It wasn't the storybook ending the Western Nevada College baseball team was hoping for, but the Wildcats' second-place finish in the NJCAA Region 18 tournament was one more feather in the team's already well-decorated cap.
"While our season ended this weekend, some amazing things happened this year," said Head Coach DJ Whittemore. He ticked off an impressive list for the five-year-old program: "This year's 43 wins were the second most in program history, our16-game winning streak was the longest ever; the 91 wins for our sophomore class makes them the winningest in program history; and we finished ranked Number 10 in the country,"
marking the third time in four years that the Wildcats finished the year in the Top 10.
"Although we lost the regional championship game we still feel as though our team competed with a great deal of integrity and fought every pitch of the tournament," Whittemore said. "I couldn't be prouder of the fight in our team and the "team first" attitude of our players."
The coach congratulated College of Southern Nevada for taking the title, calling the Coyotes "a deserving champion. We respect their program and players a great deal."
The Wildcats finished the season 43-17, including 39 games on the road.
Whittemore said the second place finish "has steeled the returning freshmen in the drive to bring the championship back to Carson City next season."
