By James Hernandez  

This week "On Deck" Coach Nick Garritano and I recap the Coyotes 2-2 opening weekend in the Coyote Border Battle, and preview the team's first road trip of the season.

James: What were your takeaway's from the team's 2-2 opening weekend? 

Coach Garritano: After going through this past weekend, we truly believe our club did a lot of things well.  We pitched the baseball very well in most instances, played very well defensively and hit the baseball a little better than expected coming into opening weekend.  The beauty of the entire weekend is that there were many little things that we can improve on and are curable.  With experience, we will do a better job of clutching up a little more at the plate with runners in scoring position and eliminate some of the early season jitter mistakes.  We had a lot of young guys playing in their first college games in front of approximately 100 professional baseball scouts at times.  We would have like to have won 3 out of 4 but we cannot change that now.  We need to get back to work and prepare for another tough weekend down in Phoenix.  Overall we were more pleased than not despite a 2-2 record.

James: Newcomer's Matty Mitchell and Ryan McDonald combined to toss 10.2 innings, allowing just 2 earned runs and striking out 11 batters. What impressed you most about their debuts in Coyote blue? 

Coach Garratino: We believe that both Matty and Ryan will have great seasons for us.  Matty did an incredible job in front of a large group of scouts of simply pounding the zone with all of his pitches versus #7 Central Arizona.  Ryan went 5.2 innings and didn't allow a hit to a very good #12 Yavapai line – up.  It was a special evening on Saturday as Ryan was the starter in a game where he and Joey O'Brien combined on a no – hitter. 

James: The team head's to Phoenix this weekend to matchup with Gateway CC on Friday and SMCC on Saturday. Can you provide our readers with a brief scouting report of both teams? 

Coach Garritano: Both Gateway and SMCC are coming off good weekends.  Gateway went 3-1 in our Coyote Border Battle and South Mountain Community College (SMCC) split their weekend series with Scenic West Athletic Conference (SWAC) foe SLCC 2 games apiece.  Gateway always pitches the baseball very well and executes their offensive game plan as well as any team we will play.  SMCC is super athletic on the offensive side that loves to run while on base.  They stole over 200 bases last season. We will definitely have to play very well and limit the free bases to these two very talented clubs. 

James: Sophomore third baseman Jordan Macias had eight hits in four games this past weekend, including a 4-4 night vs. AWC. Talk a little about his hot start out of the gate and his importance as a table-setter for this Coyote offense. 

Coach Garritano: Jordan Macias is simply a spark for this line – up.  He had a very good freshman season and it looks as if he is off to another great season.  Jordan plays the game as hard as anyone on the field.  His defense this past weekend was outstanding as well.  Jordan is simply a gamer.  He lets his physical actions speak for themselves.  He is not a very vocal guy but is a true leader by his performance.  Someone is going to get a heck of a player next year at either the D1 or D2 level. 

James: Give us a player or two you feel can have a productive weekend in Phoenix. 

Coach Garritano: We feel that Nick Rupp and Isaiah Blaylock will be very good down in Phoenix this weekend.  They both fought through some rough spots this past weekend but showed some great signs as well.  Isaiah is a leader for us in many ways.  He has a lot on the line this year and as soon as he settles in, he has all the potential in the world to be dominant this season.  As for Nick Rupp, that was his first start at the collegiate level.  He has a very good arm and has wonderful pitch ability with all of his pitches.  The main thing that is going to help Nick Rupp is collegiate game experience.  We are excited about both of these guys this weekend.

James: Do you have the starting pitching rotation set for this upcoming weekend? 

Coach Garritano: We will open the weekend with Nick Rupp and then go to Ryan McDonald for game 2 of that twin - bill on Friday versus Gateway.  As for Saturday, we will send Isaiah Blaylock to the mound for game 1 and end the weekend with Matty Mitchell versus SMCC.  It should be a very exciting weekend for our entire club as we hit the road for the first time in this young 2018 season.  Thank you James for everything you do for us and GO COYOTES!!!

Thank you for taking the time to talk some Coyotes baseball with us, good luck and safe travels this weekend in Phoenix.

Fans your Coyotes hit the road this weekend to battle the Gateway CC Geckos on Friday and the South Mountain CC Cougars on Saturday.

For game times and live stats log onto www.csncoyotes.com or follow us on Twitter @CSN_Baseball and Facebook CSNCoyotes.