The Region IX Empire Conference baseball tournament will begin this weekend with first round contests at the higher seeds.

WNCC, who finished the regular season at 21-27, will hit the road to face Trinidad State Junior College in Trinidad, Colorado, with a best-of-three series with the Trojans Friday and Saturday.

Trinidad State enters the tournament at 24-25. WNCC and Trinidad split a 4-game series this season. Trinidad State won the first two games 10-8 and 11-1 while WNCC captured games three and four 15-13 and 11-10.

WNCC enters the tournament after dropping 2 of 3 to McCook Community College last weekend. Trinidad State enters after getting swept by Lamar Community College in three games.

Action on Friday begins at noon with the second game slated for 3:30 p.m. An if-necessary third game would be played Saturday.

WNCC pitcher Trent Richter, who is slated for the game two start, said this team is ready to get going.

“We are very excited. We are ready to go out there and show up this weekend,” Richter said. “Hopefully come away with the two games tomorrow [Friday] and come back Saturday morning and be ready to go for the rest of the tournament.”

Richter said the key to advancing in the tournament is pitching, defense and timely hits.

“We have to pick up the pitching on our end and the offense needs to keep what they are doing by putting up runs on the scoreboard,” Richter said. “We just need to work as a team.”

Richter said the biggest thing they have to do is worry about themselves. Paul Panduro is slated to start the first game against the Trojans.

“We just need to worry about ourselves and stick to the plan of how to beat these guys,” Richter said. “We know what we need to do because we have done it two times already this year. If we can just stick to the plan, execute that plan, and play together as a team, we will be setting good.”

Other first-round games will pit Otero Junior College at Southeast Community College; Northeastern Junior College at Lamar Community College; and Luna Community College at McCook Community College.

The first-round winners will advance to the regional tournament May 13-16 at the UCHealth Field in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

The Trinidad/WNCC will face the Southeast/Otero and Lamar/Northeastern winner will face the McCook/Luna winner in the double elimination tournament.

The Region IX tournament winner will advance to the district finals the following weekend.