The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team has plenty of excitement for this season after a strong fall.

The Cougars, who went 20-35, will open the season Saturday and Sunday when they travel to Garden City Community College for a pair of doubleheaders.

WNCC coach Mike Jones said the team is anxious to get things started competitiveness-wise despite not getting outside very much to practice on the field.

"Everybody is excited to get the season started," he said. "We are not going to be ready physically or mentally yet because we haven't had enough time out on the field to get practice in but everybody is looking forward to playing."

Jones said there is plenty of depth all the way around on this team from position players to the pitching staff.

"We broke fall camp with a lot of confidence and it carried over to the winter," he said. "At this point in the spring, the guys are confident and looking forward to playing. There are a lot of expectations."

WNCC returns 12 players from a year ago, including a pitching staff that saw plenty of innings on the mound.

"This team is a nice combination of talent and experience with a good team chemistry right now," he said. "We can put together a lineup with a lot of experience as far as sophomores that had a lot of at bats last year. The guys in the top of the pitching rotation right know are guys that pitched a lot for us a year ago. It is a nice competition of talent and experience. Right now everyone is healthy and had done a really good of conditioning and taking care of themselves."

The pitching staff, Jones said, should be deep on paper and he expects it to hold up all season.

The pitchers are led by returners Isaac Block of Cheyenne, Wyoming, Brian Kelley of Henderson, Colorado, Bradley Brown of Aurora, Colorado, Montana Giesbrecht of Saskatchewan, Canada, Jose Monge of Venezuela, and Beau Lofink of Scottsbluff.

                "Within the pitching staff there is guys with so much experience and they are more intelligent," Jones said. "Instead of the pitchers trying to overpower guys they are going to be smarter and manage a game than we had last year."

                Jones said there are several guys standing out so far.

                "You are looking at Bradley Brown, Brian Kelley, Beau Lofink, Isaac Block as pitchers," he said. "Offensively, you are looking at Austin Michaud, Jayden Holman, and Aaron Morrison who were really good in the fall. We also had a few guys join us this year in Jack Pauley had a good fall along with Landon Urban, Alex Achtermann along with Jonathan Bermudez at the catching position."

                Other sophomores on the team include Aaron Morrison of Loveland, Colorado; Oscar Perez of Puerto Rico; Brandon Bachar of Russell, Kansas; Jayden Holman of Alliance; Matt Maestas of Thornton, Colorado; Kyle Burton of Sidney; and Austin Michaud of Olathe, Kansas.

                The Cougar team this year is laden with newcomers with 19 players. The local players on the roster is Scottsbluff's Ty Benson, who played for WESTCO the last four years, and Gering's Esai Hernandez, who played for Gering's Platte Valley Companies.

The Cougars also have a pair of players from the Cheyenne Legion program in Lincoln Trujilo, a right-handed pitcher, and Isaac Taylor, a catcher.

                The other freshmen pitchers include Ian Fisher of Evanston, Wyoming, Zac Moran of Sydney, Australia; and Jack Pauley of Overland Park, Kansas.

                The other newcomers include Jared Mews of Canon City, Colorado; Garret Smith of Overland Park, Kansas; Landon Urban of Denver, Colorado; Ryan Grasser of Parker, Colorado; Nate Giefer and Cody Howell both of Loveland, Colorado; Stuart Eurich of Elizabeth, Colorado; Jonathan Bermudez and Ariel Garcia both of Miami, Florida; and Brandon Brusso of Bullhead City, Arizona.

                After this week's road contests, the Cougars will return home to host Miles Community College in doubleheaders Feb. 20 and 21. Jones said his team is looking forward to playing at the revamped Cleveland Field.

                "Right now the weather looks good," he said. "We are still waiting on the final pieces of the project to come together. It will be nice and outstanding with the brand-new backstop and dugouts."