This idea sprung up out of the phrase, "He's one of the best (fill in the blank) I've seen since I've been here.
I started compiling a list of athletes I'd want to put out on the court/field if I had my pick of every player to have put on a Douglas uniform since I started working for The Record-Courier in 2003.
Just for the heck of it, I thought I'd put together a seperate list of the players I absolutely would not want to see on the other side of the ball. This isn't necessarily saying that these are the best overall to play on the other side, it's more the players who just gave the Tigers the most headaches during their high school careers.
Keep in mind, all of these picks are completely my opinion. No coaches had any input, and some omissions may simply be the result of a poor memory. But without further ado, here is the 2007-08 version of the All-Since-I've-Been-Here baseball teams:
Pitcher
Tyler May (2006-present): May's career record stands at 13-5 heading into his senior year. He has 50 strikeouts over the last two years and his fastball was clocked in the high 80s early this season.
Tyson Estes, (2004-05): Estes went 9-2 his senior year, leading Douglas to its first Sierra League title. The lefty was among the most dependable pitchers in the region that season and he finished with an 11-3 career record.
Chris Honer (2004): Honer moved on to pitch at Point Loma Nazarene and has been one of the Sealions' primary starters this year. As a senior he helped Douglas along to an 18-game win streak to start the year.
Spot Starter
D.J. Brady (2004-06): The lefty threw three career no-hitters, including a streak of 12 innings without a hit at one point in his senior year. He finished his career at Douglas with a 10-7 record on the mound.
Relief Pitchers
Pat Lahlum (2006-07): Lahlum kept batters off-balance with his change-of-pace style and developed into one of Douglas' most dependable relievers in 2007. He posted a 2-1 record on the year in 11 appearances with 18 strikeouts and only three walks.
Chris Kinsley (2005-06): A lefty with a big curveball, Kinsley kind of floated under the radar with only a handful of relief appearances before pulling off two of the bigger upsets in the program's history in one day. Kinsley came on in relief in an elimination game at Reno in the 2006 playoffs and shut the Huskies down, preserving a 9-7 win.
He came back about an hour later and took the ball for the start against Galena, picking up an 8-7 win.
First Baseman
First Team
Ryan Laing (2006): Laing was the best pure power hitter to come through Minden in quite a while. He cracked a state record four home runs in one game as a junior and went on to win the state home run derby that summer. He moved to California heading into his senior year.
Second Team
Tyler Hoelzen (2007-present): Hoelzen could have slid into a number of spots on this list, but will stay here for the time being. He was the Tigers' primary starter at first to finish the regular season, but also ended up serving as the staff ace on the mound after May went down with a shoulder injury. At the plate, he had seven doubles, a home run and 13 RBIs this season and compiled an 8-2 record on the mound with 60 strikeouts in 10 appearances.
Second Baseman
First Team
Chad Walling (2004-05): Walling did a little bit of everything for the Tigers his junior and senior years. He was the Sierra League Player of the Year in 2005, putting together a 7-3 record on the mound and earning all-league honors at second base. He was the leadoff batter in the Tiger lineup and was among the better baserunners in the region. He went on to play two years at WNC.
Second Team
Willie Morgan (2007): Morgan was among the better clutch hitters I've seen come through as he came up with a handful of game-winning, late-inning hits during his senior campaign. He finished his senior season with 25 RBIs, five doubles, two triples and one home run.
Shortstop
First Team
Luke Rippee (2004): Rippee was the 2004 Sierra League Player of the Year, coming into his own during his senior season as the Tigers' leadoff batter. He combined speed with a steady amount of power to lead Douglas into the regional playoffs.
Second Team
Tim Rudnick (2007-present): Rudnick was as consistent as there was in the league at the plate this season and is in line for a stellar senior season. He has some pretty nasty stuff on the mound as well, when his breaking ball is working.
Third Baseman
First Team
Ryan Pruitt (2005-07): Pruitt was a virtual vacuum at third for the two seasons he was camped out there. Aside from his defensive prowess, he had 24 RBIs as a senior with seven doubles and three home runs.
Second Team
Jimmy Pierce (2004-05): Pierce was the starter at third as a junior and shifted over to short after Rippee graduated. He was a solid No. 2 batter behind Walling during the Tigers' 2005 league title campaign.
Catcher
First Team
Jordan Hadlock (2005-08): Aside from being the best defensive catcher in the state, Hadlock earned player of the year honors in 2008 after a strong season at the plate (11 doubles, three triples, nine home runs and 35 RBIs). He finished his career with 16 home runs. He also had 10 appearances on the mound as a senior and struck out 17.
Second Team
Roman Davis (2004-07): Hadlock's predecessor laid the foundation for catchers at Douglas, possessing one of the best arms in the region for his three years behind the plate. He also boasted a pretty powerful bat and took his career to Feather River for college.
Left Field
First Team
Niko Saladis (2006-07): Saladis was solid enough at the plate and steady in the outfield, but he truly shined when the pressure was on.
He had the game-winning hit in his varsity Sierra League debut against rival Carson. He had two triples, five doubles and 22 RBIs as a senior and went on to start for Feather River this year.
Second Team
Cory Eilers (2006-07): Eilers floated under the radar near the bottom of the order his junior season and broke out with a huge senior year, leading the team with 32 RBIs. He added eight doubles, four triples and three home runs as well.
Center Field
First Team
Bryan Miller (2004): Miller has had success at every level he's played. After helping lead Douglas to 18 straight wins to start the 2004 season, he went on to earn All-American honors during both of his seasons at Mesa College in Arizona. He signed with Troy University from there and is leading the NCAA in hits and doubles this season. One wonders if any MLB scouts in the Alabama area are taking notice of his progress.
Second Team
Beau Davis (2006-present): Davis has been an understated center fielder with a talent for making the tough plays look routine. He's been consistent in the No. 9 spot this past season and should come into his own as a senior.
Right Field
First Team
Nate Whalin (2005-07): Whalin had more than 25 home runs as a freshman at the junior varsity level and was one of the program's top power hitters once he settled in at the varsity level. He led the team with eight home runs his senior year and drove in 28 runs.
Second Team
Tanner Thomas (2008-present): Thomas could end up in the first team spot after his senior season due to his athleticism defensively. He clubbed three home runs as a junior, tied for the team lead with five triples, had six doubles and drove in 23 runs. Not bad for a guy who was considering riding bulls on the rodeo circuit this year instead of playing baseball.
Designated Hitter
First Team
Phil Mannelly (2004-07): Mannelly was coach John Glover's first four-year player and his experience showed by his senior year. He had three home runs and 30 RBIs as a senior and was a first-team all-leaguer as a sophomore during Douglas' league title run. He led Feather River in batting this season and was an All-Golden Valley Conference first-teamer.
Second Team
Troy Torres (2007-present): Torres came into his own as this last season went on. He finished with 25 RBIs, including 18 in his last 11 games.
Pitchers
Garrett Luippold, Reno (2005-2007): Luippold was as tough as they came, especially against Douglas. The lefty, now at the University of San Francisco, took 10-0 and 4-3 wins against the Tigers in his junior and senior seasons.
Steve Masten, Spanish Springs (2005): The late Masten, who went on to play at Nevada, was another lefty that gave Douglas fits throughout the 2005 season. He led a Cougar team that handed Douglas four of its nine losses that year.
Jake Rasner, Wooster (2004-05): Rasner was one of my personal favorites since I've been at The R-C. As a righty, he was underrated when he was pitching at Wooster and he was the tough-luck loser in pitcher's duels against Bryan Miller in 2004 and Chad Walling in 2005, but now he's pitching in the Advanced single-A ball in Winston-Salem. He was in the throwing in the low-90s while at Wooster.
First Baseman
Eric Maupin, Galena (2005-07): Maupin, the 2007 High Desert Pitcher of the Year, had five doubles, five home runs and 23 RBIs in league play as a senior and always seemed to come up with kep plays against Douglas. He was a strong first baseman, but having his arm available to come in for relief would be invaluable. He was 6-0 with 45 strikeouts and a 1.24 ERA as a senior.
Second Baseman
Davis Banks, Reno (2004-05): Banks, now playing for Western Nevada, was as good at second base as he was on the mound for the Huskies. Douglas squeaked out a 7-5 win in Reno against him to kick off a doubleheader sweep during the Tigers' 2005 league title campaign, but not many other teams were able to touch him that year.
Shortstop
Joe Wieland, Manogue (2005-2008): I wasn't sold on Wieland until seeing him play during the playoffs. The 2008 High Desert Player of the Year crushed the ball every time up to bat and he made some nice plays at short. Crazy thing was, shortstop isn't even what the Major League scouts are looking at him for. His strong suit, as with all of my other infielders so far, is pitching.
Third Baseman
Tony Thompson, Galena (2006-07): Thompson, now at Kansas, hit the ball as hard as anyone I've seen in the last five years. He had 30 RBIs and drew 15 walks as a senior and had the knockout punch against Douglas in the 2006 playoffs with a big home run.
Catcher
C.J. Maldonado, Reed (2006-08): Maldonado was another guy that hit the ball for all it was worth, clubbing four home runs against the Tigers in the playoffs alone through the last two years.
Outfielders
Jacob Anderson, Galena (2005-07): Anderson was the High Desert Pitcher of the Year and definitely excelled on the mound, but saw time against Douglas in the outfield as a sophomore and could play there again if it meant adding some depth to my theoretically bullpen.
Josh Blake, Damonte Ranch (2006-07): Blake led Damonte to a breakout year in 2007, leading off the Mustang lineup with his sparkplug speed and hauling in a number of highlight reel catches.
Ryan Laing, Spanish Springs (2004): Laing is the first player I've been able to list on both sides of the All-Since-I've-Been-Here teams. Sure he was great for Douglas as a junior, but he was equally destructive to the Tigers as a sophomore at Spanish Springs. He hit a number of home runs during the Cougars' four wins over Douglas in 2004.
Designated Hitter
Brian Barnett, McQueen (2005-07): Barnett would've been my shortstop if I hadn't seen Wieland play this season. Truth be told, he was probably the better pure shortstop, but again the pitching played into it. Barnett had a slugging percentage of .919 as a senior to go with his nine home runs and 27 RBIs. Sure he plays at the wind-blown Lancer field, but I saw him hit the ball plenty hard during the playoffs in Minden.
Utility
Stephen Yarrow, South Tahoe (2004-2007): Yarrow, now at the University of San Francisco, stuck with Tahoe through some thin years and was known for his positive attitude and hard work ethic. He was strong at the plate, solid on the mound and makes his college living at shortstop.
As always, there were a couple brow-raisers when the all-league teams were released earlier this week.
The ones that stuck out to me most were Douglas catcher Katrina Morgan and right fielder Mackenzie Cauley being left on the second team.
Perhaps more surprising was that there were two catchers other than Morgan that actually made the first team (Why two? It's not like they can play at the same time!).
Sure, Morgan is only a sophomore, but she led her team in doubles (13), home runs (seven) and RBIs (47) and was quietly one of the top hitters in the league with a .439 average.
Same with Cauley, who led the team with a whopping .545 average to go with a team-leading seven triples. She also had two home runs and 32 RBIs just for good measure.
This is the way these things go though, there's only so many spots and some kids are bound to be left off. Fortunately both players will be back next year for a shot at first-team honors.
After Manogue hosted both the regional softball and baseball tournaments, I left incredibly impressed with the facilities the Miners have up there in south Reno.
I'm not sure there's a better softball venue in the region (perhaps the University of Nevada, but among the high schools anyway).
The baseball field looks more like a small college's than a high school park and the entire complex is laid out with fan-friendly parking.
Come to think of it, every one of Manogue's playing fields is among the best in the region. Each presents a simply great spot to watch a game.
I'll be looking forward to multiple trips up there now that Douglas will be in the same league with the Miners.
- There's not a lot to add this week with the high school sports year coming to a close. Just for the record, this was one of Douglas High's most successful years overall with one state title, eight regional titles, five Sierra League titles , 24 state qualifiers (individual and team) and 12 regional qualifiers (teams only).
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 (Final)
1. Jordan Hadlock, catcher/pitcher, baseball
2. Derrick Jenkins, middle distances/high jump, track & field
3. Sarah Hartley, sprinter/field events, track & field
4. Thomas Wicker, golf
5. Jessica Waggoner, track & field
6. Jessica Gorton, hurdler/field events, track & field
7. Katrina Morgan, catcher, softball
8. Tyler Hoelzen, pitcher/outfielder/first baseman, baseball
9. Stephanie Harper, pitcher, softball
10. Eddie Kollar, diving
2007-08 school year
1. Bridget Maestretti, volleyball/basketball/track
2. Tim Rudnick, football/basketball/baseball
3. Jessica Waggoner, volleyball/basketball/track
4. David Laird, football/basketball
5. Sarah Hartley, soccer/basketball/track
6. Jessica Gorton, basketball/track
7. Jeff Crozier, soccer/baseball
8. Brock Peterson, football
9. Tanner Thomas, baseball/football
10. Jeff Nady, football/basketball
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. Jessica Waggoner, volleyball/basketball/track (2005-present)
6. Ryan Pruitt, football/wrestling/baseball (2005-07)
7. Mike Gransbery, soccer/basketball (2004-07)
8. Kayla Dunn, volleyball/softball (2004-05)
9. Keith Olson, basketball (2004-07)
10. Tim Rudnick, football/basketball/baseball (2006-present)
