By James Hernandez 

Fresh off the program's third ever appearance in the Junior College World Series, the College of Southern Nevada will be sending four elite sophomore's into the division one ranks following the 2018 season.

Local Las Vegas product and former Shadow Ridge high school standout Isaiah Blaylock (9-4, 3.69 ERA, 62 K's) tied for the team lead in wins as a true freshman and showed the ability to become a front of the rotation work horse. Blaylock will be taking his talents to the University of Houston in the fall, but first he is focused on helping CSN return to Grand Junction in consecutive seasons for the first time in program history.

Not since Bryce Harper roamed Lied field at Morse stadium in 2010, has a true freshman dominated for the Coyotes like Justin Lutes (.376 AVG. 46 RBI, 6 HR, and 53 BB) did in 2017. The former Liberty high school product dominated the Scenic West Athletic Conference on his way to player of the year honors and will be attending Pepperdine University in the fall of 2018. Before Lutes departs for picturesque Malibu, California he and his teammates have some unfinished business to handle in Grand Junction this spring.

The man who was on the bump for the final outs of the 2017 Region XVIII and Western District championship victories Alex "Tizzy" Tisminezky (4-1, 3 SV, 3.96 ERA, 39 K's) will be continuing his collegiate baseball career in the West Coast Conference as a member of the Santa Clara Broncos. Alex is undoubtedly one of the premier closers in junior college baseball and if he can come close to duplicating his 2017 success, CSN baseball may be hanging another banner in the outfield.

Last, but certainly not least is the 6'7" import from Morgantown, West Virginia Ryan McDonald. This versatile strike thrower came to Southern Nevada with championship aspirations and along with Isaiah Blaylock provide the Coyotes with one of the best 1-2 combos in the nation. Before Ryan rejoins the division one baseball ranks as a member of the University of Nevada Las Vegas Rebels in the fall he hopes to fulfill a date with destiny in Grand Junction this spring.

Fans keep your eyes out for our 2018 season preview coming soon… As always log onto www.csncoyotes.com for all the latest happenings and be sure to follow us on Twitter @CSN_Baseball and Facebook CSNCoyotes.