HENDERSON, Nev. (May 1, 2019) – Showdowns in collegiate baseball are few-and-far-between but when they happen, oh how much fun they are.
 
The No. 8 College of Southern Nevada baseball team will experience a true showdown this weekend as they host the 19th-ranked Salt Lake Community College program with the Scenic West Athletic Conference regular-season title on the line. On top of the prestige of winning the regular-season crown in one of the NJCAA's best leagues, the winner will also earn the right to host next weekend's Region 18 championships.
 
All of the plots and rewards make this weekend's series at Morse Stadium something that competitors love to be part of, according to CSN coach Nick Garritano.
 
"In any sport in the world, competitors want to be a part of championship situations," he said. "Every team in the country sets goals at the beginning of the year and this weekend CSN and SLCC can achieve the first of a few goals. It should be a lot of fun this weekend."
 
The Coyotes are still just behind Salt Lake Community College in the Scenic West pennant race, sitting with a winning percentage of .808 and a 21-5 record. CSN was even closer but a walk-off USU Eastern win in the final game of last weekend's series cost Southern Nevada valuable ground. As it sits, Southern Nevada must take at least three games in the series to earn the right to host the Region 18 championships.
 
Garritano said the situation will require patience and confidence.
 
"The biggest key in our situation is to play one pitch at a time," he said. "It will be very important to score runs when we have our opportunities. We have spent a lot of time on our approaches in certain situations; we need to trust it and do it."
 
Prior to falling in last weekend's series finale in Price, the Coyotes had won ten straight games to nip at SLCC's heels. Salt Lake earned a 3-1 series win over Southern Nevada in the first series this season, with all four games being decided by a total of ten runs. This weekend's matchup will also be a statistically intriguing affair as the league's top offenses and pitching staffs will face off. Undoubtedly, CSN pitcher Nick Rupp, who was recently named the department's Male Student-Athlete-of-the-Year, will be a valuable asset.
 
On top of the hype with the series, the program will also honor its sophomores this weekend. Honorees will include: Jay DeSoto, Roger Riley, Matt Wong, Chase Bauerle, AJ Amelburu, Dylan Krans, Trever Berg, Nick Rupp, JD Brooks, Ed O'Bannon III, Buddy Pindel, Steven Rivas, Matt Gilbertson, Spencer Cofer, Nick Hernandez, Isaiah Blaylock and Trevor Jackson.
 
Garritano said honoring the program's sophomores should provide an added boost during the weekend series.
 
"Honoring this group of sophomores this weekend is something that is well-granted and deserved," he said. "They have done a ton for this program and we hope to make it a very special weekend for them to remember."
 
This weekend's four-game series against Salt Lake Community College will begin on Friday at 1:00 p.m. Saturday's games will begin at 12:00 p.m. and all four games will be played at Morse Stadium. Live stream and stats for the series will be available at csncoyotes.com.