By Lydia Vazquez
College of Southern Nevada’s baseball team is currently training for a strong upcoming season.
There are 38 athletes competing to fill approximately 30 spots on the team for spring, according to Head Baseball Coach Nick Garritano.
“They have 20 games in the fall to compete to see who we actually keep around here for the springtime,” said Garritano, referring to the 38 athletes. “We bring in that big of a number to create competition on a daily basis.”
“No one is guaranteed a spot, so we are competing against each other,” said Jarrett Perns, sophomore infielder. “The competition of trying to outdo a teammate is a hard part of practice.”
According to Garritano, each athlete spends a minimum of 12 hours a day, five days a week between workouts, school, practice and scrimmages.
Perns and Danzeisen
“Fall Season for me means wake-up, work out, school, practice and scrimmage,” sophomore Pitcher Todd Danzeisen said. “It means taking time to really focus and make sure you’re ready for the season.”
Danzeisen said he and his teammates start training at 5:30 a.m. and they don’t stop until 5 p.m. when practice is over.
According to the National Junior College Athletic Association, the division that CSN competes in, the Coyotes won 46 of 64 games in the 2015 to 2016 season. The team finished with 17 home runs, 350 strikeouts and batting average of .279.
Additionally, the team performed well in the Scenic West Athletic Conference. It won 40 of 55 games last season.
Notably, many players from CSN’s baseball team have gone pro including Phil Bickford and Bryce Harper. After this season, the goal for many players is to go on to a higher division or be drafted.
Coach Garritano
One of Garritano’s strategies this training season is to get the players to bond with each other. “Fall season has to be about that family feel and that trust factor that each and every kid knows that if they don’t get the job done they can simply trust the guy behind them.”
Another strategy Coach is focused on is improving the stamina and performance of his players through the ninth inning, especially his pitchers. We bring in approximately 18 pitchers during fall season to see who can perform in clutch situations especially in final moments of the game. We pick the best of them, he said.
Garritano hopes his team makes it to Grand Junction, Colo. this season for the NJCAA World Series.
For more information on CSN baseball visit http://www.csncoyotes.com/index.aspx?path=baseball.
Coyote Student News at the College of Southern Nevada 