WNC baseball hires two assistant coaches

Western Nevada College baseball coach DJ Whittemore has hired two assistant coaches to work with the Wildcats this year.

Infield coach Frank Carey was a key contributor and starter on Stanford University’s national championship clubs in 1987 and 1988 under American Baseball Coaches Hall of Famer Mark Marquess.

Former Carson High School player Ryan Gonzalez was one of coach Ron McNutt’s standouts from 1998-2002 who played college ball in California and is now active in the Carson City baseball community. He will be responsible for coaching WNC’s outfielders.

“Ryan is a tremendous asset to our program as a young coach, learning the ropes and willing to do anything to better the lives and careers of the players in our program,” said Whittemore. “He is making great sacrifices professionally to be a part of our program and his motivation is pure as gold. He simply wants to make a difference and give back to the game he loves.”

Carey made an immediate impact on the Stanford program in 1986, receiving the Most Valuable Freshman Award and capping his college career by winning the Come Through Award in 1989. In between, the Cardinal captured their only two national baseball titles.

Following his collegiate career, Carey was drafted in the eighth round of the MLB draft by the San Francisco Giants. He spent three years in the minors was chosen twice to play in a minor league all-star game.

“Frank is a man of great competitiveness and kindness,” Whittemore said. “He understands the direct relationship between work and production, dedication and reward. Our program is honored and grateful for his commitment to our team and look forward to his impact on our young men’s lives.”

The new WNC coaches join Aaron Demosthenes and Josh Moody. Demosthenes is the senior member of Whittemore’s staff who has been involved with the program since it launched in August 2005. He has helped coach two teams to the NJCAA World Series. Moody was a star on the Wildcats team that competed in the 2010 NJCAA World Series. He will begin his second year as pitching coach after a rookie season that saw him mold a freshman-laden staff into a stingy group that helped the Wildcats win the Region 18 title and finish runner-up in the Western District.