The first steps toward winning a national title at Western Nevada Community College in baseball were taken with the signings of five more players on Monday.
WNCC signed five players from Southern Nevada during a press conference held at the Hard Rock Cafe in Las Vegas: Kyle Bondurant, a 5-foot-9, 155-pound infielder from Basic; Ryan Iodence, a 5-11, 190-pound right-handed pitcher from Faith Lutheran; Thomas Miller, a 6-1, 205-pound infielder from Sierra Vista; Chad Riddle, a 6-1, 190-pound right-handed pitcher from Sierra Vista; and Humberto Rodarte, a 5-10, 180-pound shortstop from Desert Pines.
Along with the five on Monday, a total of 18 players have signed to play for coach D.J. Whittemore at WNCC. Whittemore plans to sign six more players for a total of 24 scholarship players and will have up to eight walk-ons for a total roster of 32 players.
WNCC will begin play in the National Junior Collegiate Athletic Association in the spring, 2006. The NJCAA plays with wood bats.
The school's admission into the Scenic West Conference is expected to be approved in March. Schools from Nevada, Utah, Colorado and Idaho compete in the Scenic West, including Community College of Southern Nevada, which won a national title in its fourth year. Whittemore's goal is to win a national title even sooner than that.
Whittemore has taken a huge step to his goal with the players he has signed. Along with the five players from Southern Nevada, Whittemore has also signed eight players from Northern Nevada.
Bondurant will head into his fourth year as a starter at shortstop at Basic.
"He's baseball's equivalent of a gym rat," Whittemore said. "He does everything well. He's just an all-around great kid."
Bondurant was Whittemore's first Southern Nevada recruit and the first player from that area to commit.
Iodence, another senior, has led Faith Lutheran to the 2A state title the past two years. He has an excellent fastball and slider, and movement on both pitches.
"He has two very good pitches," Whittemore said. "He's been on the mound in a lot of big situations. He's used to pitching in real pressure situations."
Riddle, a senior, has been a part of Sierra Vista's program in all three years of its existence and is a major reason why Sierra Vista has risen to become one of Southern Nevada's top programs.
"He has real good movement on his fastball and a great changeup," Whittemore said.
Rodarte moved from Mexico City to Las Vegas two years ago. He hit 22 doubles as a junior last year.
"He has a Major League arm at shortstop," Whittemore said. "He's a terrific offensive player as well."
Miller, 2004 gradaute, was an all-conference, first-team first baseman and a second-team all-region player last year.
"He's a big, strong kid," Whittemore said. "He's a great leader as well."
WNCC's other players signed on Saturday, including four from outside Nevada. They include Justin Reynolds of Independence, Ore., a potential Major League draft pick this year.
He's rated as one of the nation's top 60 outfielders by Team One Baseball. The 6-4, 190-pounder "hits for power and runs very well," Whittemore said.
There's also catcher Taylor Mieras, who's actually from Spring Creek, but now plays for the prestigious IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. He also played for the Reno Knights summer team. "He's a very good offensive player," Whittemore said.
In addition, there's 6-4, 230-pound right-handed pitcher Josh Brink of British Columbia, Canada, who Whittemore said has "a very live arm."
Another out-of-state player who signed is Brett Mosher of Colorado is a centerfielder who runs the 60-yard dash in 6.7 seconds. Whittemore said the 5-9, 185-pounder has power as well.
Contact Charles Whisnand at cwhisnand@nevadaappeal.com or call 881-1214.
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