R-C Sports Notebook: Reno packs a heavy punch

Not many were on hand to see the Reno softball team unleash an offensive slaughter on Douglas Saturday afternoon.

Take note: After watching Reno put up 25 runs compared to Douglas' one in the doubleheader, the Huskies became my pick to win everything this year.

For those who haven't been paying attention, Douglas really isn't a bad softball team. Quite good actually.

But Reno is as solid as can be. Everyone else in Northern Nevada " including myself before this weekend " had practically handed Spanish Springs the regional championship trophy.

Reno and Spanish Springs will meet up in a non-league game the afternoon that I am writing this column, but regardless of the outcome of that game, I thoroughly believe Reno will be hoisting both the regional and state championship trophies come the beginning of May.

Spanish Springs' depth goes without question and they have been the team to rack up the hardware in recent years, claiming both the region and state titles in each of the last two years.

The Huskies, however, have two excellent pitchers in Samantha Baker and Ashley Rahming.

The defense simply does not make mistakes. At all. Even after left fielder Samantha Puzey stumbled while attempting to field a fly ball Saturday afternoon, she recovered in enough time to fire a strike to second base to record a putout on what would have been a sure double.

And the offense. Well, where do I start? Reno homered five times in the doubleheader, including two grand slams against Douglas' Stephanie Harper " who is one of the top pitchers in the league.

It was no knock against Harper. After some early struggles, her stuff was working pretty well. It's just that Reno is that disciplined and that powerful at the plate that they can dismantle a quality pitcher.

The top five in the lineup will break you down and the next two or three can hurt you when you're not looking.

There really isn't much of a difference talent-wise between Reno and Spanish Springs. In fact, Spanish Springs probably holds the edge.

But mark my words, Reno will be hungrier come playoff time. They are the best complete "team" I have seen since Douglas' 2004 regional championship squad.

Following up on my item on a complaint against the NIAA's move of Southern 4A girls' soccer to the fall season next year: NIAA board members basically dismissed the complaint and voted to keep things as originally planned, unifying the north and south for a true state championship next year.

Good for them. This is the best move for the sport. It will open up statewide competition not only during the primary season, but also during the club sports season, which was otherwise not possible before with six months out of the year reserved for high school play.

The complaintant, a parent of a Green Valley athlete who played soccer and volleyball before, has said he will pursue legal action to try to put a stop to the move until the courts can sort it out, but the ice he's standing on is relatively thin.

His is the only complaint out of some 500 families directly effected by the move. Coaches appear to be in favor of the move. Administrators appear to be in favor of the move.

It is simply the best possible situation for the sport. Here's hoping the courts agree.

There may not be a team better suited to its home ballpark that this year's Tiger baseball squad.

Douglas has, square-foot for square-foot, probably the largest playing field in the state, running 351 to left field, 370 to left center, 400 to center, 370 to right center and some 321 feet to right.

It's an ideal situation for a team that likes to play "small ball."

The large outfield leaves a lot of open space in the outfield for spray hitters (I can't tell you how many bloop singles to the shallows and how many triples to the gap I've seen at Tiger Field) and the infield grass is thick enough to slow down even the sharpest bunt.

Sacrifice flies can travel further outand allow more time for the runner, or just plain die in the wind and fall in for a single.

None of that is new. What's different this year is the Tigers' roster fits perfectly with the park.

This has to be one of the fastest lineups John Glover has fielded in his six years at the Tigers' helm.

Jordan Hadlock, a catcher of all things, has to be one of the best baserunners in the Northern 4A, and is one of three players on this year's roster to have played point guard for the Tiger basketball team in the last three years (TIm Rudnick and Tyler Hoelzen are the others).

Center fielder Tyler May is a former running back for the Tigers and left fielder Zach McFadden is one of the fastest athletes in the school, having served as the football team's primary kick returner along with playing wide receiver and defensive back.

Just for good measure, outfielder Tanner Thomas is also a starter in the defensive backfield for the football team and second baseman Jeff Crozier was a forward on the soccer team.

So the ability to run isn't lacking in the Tiger lineup.

But aside from the offensive advantages (The Tigers have already knocked nine triples on the year), it gives Douglas an advantage in covering all the extra ground defensively.

The pitching staff has always benefitted from the big yard, but this year's staff is particularly efficient in allowing the defense to do the work, which will pay dividends later on as the other teams in the league start battling with fatigued arms.

Expect a lot of wins at home for the Tigers this year. They will be extremely tough to beat there.

Name two off-campus places the Douglas basketball teams played their homes games before moving into what is now the Old Gym Playhouse in front of Carson Valley Middle School (the old high school) and later to the current gym?

- With the Douglas boys' golf team's wins at the Rosewood Lakes tournament last week and at Wolf Run to begin this week, the Tigers extended the programs league tournament win streak to eight (combined with the girls' teams 6-0 Sierra League season during the fall). When exactly did Douglas become a golf powerhouse?

-The way the netting is lined up behind the plate at Tiger Field has greatly reduced the number of foul balls lost into the neighboring backyards. That's great news for a baseball team that stresses battling through an at bat. During Thursday's game against Carson, I only counted four or five balls that made it all the way over neighbors' fences.

- Saturday's doubleheader split between the Carson and Douglas baseball team was the first time in five years that the winner of the Thursday-game loser of the series did not sweep the Saturday doubleheader. Gotta love obscure statistics.

It's still very early, but if I had a vote for overall player of the year in the Northern 4A Regional baseball and softball honors ballots (and I don't), this is what it would look like this week, based mostly on their respective performances over the last week:

Baseball

1. Joe Wieland (Manogue); 2. Jordan Hadlock (Douglas); 3. Glenn Wallace (Reno); 4. CJ Maldonado (Reed); 5. Jacob Anderson (Galena)

Softball

1. Samantha Baker (Reno); 2. Mallary Darby (Spanish Springs); 3. Ashley Rahming (Reno); 4. Jaci Carlsen (Spanish Springs); 5. Ashley Collier (Spanish Springs)

The top athletes, regardless of sport, at Douglas High determined by production during competion, overall value to their team, ability to perform with consistency in routine situations, performance compared to others at the same position throughout the stae/region, ability to come up big in clutch situations, versatility, attitude, sportsmanship, overall athletic ability, heart, potential at the next level, and a host of other intangibles (emotional leadership, role-playing value, work ethic, etc.) This is all, of course, just my opinion.

Spring Sports (Through March 29)

1. Sarah Hartley, sprinter, track & field

2. Jordan Hadlock, catcher/pitcher, baseball

3. Derrick Jenkins, middle distances, track & field

4. Haley VonSchottenstein, swimming

5. Stephanie Harper, pitcher, softball

6. Tim Rudnick, shortstop/pitcher, baseball

7. Emily Weaver, shortstop, softball

8. Thomas Wicker, golf

9. Kameron VanWinkle, third base/pitcher, baseball

10. Marco Hyman, swimming

2007-08 school year

1. Bridget Maestretti, volleyball/basketball/track

2. Eddie Vega, soccer/track

3. Tim Rudnick, football/basketball/baseball

4. David Laird, football/basketball

5. Jose Alcaraz, soccer/track

6. Brock Peterson, football

7. Jessica Waggoner, volleyball/basketball/track

8. Sarah Hartley, soccer/basketball/track

9. Jeff Nady, football/basketball

10. Luke Wartgow, football/track & field

Since I've been here (2003)

1. Luke Rippee, football/basketball/baseball (2003)

2. Brittany Puzey, basketball/softball (2003-04)

3. Bridget Maestretti, volleyball/basketball/softball/track (2004-08)

4. Tyson Estes, football/basketball/baseball (2003-05)

5. Ryan Pruitt, football/wrestling/baseball (2005-07)

6. Mike Gransbery, soccer/basketball (2004-07)

7. Kayla Dunn, volleyball/softball (2004-05)

8. Keith Olson, basketball (2004-07)

9. Jessica Waggoner, volleyball/basketball/track (2005-present)

10. Nate Whalin, football/basketball/baseball (2004-07)

With the Red Sox opening their season, again, Tuesday I feel it only appropriate to officially proclaim that this will not be the another title year.

I've written before about my avid admiration for Boston, and this year is no different. The Red Sox have the best batting order in all of baseball and the pitching staff is second-to-none.

The minor league system is spectacular, so even if the injury bug hits, there will be plenty of capable bodies to fill in.

But there is just something that happens to a team after several years of sustained success. Just take a look at the Yankees or the New England Patriots.

It's uncanny, but I've gotten to where I can pick the year the "unstoppable machine" teams will succumb to a sudden stop.

I don't know if it's the pressure, or the enlarged target on your back or even your previously hungry players letting up even just the slightest bit. Maybe it's a combination. But something happens and all of the sudden, someone else steals the limelight away.

This year wreaks of exactly that type of year for Boston. My money would be on any number of other teams, including the Cubs, the Tigers, the Angels, the Mets, the Dodgers and the Padres.

If I'm wrong, it's still a good thing, because that means my team had a great year.

(The name "Biff Martel" became a part of Douglas Tiger football lore when a letter signed by that very named was submitted to The Record-Courier criticizing the team in the late 1980s. We later found out that Biff does not exist. The identity of the letter writer was never discovered, although he was summoned over the PA system during the next game. Consider this section as a base for readers to spout off anonymously about just about anything. My call on what, and how much of it, actually gets to run.)

Joey,

As a soccer coach with a little insight (and I do mean "little"), I'll bet this has less to do with Title IX and more to do with the impact on club soccer. As you probably know, college recruitment in most every sport (excluding football) happens primarily in secondary seasons through club sports. This allows college coaches to recruit while they are not actively working with their own teams and allows them to see teams of athletes that are comprised of the best athletes from a variety of schools. Many clubs today even prevent their premier athletes from even competing on high school teams.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out, but I'll bet that the clubs are driving the issue... Yours truly, Biff

Joey,

So why isn't there boy's volleyball in the North? There is no "gym" sport in the spring (boy's volleryball season), and since the girls have volleyball, why don't the boys? Or is Title IX just to protect one gender's opportunities? Yours truly, Biff

Editor's note: "Biff" makes a great point. The north certainly has the athletes to support boy's volleyball, which would be a fantastic spectator sport for the spring evenings. Nonetheless, Title IX seems to be more about percentage of roster opportunities compared to the school's student body. The south can support that bump in male roster spots but the north would have a tougher time doing that.

www.baseball-almanac.com

If you are a student of all things baseball, check this one out. You'll get all of the game's current data and a mind-boggling history section.

It has an interactive "Statmaster" database that allows you to search even the most obscure statistic for every season of professional baseball (and several different leagues for that matter).

Be careful, you could get lost here for quite some time.

The CVIC Hall and Valhalla Hall (near the corner of 395 and Eddy Street in Gardnerville).