TAYLORSVILLE, Utah (May 2, 2019) - This weekend's series between the No. 19 Salt Lake Community College baseball team and No. 8 Southern Nevada may feel like a shootout in the Ole' West desert, based on the storylines.

The Bruins and Coyotes have distinguished themselves throughout the season as the Scenic West Athletic Conference's best teams, setting themselves up for a winner-take-all four-game series for the league title and the right to host next week's Region 18 championships. The series, which will be played at Morse Stadium in Henderson, will feature two of the league's top teams statistically as well.

SLCC coach D.G. Nelson said his team is in a good mindset moving forward into the series.

"The resilience of this team has been impressive," he said. "We're still battling injuries but playing great baseball. It's fun to watch these guys get better each week."

Previous matchups between the two teams this year were tight as Salt Lake earned a 3-1 series win at Cate Field in March. In a series separated by ten runs, Salt Lake utilized well-located pitching and timely hitting to earn the victories that provided them the space they've kept in the standings throughout the season. Now with just four games remaining, SLCC must win at least two games to clinch the league title and host next week's Region 18 championships. If the Bruins aren't successful in that goal, Southern Nevada will host the region series.

Nelson said the Bruins are well aware of the stakes surrounding the matchup.

"As for this upcoming weekend, it's what every competitor wants - your fate in your hands," he said. "It will be some great baseball and I'm excited to watch our guys compete."

The Coyotes come into the game on a slightly-downward note thanks to losing a game on a walk-off home run at USU Eastern. CSN led late and was looking to win its 11th-consecutive game before the walk-off ruined their plans. The Coyotes will enter the matchup this week with the league's best pitching staff ( a league-leading 2.71 ERA), facing off against Salt Lake's league-leading batting average (.321). 

Salt Lake and Southern Nevada will play a four-game series this weekend, playing doubleheaders on both Friday and Saturday. Live stats for the series will be available at csncoyotes.com. If the Bruins claim at least two games, they will host next week's NJCAA Region 18 championships at Cate Field in West Jordan.