winning formula in the series finale Saturday in Ephraim, Utah.

WNC outscored Snow, 7-4, to avoid the series sweep in Ephraim, Utah. The win followed 2-0, 11-4 and 6-5 defeats to the Badgers on Friday.

With the victory, WNC remained in fourth place in the SWAC standings with a 14-21 record - one and a half games ahead of Snow. The Wildcats improved to 19-26 overall, with four games remaining against College of Southern Nevada.

Sophomore Day for the Western Nevada College baseball team brought a cold morning rain and a little hail from the skies above, as well an emotionally charged effort by the Wildcats, playing their final home game of the regular season Saturday at John L. Harvey Field in Carson City.