CSN Coyotes pitcher Austin Raleigh practices at the College of Southern Nevada South campus in Henderson, Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021.
Saturday, Jan. 30, 2021 | 2 a.m.
College of Southern Nevada baseball coaches felt they were in position last season to make a run to the Junior College World Series.
They had a rotation of four pitchers committed to Division I programs, and a lineup that seemed to be peaking. The Coyotes had a 17-8 record with six straight wins when the season was shut down because of the pandemic.
It was a tough blow for a team that was one game away from the series in 2019, losing to eventual national champion Central Arizona College.
“That team was really, really good,” coach Nick Garritano said of the 2020 squad. “They were set up to make a run.”
That run could be coming this season.
The Coyotes host Salt Lake Community College and College of Southern Idaho for a weekend series to open the season of high expectations — they are ranked No. 1 in the preseason by the NJCAA. Prep Baseball Report has them at No. 2.
“It’s really a big honor for the staff, the program and the kids to have that No. 1 next to your name,” Garritano said. “But whenever you are ranked like that in the preseason, it’s going to put a bigger target on your back.”
Garritano senses his team has some of the intangibles to live up to the ranking, raving about the sense of urgency the players show during practice. He said there are no signs of complacency, as those in the program realize the goal is to reach the Series in Grand Junction, Colo., and finish No. 1 at the end of the season.
The roster is loaded from top to bottom, the coach said.
Pitchers Josh Swales, whose fastball tops out at nearly 97 mph, and Arizona commit Kris Bow are ranked as two of the top 10 junior college prospects by Perfect Game. Seven CSN players are in the top 100.
The position players are also of quality, including infielder Damiano Palmegiani, who is also committed to Arizona, Austin Plante, who hit .344 with 22 RBIs in 20 games last season, and Jacob Godman, a bounce-back player from UNLV who was a state champion at Palo Verde High School.
Also, Johnny Cuevas, who is committed to Cal State-Fullerton, is one of the nation’s top two-way players. He sports a 10-1 career pitching record with a 2.23 earned run average, and .429 slugging percentage with 50 career runs in 61 career games in the field. And freshman Trey Frahm from Nebraska turned down a spot at Kansas State for CSN with hopes of being picked in June’s MLB Draft.
The team has a heavy influence of locals, such as John Howard Bobo (Basic Academy), outfielder Joseph Walls (Rancho), outfielder Dax Fellows (Silverado) and shortstop Colby Smith (Desert Oasis).
CSN games are closed to the public because of the pandemic.
