Graham Blog: National Power WNC Baseball Produces More NCAA Talent

National power Western Nevada College Baseball continues to make more splashes in the NCAA Division I rank. Evan Parker, Mike Umscheid, and Brandon Show have already signed letters of intent to play at 4 year colleges starting in the fall of 2013. This will put the number of WNC Baseball players to move onto higher levels at 95 in just seven seasons.

Evan Parker (6’2” 215 lbs.) Sophomore 2nd year WNC Player: Evan has worked extremely hard to get where he is at today. He will be looked at by Western Nevada to be a leader on the pitching staff as well as the team to take them back to Grand Junction, CO and the JUCO World Series. He was the most recent to sign.

Last year Parker took advantage of the little playing time he did get as a freshman and finished the year with this line: 2.79 ERA, 1-0 record, 9.2 IP, 7 H, 5R, 3 ER, 7 BB, 13 SO. He also excelled in the classroom at Western Nevada by making it onto the Dean’s List. Parker is from Ogden, Utah and will be taking his talents back to his home state to play for Dixie State in St. George next fall.

Dixie State plays in the PacWest Conference in the NCAA Div II. The head coach of Dixie State Chris Pfatenhauer had this to say: “Evan is a power arm that pitches in the high 80’s to low 90’s. He pitches in a program (Western Nevada) that is nationally respected for the pitchers it produces, especially right handed power arms. Evan could come in and compete for our closer role right away in ’13-’14.”

Brandon Show (6’2” 180 lbs.) Sophomore 2nd year WNC Player: Brandon Show will be another focal point in the Wildcats pitching staff this year. He, along with Parker, will be looked upon as leaders with the pitchers.

Show finished last year in a Wildcats uniform with this line: 4.05 ERA in 13 appearances he recorded 3 saves, and struck out 14 while walking 8 in 13.1 IP. Show worked out of the Wildcats’ bullpen last year but will likely move into the starting rotation in the spring. He figures to have a more prominent pitching role this season. As a freshman, he tossed 13 1/3 innings and struck out 14.

Show’s role along with Parker’s was limited due a supremely loaded pitching staff that included a fifth-round draft choice who signed with the Cleveland Indians organization in Dylan Baker, as well as Andrew Woeck (NC State), Brandon Jackson (Oregon State), Anthony Consiglio (NMSU) and Tyler Spencer (NMSU).

Show signed with San Diego University to play there next fall. Show is grateful for the signing this early by saying: “I don’t have to worry about where I’m going next year, just focus on playing now.” DJ Whittemore chimed in on his pitcher: “Brandon has been patient, worked very hard and done everything we’ve asked,” Whittemore said. “He went out this summer and put a great effort into getting better, and got tremendous results.” ”Show increased the velocity on his fastball 2 to 4 mph to 94 mph and raised his slider to 82 mph. He has the makings of a dominant Scenic West Conference pitcher.”

Mike Umscheid (6’3” 200 lbs.) Sophomore 2nd year WNC Player: Mike burst onto the Wildcats’ scene last year as a freshman and became a go-to guy for Whittemore. He played in 61 games while starting 47 of them. He played the corner infield spots, as well as the outfield. In those 61 games, he quickly showed that he has a bat that can hit for a high average. Umscheid hit a .331 average (3rd on the team in 2012) with 51 hits in 154 at-bats. In those 51 hits he had 9 doubles, 4 triples, 1 home run while driving in 23 runs and scoring 28 runs himself.

Here is what DJ Whittemore had to say about Mike after his signing: “He’s a complete player who really takes pride in his work habits. He’s a great student, very coachable, and a great leader. He’s a Wildcat to the core.” Mike will be playing for Kansas State University next fall.

Here is my personal take on all this: These three players are great people, who go to class and work hard on the field and in the classroom. They have fun, and are good teammates. I have met all three of the players’ families, and they are outstanding people. I will miss these guys when they move on. Each year it gets harder and harder for me to watch them go but I’m excited to see what they do in the higher levels. I look forward to having more fun with all three of them as well as the rest of the team and families. All three are big keys to the Wildcats’ success next spring.

Let me tell you something: Broadcasters are members of the team; we live and die with them. We talk with them day in and day out. Go out to breakfast, lunch, and dinner with them during the season while on the road. We get rides with them to the airport. We ride on the buses with them and spend a lot of those 7-8 hours talking if we are not sleeping. This does not even mention the plane rides and van rides.

This is my pitch to you all: Come out and see this team. It has amazing talent that is also a National Power. Look for the Wildcats to make a big push and make another trip to Grand Junction, CO in May. You never know you could be seeing a future fifth round draft pick or higher play right here in Carson City.

Trust me, DJ knows what he is doing when he puts a team on the field. It will only be the best. What else could you want? I know President Dr. Carol Lucey, Athletic Director John Kinkella, along with the rest of the school community are very proud at what this program has become, and what it means to this school.

— Writer Chris Graham is a play-by-play baseball announcer for Western Nevada College. He can be reached at wncvoice@gmail.com and you can follow him on Twitter here.