By James Hernandez

James: Talk a little about how pleased you are with the 17-3 start midway through the 2016 SWAC season.

Coach Garritano: We will definitely take it!  Anytime you can turn the corner at the halfway point in the SWAC schedule with a lead, it is a very good thing.  There is a ton of very important baseball to be played starting with this weekend up in Rangely Colorado vs. CNCC.

James: Was Mikey York's win on Saturday (4.2 IP, 4 H, 1BB, 7 K's) his best outing as a Coyote?

Coach Garritano: I really believe Mikey has done a terrific job for us this year.  He has been slowly progressing pitch count wise.  I know he left a no hitter a couple of weeks ago and has had a bunch of quality starts for us.  He gives us a great chance to be successful when he is pitching.  Very competitive and attacks hitters.

James: Do you feel that a bit of complacency crept in after the team was able to win the first three games versus WNC?

Coach Garritano: We talked after game 3 about the importance of the upcoming game 4.  Winning that game would have put us up by 5 games turning the corner in conference play.  I believe we needed one big hit to get us going and it never happened.  Ragan from WNC did an outstanding job and we tip our caps to him.  He soundly defeated us and earned it.

James: Almost every seat was filled at Morse Stadium this past weekend versus WNC. How fun is it to play in front of a packed house for both the coaches and the players?

Coach Garritano: It was a tremendous atmosphere out at the stadium this past weekend.  Crowds were great in size and emotion.  I wish we could get these types of crowds more regularly.  As we spoke about last week, it was a great weekend of rivalry baseball with lots of great plays, big swings and big pitches in big spots.

James: How weird of a feeling was it to think that this past weekend was the last time CSN and WNC would play one another in Morse Stadium as members of the SWAC?  

Coach Garritano: Honestly it was a little strange and sad.  Western Nevada has been a power in this Conference for many of years and has really helped this conference with national recognition.  They will be deeply missed.

James: After the intensity was at a season high for in-state WNC, how do you and your coaches refocus the team for a tough road trip against the upstart CNCC Spartans?

Coach Garritano:  Well, I personally believe that our let down game was game 4 versus WNC.  This week all began on Monday morning in the weight room.  We have no room for mental weakness heading into this weekend.

James: Can you provide our readers with a brief scouting report of this weekend's upcoming opponent the CNCC Spartans?

Coach Garritano: CNCC has been playing very good baseball lately winning or splitting 4 of their last 5 series.  They will have tons of confidence coming into this weekend and playing in Rangely is a tough chore in itself.  We will definitely have to be ready for everything this weekend to be successful.

James: The bullpen was impressive this weekend (1 win, 1 save, 11.1 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 9 K's). Have they turned the corner as a unit, and if so is the best baseball still ahead for this team?

Coach Garritano: I will let you know if they arrived at the end of the year.  We are definitely making progressions in the bullpen but we still have our times we are not focused.  No matter what the score is, each and every arm in that bullpen must be ready to treat each game like it is 0-0.  I think at times, we get a little too comfortable with the situation.  Internal competition has and will continue to be the key for our bullpen arms.

James: Give us a few players you feel may have a breakout type performance this weekend in Rangely, CO. 

Coach Garritano: I believe Jay Martz is on the verge of breaking out offensively.  He has had very good BP sessions lately.  He just has to trust the process.  I also believe that Sage Diehm and Julian Burrola are on the verge of turning that corner on the mound.

James: Will the starting rotation remain the same (Jones, Gonzalez, York and Diehm) this weekend?

Coach Garritano: As of today, our rotation will remain the same.  We may encounter some weather up there so some things could be altered a bit.

Thanks Coach, and as always good luck!

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