TAYLORSVILLE, Utah (February 27, 2023) – It's a mixture of the postseason and the regular season for the Salt Lake Community College Athletic Department this week.
 
The No. 9 SLCC Men's Basketball team opens the postseason with games in the Region 18 tournament, while the SLCC Baseball and Softball teams will begin Scenic West Athletic Conference play. The SLCC Indoor Track-and-Field team will also compete in the NJCAA Indoor championships in Kansas.
 
For more information and upcoming schedules, visit slccbruins.com.
 
Baseball: SLCC Baseball has had an up-and-down start to the 2023 season.
 
The Bruins will have a chance to reset this week though with the start of Scenic West Athletic Conference play. SLCC will travel to face off against No. 15 Southern Nevada, who has started the season with a 12-4 push. 
 
Salt Lake will play its first home game of the year on March 10, facing off against Colorado Northwestern. 
 
Indoor Track-and-Field: The inaugural season of the SLCC distance running program continues this week, with the Bruins traveling to compete in a national championship event.
 
Salt Lake will make its debut in the NJCAA Indoor Track-and-Field championships, qualifying 15 runners to the event. This will build off SLCC's impressive performance in the recent NJCAA Cross Country championships.
 
Bruins coach Isaac Wood said it is a privilege for his team to have these opportunities.
 
"We've got a great opportunity to points some points on the board and some athletes that will be in the mix for some All-American citations," he said. "We try to keep everything the same. The only thing that changes is the venue."
 
Men's Basketball: The No. 9 Bruins will regroup after a season-ending loss, heading into the postseason as the No. 2 seed in this week's Region 18 tournament.
 
Salt Lake will open the tournament, which will be hosted by the College of Southern Idaho, Friday with a game against No. 3 Snow College. The Bruins went 2-1 against Snow this season. 
 
SLCC coach Kyle Taylor said the intensity of the postseason presents a different challenge for his team.
 
"Post season basketball is exciting, and anything can happen so the focus is on discipline and execution. The stakes are higher yes, but they are for everyone so you have to approach things the same way. Routines in practice, travel, and preparation don't change and are helpful in managing the stress, expectations, and pressure."
 
Still, Taylor said the postseason also brings an opportunity for fans to enjoy the challenges ahead of them.
 
"This time of year should be fun too, so hopefully our guys enjoy the moment as well," he noted. 
 
Softball: After a prolonged layoff, the SLCC Softball team will return to the diamond for the opening of Scenic West Athletic Conference play.
 
Salt Lake will open the league schedule with a road series against USU Eastern, taking its mixed preseason record of 6-5 to the league openers. The series has been moved to Grand Junction, Colo.
 
Bruins coach Cyndee Bennett said her team is ready to return to the field.
 
"Every game we play matters for us," she said. "We are focused on getting into the rankings and positioning ourselves as best we can for postseason play. The conference does change our focus a little bit due to playing each team 4 times in a weekend. We have to figure out how to win each game and it gets harder to beat a team multiple times in a weekend."