2025-26 WNCC Cougar Baseball News

  • WNCC baseball ends season with loss to Southeast at regionals
    May 09, 2026
    PUEBLO, Colo. – The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team outhit Southeast Community College 12-10, but went scoreless in the final five innings in falling to the Bobcats 11-4 in an elimination game at the Region IX Tournament in Pueblo, Colorado, Saturday. The Cougars end the season at 24-35 after finishing fourth in the Empire Conference with a 14-14 record. In other games on Saturday, Northeastern Junior College needed 10 innings to get by McCook 7-6, and then Southeast eliminated McCook 12-9. That sets up the championship game between NJC and Southeast. Both teams have qualified for the district finals with the winner hosting the district finals along with the champions from the Regions 1 and 18 next weekend. The contest was actually a competitive game through seven innings as anyone could have won.
  • WNCC baseball stays alive with 16-7 win over Otero
    May 08, 2026
    PUEBLO, Colo. – Cooper Wilson had six RBIs including a grand slam to help the Western Nebraska Community College baseball team stay alive at the Region IX tournament in Pueblo, Colorado, with a commanding 16-7 win over Otero College Friday. The Cougars will have another elimination game Saturday when they face Southeast Community College at 11 a.m. A win will move the Cougars into another elimination game at 5 p.m. against the loser of the winner’s bracket game between McCook Community College and Northeastern Junior College. Other scores on Friday in the winner’s bracket saw NJC register an 8-2 win over Otero and McCook survived and got by Southeast 9-5. The championship games are slated for Sunday at Damon Runyon Field Sports Complex in Pueblo, Colorado. The winner of the tournament hosts the Western District Finals next weekend and if NJC wins the tournament the runner-up will also qualify for the Western District tourney. Friday’s game was one where the Cougars dominated, scoring in six of the eight innings.
  • WNCC baseball goes 1-1 in first day of regional tourney
    May 07, 2026
    PUEBLO, Colo. – The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team is still alive in the Region IX baseball tournament in Pueblo, Colorado, after action on Thursday. WNCC opened the tournament with a 5-3 loss to Otero College which saw the Rattlers score five times in the seventh inning for the win. That loss sent the Cougars to an elimination game with Luna Community College and responded with an 8-6 win, eliminating Luna. The other game on Thursday saw McCook Community College edging Luna Community College 14-13 in 11 innings. The Indians scored the winning run on a bases-loaded walk. WNCC will continue play with a contest at 5 p.m. against one of the losers from the two winner’s bracket contests on Friday. The first game of the day has top-seeded Northeastern Junior College facing Otero at 11 a.m. followed by second-seeded Southeast Community College taking on McCook at 2 p.m. Game one was a heart-breaking setback for the Cougars after starting strong. For six innings, WNCC looked poised to open the tournament with a win behind a strong outing from freshman right‑hander Allard Helms. The Cougar starter was sharp from the first pitch, scattering seven hits while striking out eight and allowing just one run through six frames. His ability to work ahead in counts and induce weak contact kept the Rattlers off balance.
  • WNCC baseball ready for regional tournament that begins Thursday.
    May 06, 2026
    The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team is ready to open the Region IX tournament that begins Thursday at Damon Runyon Sports Complex in Pueblo, Colorado. The Cougars, who finished the year 22-33 overall and 14-14 in conference, earned the fourth seed in the tournament and will battle fifth-seeded Otero College Thursday, May 7 at 2 p.m. The other first-round contest has third-seeded McCook Community College taking on sixth-seeded Luna Community College at 11 a.m. WNCC coach Mike Jones said this team is ready to go and that they prepared the pitching staff in last weekend’s four-game series for this weekend. “It was an interesting type of situation where we felt like our playoff spot was pretty well locked in,” Jones said. “We wanted to prepare our pitching staff and the entire staff. We're going to get everybody innings. We want to make sure that we rested everybody including the guys that have been throwing a lot. So, it came down to more of a management situation for our ball club to make sure everybody was ready to go coming into the tournament. So we kind of used the four games as a conditioning and evaluation.”
  • WNCC baseball falls twice to NJC on Saturday
    May 02, 2026
    STERLING, Colo. -- The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team will enter the Region IX tournament later this week after playing Empire Conference-leading Northeastern Junior College tough on Saturday despite falling in both games. The first game saw Harrison Hart blast two home runs, scoring three times and heling WNCC rally in the seventh, but the Cougars came up one run short. NJC captured the opener 7-6. The second game was a slugfest as both teams used plenty of pitchers, saving arms for the regional tournament. The two teams used five pitchers each in the nine-inning game. NJC scored 12 times in the fifth to capture the 20-13 win. WNCC falls to 22-33 overall and 14-14 in the Empire Conference. WNCC will take the fourth seed into the regional tournament that begins Wednesday in Pueblo, Colorado. The winner of the regional tournament will host the four-team district final the weekend of May 14-16 along with the winners from the Arizona and Utah regions.
  • WNCC baseball drops doubleheader NJC on Friday
    May 01, 2026
    The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team dropped an Empire Conference doubleheader to Northeastern Junior College Friday afternoon at Cleveland Field by identical 6-4 scores. WNCC moves to 22-31 overall and 14-12 in conference play, while NJC is 38-14 overall and clinched the conference title at 22-4. The two teams will wrap up the regular season with a doubleheader Saturday in Sterling, Colorado. Friday’s contests were WNCC’s final regular-season home games, and both matchups were tight battles from start to finish.
  • WNCC baseball sweeps McCook on Friday, takes 3-of-4 from the Indians
    April 24, 2026
    MCCOOK – The Western Nebraska Community College won the last three games of a four-game set with McCook Community College, including sweeping Friday’s final two games on the road. The Cougars never trailed in game one as Arthur Saumande tossed five strong innings in the 12-3 win. The second game saw WNCC score six first-inning runs and never look back for the 14-4 win. WNCC moves to 14-10 in the Empire Conference standings and 22-29 overall. McCook falls to 17-7 in conference play and 38-13 overall. Both teams have four games left to wrap up the regular season. WNCC has conference-leading Northeastern Junior College (20-4) with single games on the road on Thursday and Saturday and a doubleheader at Cleveland Field on Friday. McCook has four road games at Southeast Community College (15-9 in conference). Both games Friday were solid performances all the way around. Game one saw Saumande go five innings while scattering three hits, allowing two runs, and striking out five. Peyton Markheim finished off the game with two innings of work, allowing three hits, one run, and striking out three.
  • WNCC splits conference games with McCook
    April 22, 2026
    The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team earned a split of Empire Conference games on Wednesday against conference-leading McCook Community College. The first game was a pitcher’s duel early, then McCook exploded for 11 runs to take the 12-3 win. The second contest saw the Cougars plate seven second-inning runs to register the 19-9 run-ruled win in seven innings. Ty Beutner, who had two doubles and a home run in the second game win, said the team didn’t have the spark in the first game like they did in the second. But how they earned the split was important for their morale against McCook. “Honestly, we just came out with more fire to start putting it together in the second game,” the sophomore from Highlands Ranch, Colorado, said. “The first game we just looked a little cold and then we started getting hot. We just strung everything together. “It was really important to get the split because now we know that we can actually hang with them and we’re a good enough team to go out there and win. So, it gives us a lot of confidence.”
  • WNCC baseball drops doubleheader to Southeast
    April 17, 2026
    BEATRICE – The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team dropped an Empire Conference doubleheader to Southeast Community College Friday in Beatrice. WNCC managed just two hits in the opener, falling 11-1 in five innings. The second game saw the Cougars score three late runs, but Southeast never trailed in earning the 8-3 win. Southeast and WNCC are now tied for third in the conference standings at 11-9, trailing McCook (15-3) and Northeastern Junior College (13-3). WNCC will be back in action Thursday when they host McCook for a doubleheader at Cleveland Field.
  • Former Cougar Isaac Taylor inducted into Cheyenne Post 6 Hall of Fame
    April 16, 2026
    Former WNCC baseball player had a neat honor bestowed on him late November when Issac Taylor was inducted into the Cheyenne Post 6 baseball hall of fame. Taylor played for the Cougars from 2015-17 and then went on to McPherson College to play baseball. Taylor said it was an honor to be recognized by his American Legion baseball team in Cheyenne. It’s a great honor and privilege to be put into the Hall of Fame with other Sixer legends,” Taylor said. “During my playing career, it was something I strive to be and to receive that honor one day. Being able to get that means the world to me.”
  • Former Cougar Escamilla inducted into WESTCO baseball Hall of Fame
    April 16, 2026
    WESTCO baseball honored three former players on Friday night as Steve Ysac, Jason Blanco, and Carlos Escamilla were inducted into the WESTCO Baseball Hall of Fame during a ceremony at the Hampton Inn. All three left lasting marks on the Zephyrs program during their playing careers and, in Blanco’s case, through coaching as well. All three players that were inducted were players for the Zephyrs and then came back to serve as assistant coaches. Blanco and Escamilla are current coaches with the program.
  • WNCC baseball starts slow; earns a split with Southeast
    April 16, 2026
    BEATRICE – The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team started slow but battled back to earn an Empire Conference split with Southeast Community College in Beatrice Thursday afternoon. WNCC fell behind 6-0 through four innings and then a late rally came up short as Southeast earned the 6-5 win. The second game was a little bit different as WNCC plated 16 runs and got home runs from Cooper Wilson and Harrison Hart to earn the 16-15 win. WNCC moves to 19-26 overall and 11-7 in conference play. Southeast drops to 18-22 overall and 9-9 in conference. The two teams will wrap up the four-game series Friday with another doubleheader. The first game saw the Cougars get a slow start, trailing 6-0 through four innings WNCC began its comeback in the fifth with four runs. Vaughn Wilson opened the inning with a double, followed by a walk to Dakota Alber. Gladysh doubled to score one run. Alber later scored on a balk, and two additional runs crossed on passed balls to make it 6-4.
  • WNCC gets two walk-off wins over Otero on Sunday
    April 12, 2026
    Harrison Hart delivered two walk-off home runs to help the Western Nebraska Community College baseball team claim an Empire Conference sweep over Otero College on Sunday at Cleveland Field. WNCC got a strong pitching performance from Arthur Saumande and Nelson Martinez in game one as the two pitchers combined for seven strikeouts and just two hits for the 10-0 win. Game two saw the Cougars score eight times in the seventh inning of the nine-inning contest, capped by Hart’s three-run walk-off home run to end the game 13-3 via the run rule. WNCC won three of four games against Otero over the weekend. The Cougars are now 18-25 overall and 10-6 in conference play. WNCC is in third place in the conference behind Northeastern Junior College and McCook Community College, both of whom are 13-3 in conference play.
  • Russell slams three home runs, WNCC splits with Otero
    April 11, 2026
    Jude Russell had a career night for the Western Nebraska Community College baseball team on Saturday in game two against Otero College. The freshman had three home runs and drove in eight RBIs, including a walk-off 3-run home run to lift the Cougars to a 15-5 win over Otero in an Empire Conference contest. The first game saw the Cougars offense sputter as Otero collected the 5-2 win. WNCC moved to 16‑25 overall, but more importantly improved to 8‑6 in conference play and remains in third place behind McCook and Northeastern Junior College at 13‑3. Otero moved to 7‑7 in conference and 13‑23 overall. WNCC and Otero will wrap up the 4-game series on Sunday at Cleveland Field with first pitch slated for 12 noon. Russell’s performance was epic, as his three home runs ties him for second most in a game. The record holder is Pete Rogers, who had four home runs in 2003. Russell’s eight RBIs in a game are also tied for second, as Rogers had 10 RBIs back in 2003.
  • WNCC baseball earns a split with Lamar Saturday
    April 04, 2026
    LAMAR, Colo. – The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team earned a split with Lamar Community College in Empire Conference action Saturday afternoon in Lamar, Colorado. WNCC won the opener behind a strong pitching performance from Arthur Saumande and a big four run, fifth inning to claim the 8-4 win. The second contest saw the Cougars' offense come alive even more, hammering four home runs with 15 total hits. However, the Cougars fell to Lamar on a walk-off sacrifice fly in the ninth to lose 14-13. WNCC falls to 15-24 overall and to 7-5 in conference play. The Cougars are still third in conference standings behind Northeastern Junior College (10-2) and McCook Community College (9-3).
  • Cougars split conference games with Lamar on Friday
    April 03, 2026
    LAMAR, Colo. — The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team showed two different sides of the coin on Friday, following up a defense-plagued loss in the opener with a dominant power display in the nightcap. The split moves the Cougars to 14-23 overall and 6-4 in Empire Conference play as they prepare for a series‑deciding doubleheader on Saturday. WNCC currently sits third in the Empire Conference standings, trailing Northeastern Junior College (10-0) and McCook Community College (7-3). WNCC and Lamar wrap up the four-game series with a doubleheader Saturday before the Cougars return home next week to host Otero College on Friday and Saturday.
  • WNCC baseball team splits with Trinidad on Sunday
    March 29, 2026
    The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team had plenty of offense, but in the end, the Cougars and Trinidad State College split a pair of games on Sunday in Trinidad, Colorado, of Empire Conference games. The first game saw WNCC smack five home runs including scoring nine times in the seventh inning in posting a 19-8 win. The second contest saw Trinidad score three times in the bottom of the ninth to come back for a 10-9 win. WNCC goes to 13-22 overall and 5-3 in conference play. The Cougars are in third place in the conference, just behind Northeastern (8-0) and McCook (7-1), while Otero is in fourth at 4-4. WNCC will be back in action Friday and Saturday when they travel to Lamar Community College for a 4-game series. Lamar is 14-20 overall and 2-6 in conference play.
  • WNCC baseball splits with Trinidad on Saturday, Wilson breaks school record
    March 28, 2026
    TRINIDAD, Colo. – The Western Nebraska Community College baseball earned a split with Trinidad State College Saturday in Empire Conference action in dramatic fashion to move to 4-2 in conference play. The Cougars gave up eight, third-inning runs in game one to fall 10-6. The second game saw the Cougars’ Vaughn Wilson set a new individual record when he recorded five singles while going 5-for-5 at the plate with three runs scored in the 18-7 win. The previous mark was four singles set by nine different batters, the last time by Ty McAninch on February 29, 2020. The two teams will be back in action Sunday for another doubleheader at Trinidad. The second game saw the Cougars control the game from the first inning when WNCC plated five first-inning runs and then eight in the second inning.
  • WNCC baseball splits with Luna
    March 21, 2026
    The Western Nebraska Community College and Luna Community College baseball teams combined for 54 runs in two games as the two teams split an Empire Conference doubleheader Saturday afternoon at Cleveland Field. The first game saw Luna score five times in three innings and then held WNCC in the final frame to claim the 16-11 win. The second game saw the Cougars trail 11-5 early and then came back as Payton Denny delivered an 8th-inning 2-run home run to give the Cougars the lead and then Trevor Beutner shut down the Luna bats for the 14-13 win. “The second game we just came together as a group and had really strong hits,” Denny said. “Every time we needed a hit, I felt we just knew we were gonna get the hit. We knew we were gonna come through in the clutch moment, and if we didn’t, we knew the guy behind us was gonna back us up.”
  • WNCC baseball opens conference play with wins over Luna
    March 20, 2026
    The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team opened Empire Conference play by taking down Luna Community College in a doubleheader Friday at Cleveland Field. The Cougars captured game one 10-6 behind a stellar pitching performance from Jack McCrea. The second game saw Allard Helms pitch seven innings on the hill in leading the Cougars to a 14-6 win. The win moves the Cougars to 10-19 overall and 2-0 in conference play. WNCC and Luna will wrap up the 4-game series on Saturday with a doubleheader beginning at 12 noon at Cleveland Field. “I thought we played really well. The bats kind of got going early,” Harrison Hart, a sophomore from Gretna, said. “I think we need to get our bats going in the later innings also to secure the run rule.”
  • WNCC baseball falls to Madison College
    March 13, 2026
    PHOENIX – The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team wrapped up their Spring Break in falling to Madison College 11-1 on Friday to finish the week-long trip at 3-4. The loss snapped a 3-game winning streak for the Cougars. WNCC will next be in action this weekend when they open up Empire Conference play when they host Luna Community College on Friday and Saturday.
  • WNCC wins third straight during Spring Break trip
    March 12, 2026
    PHOENIX – The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team captured their third straight win Thursday when they defeated Paradise Valley Community College 11-4 during their Spring Break trip to Arizona. The Cougars utilized strong pitching and timely hits in getting the win. The last time the Cougars won three straight on their Spring Break trip was 2016. WNCC will look to win their fourth straight win in Arizona and finish the 7-game road trip with a winning record. WNCC coach Mike Jones said the team is starting to find ways to win. “The guys are doing great,” he said. “They are starting to put things together.”
  • WNCC baseball earns big win over Mesa
    March 11, 2026
    PHOENIX – The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team scored 14 runs in a 14-5 win over Mesa Community College Wednesday on the third day of their Spring Break trip in Arizona. The Cougars put together a complete game as the Cougars got home runs from Payton Denny and Dakota Alber while Marshall Forsyth and Ian Grafmank threw excellent from the mound. Last year the Cougars lost to Mesa 5-4 and this year was a total different story. Mesa also won the last six meetings between the two teams before this year. The last time the Cougars won two games on their Spring Break trip was in 2018. WNCC will have single games Thursday and Friday to finish off the Spring Break trip as they play Paradise Valley Community College and then Madison Community College.
  • WNCC baseball splits with No. 25 Central Arizona
    March 10, 2026
    COOLRIDGE, Ariz. – The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team got a strong pitching performance from Allard Helms as the Cougars earned a split of a doubleheader with No. 25-ranked Central Arizona College Tuesday. The first game saw the Cougars manage just three hits in falling to Central Arizona 10-1. The second game was a different story as Helms went eight strong innings in scattering seven hits, giving up three runs and striking out four in the Cougars 4-3 win. WNCC head coach Mike Jones said the second game was a gem of a game to watch with a strong pitching performance from Helms. “As a win, you hope that it’s going to give the team a lot of confidence and it shows what they’re capable of doing and the competition that they are able to compete with,” Jones said. “It was a complete team effort, but Allard on the mound was absolutely outstanding, some of the best that I’ve ever seen him do.”
  • WNCC baseball drops a pair of games in Arizona
    March 09, 2026
    PHOENIX – The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team opened its Spring Break Arizona trip with a pair of defeats on Monday. The first game saw South Mountain Community College limit the Cougars to just one hit in posting the 10-0 win. The second game saw Will Harbison get a first-inning home run, but after that Chander-Gilbert Community College earned the 12-1 five-inning win on a rainy night.
  • WNCC drops a doubleheader to McCook on Wednesday
    March 04, 2026
    It was two totally different baseball games between Western Nebraska Community College and McCook Community College Wednesday at Cleveland Field. Game one saw a combined 33 runs and 33 hits with three home runs hit by each team as McCook captured the win 20-13, coming back with 15 runs in the final three innings. Catcher Gladysh had a grand slam in the second inning while Austin Cooper was a single shy of hitting for the cycle. Game two was a different game all together with a more defensive contest with strong pitching on both sides as McCook held on to claim the 6-5 win. WNCC will now be off until Monday when they start their Arizona Spring Break trip with a game with South Mountain Community College.
  • WNCC baseball splits doubleheader with Dawson
    March 01, 2026
    Sunday was a mixed bag of results for the Western Nebraska Community College as the Cougars wrapped up a 4-game series with Dawson Community College at Cleveland Field. The first game saw Dawson score four early runs and then held the Cougar offense in check to register the 6-3 win. The second game saw Dakota Alber hit a grand slam in the third inning and the Cougars registered the 13-3, 7-inning run-ruled win. WNCC, 5-13, will have a pair of games on Wednesday against McCook Community College at Cougar Palace before the team leaves for their Arizona Spring Break trip this weekend. Alber, a freshman outfielder from Commerce City, Colorado, said the team came out flat in the first game, but picked it up in game two.
  • WNCC baseball takes doubleheader from Dawson
    February 28, 2026
    The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team got some stellar bullpen relief as the Cougars took a doubleheader from Dawson Community College Saturday afternoon at Cleveland Field. The Cougars got a seven-strikeout performance from Carter Reisig in capturing the 9-5 first-game win. The second game saw the Cougars score four, sixth-inning runs to capture the 13-8 nine-inning win. The two teams will be back in action Sunday at Cleveland Field for another doubleheader beginning at 12 noon. WNCC head coach Mike Jones was excited to see how the pitchers’ out of the bullpen came in and performed Saturday afternoon.
  • WNCC splits with Miles on a windy Tuesday
    February 24, 2026
    The Western Nebraska Community College and Miles Community College baseball teams played 7-plus hours of baseball with the teams combining for 73 runs, 70 hits, and 15 home runs on a windy Tuesday at Cleveland Field. In the end, the Cougars had to settle for an heart-breaking split of games on the day. The first game saw WNCC score 10, fourth-inning runs to earn the 18-15 win. The second contest saw WNCC take a 17-7 lead into the fifth inning only to watch Miles score 14 runs over the final four innings to claim the 21-19 8-inning win. It was a day where the wind played a big part in the circumstances on the field in both games. Game one saw two Cougars nearly hit for the cycle as Austin Cooper and Catcher Gladysh each went 3-for-4. Cooper came a home run short of the cycle while Gladysh was a triple shy of the cycle.
  • WNCC baseball splits with Miles in home-opener
    February 23, 2026
    The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team opened the home portion of their schedule with a split on Monday with Miles Community College at Cleveland Field. Game one was a thriller as Jase Satterfield had a walk-off double to score two runs that gave the Cougars the 7-6 come-from-behind win. Game two saw the two teams’ pitching staff combined for 26 strikeouts and 18 free passes as Miles claimed the 12-2 win. The two teams will be back at Cleveland Field for another doubleheader on Tuesday with action beginning at 12 noon.
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