Tuesday, May 27, 2003 | 9:58 a.m.
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. -- C.J. Ebarb struggled at the plate this season, but that didn't prevent him from adjusting to aluminum bats in the postseason.
A Community College of Southern Nevada sophomore catcher, Ebarb was hitting .255 entering the National Junior College Baseball World Series but has led the Coyotes' resurgence. Not only has he helped the pitching staff come up with big performances, but he has come up big at the plate as well as CCSN looks to stay alive in the double-elimination tournament.
CCSN (52-10), which lost its tournament opener, plays Spartanburg Methodist (S.C.) College at 2 p.m. (PDT) today. The winner gets a chance against the lone remaining undefeated team in the tournament and maybe more important, a day off.
"I love this time of year," Ebarb said. "I work harder this part of the year because I know I'm a big part of the team getting here and helping them here."
He has proved it, hitting .727 (8-for-11) in three games, and is on pace of breaking Kirby Puckett's tournament batting average record of .688 with a minimum of 15 at-bats.
"He had a rough year, offensively,' Coyotes coach Tim Chambers said. "But he turned it on at the right time. I dropped him in the lineup (to No. 7), but he has hit through the playoffs. He is a big plus for us now and I can't mess around with the lineup. Hopefully, he'll stay hot."
Ebarb will be behind the plate for the Coyotes' fourth game in as many days, but he and Chambers aren't concerned.
"If you are going to get tired in the World Series, then something is wrong with you," Ebarb said. "We're here for a reason. There shouldn't be any excuses."
"In all reality, we're not in bad shape," Chambers said. "I feel we still have quite a bit of pitching left. A couple (bullpen) guys didn't get the job done (Monday), but we'll go to them again. I think it will come down to who puts up the offensive numbers.
"We're finally getting used to swinging the aluminum bats. I have a good feeling we can keep scoring runs."
CCSN scored 12 runs Monday in a 12-6 victory over Indian Hills (Iowa) Community College, one day after eliminating Connors State (Okla.) Community College 14-3 in five innings. The Coyotes lost 7-6 to Seminole (Fla.) Community College on Saturday.
Tyler Coon pitched into the ninth inning against Indian Hills to earn the victory. He allowed five runs on seven hits and struck out seven.
"We have our backs against the wall," Coon said. "Fortunately, we got the first one out of the way. I think we can keep it going."
Jabe Beard pitched all five innings in the Coyotes' victory over Connors State. He allowed three runs on eight hits, walked two and struck out two.
Chambers said there was a good chance Jino Gonzalez, who was the losing pitcher in the opening game, will pitch today.
"We'll see what is our best matchup and decide who to go with (on the mound)," Chambers said.
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