What would a Scenic West Athletic Conference and home opening series for the Western Nevada College baseball team be without having to deal with weather?

WNC will open SWAC play this weekend against College of Eastern Utah at John L. Harvey Field. Because the forecast calls for lousy weather conditions throughout the weekend, it's likely that the two teams will play a tripleheader on Friday and one game on Saturday.

The teams would play three seven-inning games on Friday, beginning at 11 a.m. and one nine-inning game on Saturday. The game on Saturday would begin at 11 a.m. or noon depending on weather conditions.

Hoping for an improvement in the weather forecast, the decision on if to play a tripleheader on Friday and one game on Saturday or to stick to the original schedule in which doubleheaders would be played on Friday and Saturday will not be made until Thursday night.

As of now the forecast calls for temperatures to be in the 30s and for possible snow showers. "Not conducive for doubleheaders," WNC coach D.J. Whittemore said.

Not that Friday's weather would be that much better. The forcecast for Friday calls for temperatures in the 40s and possible snow showers. "We'll give it a go," Whittemore said.

Along with the weather, the Wildcats may also be concerned about a long layoff. WNC has not played since Feb. 20, but Whittemore said that shouldn't be a factor.

"We have no excuses," Whittemore said. "There's no excuse. We've been playing baseball for five weeks now. If we're not ready to play we've got nobody to blame but ourselves."

Besides in the SWAC, teams play only on the weekends and always have five days off. "You've got to be hot every weekend regardless," Whittemore said.

What WNC will be most concerned about is Eastern Utah, a team that traditionally finishes near the bottom of the SWAC standings. But Eastern Utah has consistently improved over the years and this season has an experienced club and an experienced pitching staff.

"They've got a veteran team," Whittemore said. "I expect them to have one of the deepest pitching staffs I've seen. I'm expecting close games. I'm expecting to have to play well to win."

That's what WNC has done so far this season as it's off to its fastest start in program history, going 12-3. Among the offensive leaders have been Spencer Ofelt (.351) and Kyle Conwell (.327). Trevor Goff (13-of-14 in stolen bases) and Jay Skilton (.400, 9-fo-9 in stolen bases) have set the table for the Wildcats.

Whittemore said Kramer Champlin will start on the mound in game one of the series while Jeremy Gendlek will start game two and Jake Waardenburg will start game three. The game four starter is still to be determined.

David Carroll has a hip injury and his status is day-to-day, Whittemore said. Champlin (3-0, 2 saves) has been sensational this season as he's allowed two earned runs in 23 2/3 innings.

Whittemore said he also expects to be able to count heavily on Jordan Lewis this weekend. Lewis, WNC's top returning starting pitcher from last season, has dealth with arm problems and a groin issue, but looks strong now, Whittemore said.

"He was pretty good yesterday," said Whittemore about Lewis in Sunday's practice. "I hope to get a nice contribution from Lewis this weekend."