Two WNC players honored with postseason awards

Two members of the Western Nevada baseball team were honored Thursday with postseason awards.

Second baseman Mike Stiles was named a winner of the 2009 NJCAA Division I Rawlings Gold Glove Award and left fielder Brian Barnett was named an honorable mention to the Division I All-American team.

It is the second time in as many years that the Wildcats have had an honorable mention All-American. Catcher Chuck Howard was named to the team last year.

Stiles, a freshman, had a .973 fielding percentage on the season, fourth among the team's starters.

Barnett, a sophomore who will play for Nevada next season, is the best hitter in the Wildcats' four-year history. In 2009, he led the team in doubles (21) and was second in hits (72), RBIs (52), slugging percentage (.596), runs scored (57), home runs (10) and total bases (127).

Open tryout brings out just three hopefuls

WNC held open tryouts Thursday at John L. Harvey Field, but had just three hopefuls attend.

The low turnout might be attributed to the Wildcats' stellar, but long, season. They finished third in the JUCO World Series after losing to eventual champ Howard College last week. As a result, the open tryout was the latest it had ever been held.

"The first three years, we probably had close to 25 kids," WNC coach D.J. Whittemore said. "This is the latest that we've done it. Last year we did it on the 21st of May. Once high school season ends, these kids are pretty quick to make their (college) decisions. So, I mean, most of the local kids have already signed."

The hopefuls were former Carson High student Justen Marsola, a pitcher; McQueen catcher Ethan Wilson and Yerington second baseman Tyler Waldais.

Of the three, Wilson had the best performance as he showed that he could make the throw from home to second with regularity.

"We might keep him on call," Whittemore said. "See how it turns out over the course of the summer. You've got to have four catchers, we know that. Right now, we only have three. So we'll see."

The Wildcats haven't signed a player in the three previous tryouts, but have offered one. Former Fallon star Rick Cornu, who currently plays for the University of Utah, was offered but signed with Feather River College in Quincy, Calif.