Baseball: Tigers in search of new identity

The next month or so will be a process of establishing a new identity for the Douglas baseball team.

Sure, the team has six players back from last season's regional champion, but head coach John Glover is very clear that this group is its own group.

"We talked a little bit about last year, just about that group's work ethic," Glover said. "But we spend a lot more time talking about what this group can do and what they can acheive.

"There are some holdovers from last year, but it's not the same team. This team has more to prove than last year's team. We're just looking to work as hard as we can and we'll see what happens."

The Tigers are faced with replacing regular starters at nearly every position on the field, along with their entire starting pitching rotation.

Gone also are the top four spots in the batting order. Adding to it, the only returning starters in the infield will be switching positions.

But for a field covered with question marks, Glover said he sees plenty of potential.

"Inexperience is the biggest thing, obviously," he said. "When you graduate seven starters of that quality, it's tough to replace them all.

"We're still in that feeling-out process. But it's a very smart group of kids. They pick things up quickly. You tell them something once and they get it. That's encouraging."

The Tigers won't get much of a trial period, though. After starting the season at the annual Mike Bearman Memorial Tournament in Reno later this week, they'll launch right into league play against rival Carson.

The two teams squared off in a league-title showdown to wrap up the regular season last year.

"We have to get right after it with the schedule," Glover said. "The first couple weeks, there are a lot of positions out there where we still aren't sure. It'll be a wide-open race at a couple spots."

Wide-open would seem to be the key word throughout the league as many of the top teams are facing similar situations of having to replace large graduating classes.

"The league is always solid and I wouldn't expect anything less this year," Glover said. "It should be balanced and it'll be tough every week.

"Out of everyone, Manogue was probably the team that didn't graduate as many kids as everyone else on our side, but everyone is going to be right in there."

Galena is expected to have a strong squad in head coach Ron McNutt's second year at the helm. Carson and Damonte Ranch are also expected to be solid, making for at least a five-team playoff race including Douglas. South Tahoe and Fallon have been consistently competitive in recent years as well.

"It's like every year, there are no off weeks," Glover said.

One of the most pressing issues heading into this week's tournament will be on the mound, where the Tigers are looking to fill in where the team's top four pitchers in 2009 left off.

The outgoing group was so strong, in fact, that Douglas used only three pitchers during last year's regional tournament run. Ace righty and Sierra League Pitcher of the Year Tyler May has moved on to Western Nevada College, and lefty Tyler Hoelzen, who struck out 78 batters while posting an 8-2 record, has moved on to Feather River.

"It's tough," Glover said. "That was a special group in terms of pitching. They threw some spectacular games. We're really unknown on the mound coming in."

Glover said he has eight players in mind to use on the mound, at least early in the year.

"It's far and away our most unproven area in terms of varsity experience," Glover said. "These guys have been throwing bullpen sessions for a while, but game situations are different. We'll see pretty quick who's ready to go and who's ready to play at this level."

Leading the group will be junior Kameron VanWinkle, who has worked mostly in long-relief and spot-starting roles during his first two years in the program but has already compiled 10 career wins.

"Kameron has thrown a lot over the past two years," Glover said. "He'll be a go-to guy for us, no doubt."

Senior Beau Battista improved as the year progressed last season and is the only other player on this year's roster to have started a game at the varsity level.

"Beau will be in there and we called Matt Thomas (a junior) up from junior varsity and he'll be competing for a starting spot," Glover said.

Two transfers, Ryan Ford (Arbor View ion Las Vegas) and Otto Trebotich (South Tahoe), are also in the mix as are junior Scott Rudnick, sophomore Cody Begovich.

"(Outfielder) Conner Dillon is another guy we can count on to go out there and throw strikes, so we'll see," Glover said.

Going around the horn, Douglas has at least one game of varsity starting experience for every position on the field. Glover said the next week or so will be a process of figuring out how that all fills a lineup.

CATCHER

"We have three guys competing for the job and honestly any one of them could win it at this point," Glover said.

Senior Kyle Ford (Ryan's brother, also a transfer from Arbor View) worked out with the team during the summer while senior Ryan Moglich is the team's lone returner at the position although he missed all of last year after having knee surgery.

Junior Walker Gemmill was called up from JV and will see time behind the plate as well.

"All three guys have a legitimate shot at winning the job," Glover said. "It'll be fun to watch those guys compete, it makes things more interesting and exciting."

FIRST BASE

VanWinkle is the returning starter, but he'll shift over to the left side of the infield this season, opening things up for any one of about four different players.

Senior Brett Hartley has two years of varsity experience already under his belt while Thomas, Cody Lommori and Rudnick could also play first as well.

"It's a big group," Glover said. "Most of them are 6-3 or taller. I've never had a team with so many potential first basemen. They're all those prototypical first-base builds."

SECOND BASE

Senior Brett Anderson, who saw time at both second and short last year, is the front-runner while Ryan Ford and JV callup Tanner Egan will also see time at the position.

"Brett had a great summer for us and Tanner hits the ball real well," Glover said. "It'll be interesting to see what happens there."

SHORTSTOP

Junior Shane Fencl, who mostly saw time at second base last season, is the leading candidate to state, but it'll be at least a few weeks before he's back on the diamond as he recovers from knee surgery performed in the fall.

In the meantime, Ryan Ford and VanWinkle will likely split time at short.

"This will be Shane's third year in the program and we're expecting big things from him," Glover said. "We're just hoping he's healthy soon.

THIRD BASE

VanWinkle is the projected regular starter after splitting time between first and third the past two seasons.

While Fencl is out, though, Glover said he'd be looking at Lommori, Gemmill and Rudnick at third.

"We really do have a lot of those corner-type guys," Glover said. "It's a good thing to have."

OUTFIELD

Representing the most experienced unit on the team will be the outfielders - a core group of four seniors, two of whom (Conner Dillon and Danny King) saw fairly regular playing time last season.

Trebotich transfers in from South Tahoe after leading the Sierra League in batting average the past two seasons.

Glover said Battista has been swinging a strong bat during the offseason and should see time in the outfield as well.

Joining the seniors will be Begovich and junior Brett Parks, who Glover called one of the fastest players on the team.