The opening day of the Division I baseball season was an interesting one, as McQueen upset error-prone Reno, 4-2, and Spanish Springs’ Ryan Anderson carried a no-hitter into the seventh before allowing a single to Gavin Bullis in a 5-1 win over Bishop Manogue.
This year there doesn’t seem to be a dominant team. I still think Reno is the team to beat. One loss in a 22-game schedule isn’t going to kill the Huskies.
In the end, I think the playoff teams, and this is in no particular order, are going to be Reno, Spanish Springs, McQueen, Galena, Damonte Ranch, Bishop Manogue, Carson and Reed.
Wooster showed a lot in its tournament win over Carson, but I’m not sure the Colts have enough pitching. Douglas, if it matures quickly, is a scary team.
Reno did bounce back to split the series while Manogue dropped two to Spanish Springs.
On the softball side, it will be Reno, Reed, Spanish Springs, Bishop Manogue, Douglas, Damonte Ranch, McQueen and either North Valleys or Galena. Carson is just too young.
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Circle April 23 on your calendar. That is the date of the annual Carson Invitational at the Jim Frank Track & Field Complex.
Coach Robert Maw said he has 27 teams lined up for the event, including Sac-Joaquin Section power Rocklin High.
One side note to that meet is the discus and shot put battle between Dayton’s Zach Hawley and Carson’s Ian Schulz. The duo are arguably the two best in the region, and barring a meltdown, are going to both be at this year’s state meet.
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Carson High is hosting both the regional and state track meets this year. The regional meet will be held May 7 and May 14, and the state meet will be May 20-21.
Starting in 2017, Carson High will be the permanent host for all track regionals in northern Nevada, and the meet will go back to a state format where competition will be Friday and Saturday instead of being spaced out over two weekends.
Given the fact Carson has the best facility in the state, I don’t know why Carson isn’t a permanent site for the state meet. I know the Las Vegas coaches wouldn’t mind it a bit. They gave the facility glowing reviews two years ago.
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From a championship caliber baseball program to club soccer. What are the people at Western Nevada thinking these days?
It’s a ridiculous decision. I just don’t see the value of club sports at the community college level.
I ruffled some feathers in the WNC press box recently when I commented WNC never should have started either baseball or softball unless it was guaranteed entrance into a California conference. I stand behind that comment. Having to fly everywhere or take 10-hour bus trips on your road trips is no way to go.
California junior colleges haven’t helped Nevada kids by eliminating the “good neighbor” policy. Nevada kids have to pay through the nose to go to a California JC. Feather River, for instance, used to get a lot of kids from northern Nevada, but that number has dwindled significantly, and it’s a shame.
And, the inability to find a couple of big donors, has also hampered the program.
