University of Nevada Athletics

Complete Release as a pdf

 

The University of Nevada baseball team returns 18 letterwinners from a club that went 25-31 overall and 10-13 in the Western Athletic Conference in 2009.  The sixth-place WAC finish was the lowest for the Wolf Pack in nine years in the conference.  Nevada returns six starting position players and two starting pitchers from last season and will welcome 13 new players for 2010.

Coming off a doubleheader sweep of Fresno State on May 2 last year, the Pack was near the top of the conference standings at 9-4. But the team went 1-9 down the stretch to finish 10-13 in league play.  The sixth-place finish did earn the Pack a trip to the season-ending conference tournament but back-to-back losses ended the year.

Even though rosters change from year to year, one consistent is head coach Gary Powers who will enter his 28th season in 2010.  The longest tenured coach in the history of Nevada athletics, Powers won his 800th game last spring when the Pack knocked off Oregon 6-5 on March 12.

Associate head coach and veteran pitching coach Stan Stolte returns for his 14th season at Nevada.  Chris Pfatenhauer begins his first season at Nevada and will handle the infielders and defense.  Kevin Tucker  joins the staff as the volunteer assistant and will work with the outfielders and hitters.

Pitchers

Seven pitchers who earned letters last season return in 2010 and will be counted on to be the nucleus of the staff.  The 2009 pitching staff was hit hard by major injury as four had Tommy John Surgery, three early in the season. The final one came to closer Daniel Tinlin at the end of the year, which will force him to redshirt in hopes of returning in 2011.

Two of the top starters from last season return in senior Chris Garcia and junior Brock Stassi.  The lefties combined to win 10 of the Pack's 25 games a year ago and they are expected to lead the team on the mound again this season.

Garcia went 4-6 with a 6.02 ERA, making a team-high 14 starts.  His 80.2 innings pitched led the team and ranked 10th in the WAC. 

Leading the team with six wins, Stassi went 6-5 with a 6.63 ERA in his 15 appearances, 13 being starts last spring.  He took on added duties in 2009 serving as the designated hitter where he started 26 games and hit .262 with four home runs and 18 RBI.

Tyler Graham, who was named to the 2010 WAC Coaches' Preseason team, returns for his senior season after leading the team with 23 appearances last season, which ranked fifth in the WAC.  Graham went 2-2 with a save and a 4.75 ERA, pitching 47.1 innings in 2009.  He is expected to start the year as team's closer but could be used in a variety of roles in his final year.

Senior right-hander Beau Witsoe is challenging for a spot in the starting rotation in his second season at Nevada and will once again pitch numerous innings for the Pack.  Last year he made 20 appearances with two being starts and posted a 1-0 record with a 6.02 ERA in 29.2 innings pitched.  The 20 appearances was second the team.

Sophomore Jayson McClaren made 16 appearances on the mound a year ago with four being starts in the weekend rotation.  He will once again battle for a spot as a starter but could also be used in long relief in year two.  As a freshman he went 1-3 with 5.14 ERA in 35 innings on the mound.

Entering his second season at Nevada, senior Jesse Rasner is expected to work out of the bullpen this year.  Two of Rasner's 11 appearances last season were midweek starts as he went 0-2 with 8.82 ERA pitching 16.1 innings.

Sophomore Jason Petrangelo made 10 relief appearances his freshman year pitching 11.2 innings.  He should see more mound time this season.  Petrangelo is expected to one again come out of the bullpen
Lefty Matt Keplinger returns to the team after sitting out last year as a redshirt.  Keplinger will work as a situational left-hander out of the bullpen in his junior year.

Sophomore Anthony Fagan, junior Tyler Rogstad and sophomore Bryan Suarez all had Tommy John Surgery last season and are working toward returning to the team this season.  Their roles for this season will depend on their progress while going through rehabilitation.

Fagan did not pitch last season having surgery before the season started, Rogstad suffered his injury in his start the first weekend of last season and Suarez appeared in three games before missing the rest of the season following surgery.

Joining the veteran group are six newcomers, comprised of four freshman and two junior college transfers who are expected to contribute in their first season in the Silver & Blue.
Edmonds Community College transfer Rickey Denham and Reno High School product Tom Jameson are challenging for sports in the starting rotation.

A right-hander, Denham earned second-team All-NWAACC North Region honors in his one season pitching at the junior college level.  He was 4-2 with a 2.41 ERA last season.

Jameson is another right-hander who was named the High Desert League Pitcher of the Year as a prep senior.  His senior season he went 9-1 with a 2.15 ERA struck out 65 and walked just nine.
Sierra College transfer Jeremy Cole is slated to work out of the bullpen as either a closer or possibly in long relief in his first season with the Pack.  The right-hander went 15-7 in two seasons of junior college baseball and helped the Wolverines to the 2008 California State title.  Following his freshman season he was selected to the All-Big 8 second-team.

Freshman right-handers Jerad Harvey, Matt Rutledge and Trent Soares will work out of the bullpen in their first year of collegiate baseball.  The three are expected to see time in various roles in their first season.

Senior left-handed first baseman Shaun Kort and sophomore right-handed infielder Joe Kohan are two position players that could see mound time this season.  Kort has made five relief appearances during his career but did not take to the mound last season.  Kohan pitched one shutout inning in his lone outing a year ago.

Infielders

Kort and Kevin Rodland are a pair of seniors who will once again lead the infield and team in 2010.  Junior Nick Leid and Kohan are returners who are hungry to earn more playing time this season.  Joining the veterans are junior college transfers Brian Barnett and Garrett Yrigoyen along with freshman Cullen Mahoney.

For the fourth consecutive season Kort will start at first base and hit in the middle of the lineup.  In three seasons he has collected 172 RBI, which ranks eighth in school history, and his 49 doubles is sixth.  A durable player, he has seen action in 175 of a possible 177 games during his career.  Last year he led the team with 62 RBI, 70 hits, 36 walks and was second with a .329 batting average.  A three-time second-team All-WAC selection he was named to the WAC Coaches' Preseason team for third time in 2010.

This year will mark the third year for Rodland starting at shortstop for the Pack.  An outstanding defensive player and speedy runner, he stole 12-of-15 bases last season which was second on the team.  A year ago he hit .267 with 35 runs scored, three home runs and 26 RBI.  He is expected to hit at the top of the order and will be counted on to improve his offensive numbers in his final season with the Pack.

Leid is battling for a starting spot at second and third base but could also play in the outfield if needed.  Last year he made 13 starts at second base and two at third base with three more coming in the outfield.  To see more time in his third season he will need to increase his offensive production after hitting .218 in 33 games last season.

The versatile Kohan could see time at second base, third base or shortstop, where he started six games last season for an injured Rodland.  Of his 23 starts a year ago, 15 came at second base where he is battling for a starting job for 2010.  As a freshman he hit .253 with a pair of home runs and nine RBI.

Barnett's bat will earn him a spot hitting in the middle of the order in the opening day lineup but at what position is yet to be determined.  He is battling for the starting spot at second base, at both corner outfield positions and as the team's designated hitter.  Last season at Western Nevada he hit .338 with 57 runs scored, 21 doubles, 10 home runs and 52 RBI. 

A transfer San Joaquin Delta College, Yrigoyen is slated to be the starter at third base when the season gets underway.  In 54 games last season he hit .271 with 32 runs scored, 54 hits, five doubles, a triple, a home run and 30 RBI for the 35-19 Mustangs. 

A left-handed hitter, Mahoney is in the hunt for the starting job at second base in his first season of collegiate baseball but could also see time as a utility.  As a senior he hit .355 with 35 runs scored, 10 doubles, a triple, 19 RBI and stole nine bases in 11 attempts at Brophy Prep in Phoenix, Ariz.
 
Outfielders

Three players who combined to start 130 games in the outfield last season return in senior center fielder Westley Moss, sophomore left fielder/designated hitter Nick Melino and senior right fielder Brett Hart.  Joining the trio is junior Waylen Sing Chow, who saw action in 35 games last season.  Freshmen Ronnie Mitchell II and Jameson Rowe along with Barnett are three newcomers who could see time in the outfield this season.

The speedy Moss was chosen in the 34th round of the 2009 MLB Draft by the Cleveland Indians but chose to return for his senior season so he can once again patrol center field and hit at the top of the Pack lineup.  A 2009 second-team All-WAC selection, he was named to the 2010 WAC Coaches' Preseason team.  He led the Pack with 15 stolen bases, which tied for fourth in the WAC but his eight in league play was first.  On the season he hit .305 and was second on the team with 46 runs scored.

Last season Melino earned Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America and first-team All-WAC honors as a designated hitter.  Of his 48 starts last spring, 35 came in left field and 13 at designated hitter.  The switch hitter was selected as the 2010 WAC Coaches' Preseason team designated hitter.  Last season he led the team with a .352 batting average and a .431 slugging percentage in addition to collecting 15 doubles, two triples, four home runs and driving in 39.  He is expected to split time again this season between left field and designated hitter.

A senior, Hart is a strong armed right fielder who led the team with nine outfield assists last season.  He hit .286 with 11 doubles, two triples, four home runs and 29 RBI a year ago.  In addition to playing the outfield he has been working at first base as a backup to Kort.

Sing Chow enters his third season at Nevada and has the ability to play all three outfield positions for the Pack but is pressing for the starting job in left field.  If he wins the battle, Melino would move to designated hitter.  Primarily a pinch-runner and defensive replacement last season, he hit .111 playing in 35 games and must improve his offensive numbers to earn a starting job.

The left-handed hitting Mitchell II is pushing the veterans for a starting spot in left and right field in his first season with the Wolf Pack.  A 2009 Under Armour Preseason All-America he played his prep baseball at Southlake Caroll High School in Port Arthur, Texas.

Rowe was a two-time All-Columbia Basin Big Nine selection and twice earned second-team all-state honors at Richland High School in Richland, Wash.  He is slated to begin the season as the backup to Moss in center field but could also play either corner outfield spot.

Catchers

The Pack has three catchers who will see time behind the plate this season in sophomore Michael Turay and freshmen Carlos Escobar, Jr. and Shawn Walters.  With the Pack playing four-game WAC series each weekend, which includes one doubleheader, all three should see time this season.

Turay started 12 games at catcher last year and enters the season as the projected starter.  In 35 games he hit .267 with five doubles, a triple, a home run and seven RBI as a freshman.

The two freshmen are battling for the backup job to Turay but both should see action in their first season.
At 6'3", Escobar, Jr. is a big catcher who earned first-team all-city, Los Angeles Section and West Valley League honors his senior year at Chatsworth High School in Chatsworth, Calif.  He was a member of CHS teams that won three consecutive CIF City titles and two league championships.

A two-time All-High Desert League selection, Walters played his prep baseball at Reno High School where he helped the Huskies to the 2008 regional title.

Designated Hitter

The Wolf Pack coaching staff will have a number of options at the designated hitter spot again this season.

When not on the mound, the left-handed hitting Stassi will get a chance to swing the bat.  In 26 starts at designated hitter last year he hit .262 with 19 runs scored, five doubles, a triple, four home runs and drove in 18.

If not in left field, Melino could fill the role as the team's designated hitter once again where he started 13 games last season and earned first-team All-WAC and Freshman All-America honors.

Schedule

The 2010 schedule will once again challenge this year's edition of Pack baseball with seven games versus teams the qualified for the NCAA  Tournament last season.  Fortunately for the Pack, those seven games - three with UC Irvine and four with Fresno State - will be at Peccole Park.

UCI represents the top ranked team on the 2010 schedule as the Anteaters are eighth in the Baseball America preseason poll.  The Anteaters are eighth in the Baseball News preseason poll while Fresno State checks in at 33 .

Nevada will play its first eight games of the season on the road and 15 of its first 21 away from Reno.  The Pack starts the season with a three-game weekend series at Santa Clara followed by a Monday contest at Saint Mary's College.  A return trip to California the next weekend has Nevada taking on Pacific for three games and another Monday game, this time at UC Davis.

The home opener in scheduled for March 5 with the first of three versus Central Arkansas, and Saint Mary's comes to Reno during the four-game home stretch.

The team returns to the road once again for a weekend three-game series at CSU Bakersfield before returning home to host Sonoma State and San Francisco State on March 16-17.

The final four games of the 15 road games in the first 21 are at Pacific-10 Conference member Oregon, March 19-21.  The Pack will play its first scheduled doubleheader of the season on Saturday versus the Ducks.

The road weary Wolf Pack will return home for eight games which marks the longest homestand of the year.  Despite being at home, the competition will be fierce as UCI comes to Peccole Park for a three-game series.  Next is a single Tuesday game with intrastate rival UNLV.  The Pack has won 10 of the last 11 games from the Rebels.

Three games with Seattle University followed by a single game with UC Davis closes out the home stretch before seven more on the road as WAC play begins.

The WAC 

For the second year in a row the WAC regular season champion will be determined by a 24-game schedule.  Fresno State, Hawai'i, Louisiana Tech, San Jose State, New Mexico State, Sacramento State and the Pack will battle for the regular season conference title once again.  Each team will play one four-game series with the six schools either at home or on the road.  One day of the series will be a doubleheader, consisting of one nine and one seven inning game.

Nevada was picked to finish sixth in the Preseason WAC Coaches' poll with Fresno State tabbed as the favorite.

The Pack begins WAC play with four games at New Mexico State starting on April 9.   The Aggies were picked to finish second in the league preseason poll behind Fresno State.
After the trip to NMSU, the final three nonconference games of the season will take place at Seattle University.

Nevada will close out the year with 20 WAC games rotating between home and road contests.  First up is a home series with FS followed by a trip to Hawai'i.

SJSU then comes to Peccole Park before a trip to Sacramento State.  The final series of the year has the Pack hosting Louisiana Tech.

The top six schools based on regular season WAC play will travel to Mesa, Ariz. to play the season ending tournament at Hohokam Stadium, the spring training site of the Chicago Cubs.  It will be the first time the season-ending tournament will be played at a neutral site.  The tournament winner will receive the WAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.