CWU Baseball head coach Desi Storey is now at 603 career wins, a career milestone. He got his 600th career win during the Wildcats’ home series against Montana State University Billings (MSUB).

For Storey, the amount of career wins isn’t what keeps him coaching, it’s his love for the game of baseball.

“I love baseball,” Storey said. “I have a really high desire to be involved with baseball.”

Storey has been the head coach for CWU Baseball since 1992. After playing for the CWU Baseball team from 1981-82 and being the team’s assistant coach from 1986-89, Storey chose to come back to his alma mater to coach the Wildcats.

“When I got the opportunity, it was something I jumped at,” Storey said. “I played here… I loved the place.”

Storey’s 600th career win came on a walk-off victory on March 30 over MSUB by a score of 14-13. Down by one run entering the bottom of the ninth inning, CWU outfielder Justin Hampson dropped down a safety squeeze bunt and brought in the tying run. Then, CWU outfielder James Smith III came home to score the winning run on a passed ball to lock up win number 600 for coach Storey.

“It was really exciting to be able to get that 600th win and be a part of that for Coach Storey,” Hampson said.

Hampson reflected on what he’s learned so far in his second year playing for Storey.

“The most important thing he’s taught me is to show up everyday with a mindset to come out here and get better,” Hampson said.

Smith reiterated the importance that baseball has on Storey’s life and how he shows it day in and day out. He brought up Storey’s dedication for the game and how that impacts him personally.

“That really lights a fire in my heart,” Smith said. “I wish I could show half the passion he does for CWU Baseball.”

Smith is finishing his last season with the Wildcats. Out of the many life lessons that Storey has taught Smith in his college career, one of them stood out over the rest.

“I think the biggest thing for me is accountability, making sure you’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing as a man,” Smith said. “It’s been a really good guide for me in my years here.”

The team is currently two games above .500 and Storey believes his team has as good a chance as any other team to win the GNAC title this year.

“We gotta get back to playing how we’re capable, we’re as good as anybody,” Storey said. “It’s gonna come down to how we play… we just gotta play good ball and get better as the weeks go by.”

The team is 20-18 on the season overall with a 15-13 GNAC record.  They are 8-8 at home and 9-9 on the road this season.

Being mediocre will not work against their next opponent, Northwest Nazarene University. With only three series remaining before the GNAC tournament, CWU looks to finish strong and go into the final tournament seeded higher than what they are currently projected to be, third in the GNAC and only a half a game up on fourth place Concordia University.

A team mantra that Storey pushes on his players is to never be intimidated by the other team, and to always focus on playing baseball to the best of the team’s ability.

“We’re not worried about who we’re playing, it’s always about us. Always about our capabilities and what we wanna do,” Storey said. “We’re right in the thick of it.”

Storey’s favorite moment coaching the team was getting his first GNAC title in 2014.

“That was a special group of guys,” Storey said.

From 2014-17, the team had a win-loss record of 112-89 and also won the GNAC Championship in 2014. For Storey, seeing the team get back to this level of performance has been exciting.

“The program’s been going in a good direction,” Storey said. “We got good guys and I think we’re gonna be in the running every year.”