Reno, Nev. - The Nevada baseball team, fresh off its second Mountain West regular-season championship in four years, is set to defend its title in 2019. The Wolf Pack's season kicks off this Friday, Feb. 15 when it faces No. 24 ranked Missouri State in the first game of the Texas State tournament in San Marcos, Texas.

Head coach T.J. Bruce enters his fourth year with the Wolf Pack, coming in with a record of 85-84 and as the reigning MW Coach of the Year.

"We are so excited for this upcoming season of Nevada baseball," said Bruce. "We have a lot of veteran leadership and young talent that will help us reach our goals this season. We cannot wait to see everyone out at Don Weir Field at Peccole Park this year!"
 
In the past three seasons with the Wolf Pack, Bruce has accumulated the most MW victories among all MW schools with 53 during that time. He finished with an 18-4 record last season at the newly renovated Don Weir Field at Peccole Park.
 
As the reigning Mountain West regular-season champions, Nevada will host the Mountain West tournament in Reno in 2019. This will be the first time the Pack has hosted the tournament since 2015.
 
The Pack will kick off its 2019 season at the Texas State Tournament on Feb. 15 in San Marcos, Texas against Missouri State. Nevada will be on the road for the first month of the season before returning home to face its first conference foe of the season in New Mexico. It will be a three-game series against the Lobos, whom Nevada defeated five times last season in six meetings.
 
Nevada's non-conference home schedule is highlighted by a two-game home series against defending NCAA Champion Oregon State. In 2018, Nevada took the Beavers to extra innings two nights in a row, but fell in both contests.
 
The Pack will welcome 13 newcomers this season, including freshman pitcher Owen Sharts. As one of the most highly touted players coming out of high school, the Simi Valley, Calif. native was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 32nd round but decided to play at Nevada. Four of the newcomers for Nevada will be transfers, with three of them being right-handed pitchers.
 
Of those newcomers, four transfers will be on the Wolf Pack roster in 2019. Three right-handed pitchers, all from California, will look to make an immediate impact for Nevada in Josh Congress, Ben Purcell and Shane Gustafson. The only position player to transfer to the Pack will be Wyatt Tilley, a middle infielder from the College of the Sequoias.
 
PITCHING
 
Nevada lost its Friday pitcher in Mark Nowaczewski, but returns two of its starters who are ready to step up for the Wolf Pack. Jake Jackson, after being named a Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball last season will look to continue his strong start to his collegiate CAREER at Nevada.
 
Dalton Gomez moved up from being a weekday starter to the Pack's Sunday pitcher in 2018, after posting a 5.07 ERA for Nevada and a 3-3 record. The Pack will look to lean on one of their young newcomers to fill one of the gaps for the starters, including Owen Sharts, who was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 2018 MLB Draft.
 
The Pack will have a lot of veterans at its disposal out of the bullpen, including fifth-year senior Cooper Powell who totaled 29 innings for Nevada in 2018. Jordan Jackson had a breakout year in his first season, earning three wins in 20 appearances with 26.1 innings pitched.
 
Ryan Anderson accumulated three saves for the Pack last season and made two starts while striking out 41 batters. Bradley Bonnenfant came out late in the season for the Pack, but came one of the most reliable arms for Nevada as he finished with a 2.79 ERA in 10 appearances as a set-up man.
 
INFIELD
 
Nevada returns sophomore third baseman Joshua Zamora this season, who was named the MW Freshman of the Year last season after batting .355 on the year with 33 RBI, and a team-high nine home runs. Another standout on Nevada's roster is first baseman Dillan Shrum, who was named the No. 62 ranked draft-eligible hitter for 2019 by D1 Baseball. In 2018, Shrum batted .312 with two home runs and a team-high 19 doubles.
 
Zamora and Shrum were both recognized by D1 Baseball leading up to the season, as Zamora was listed as the No. 15 third baseman in the nation and Shrum was named the No. 29 first baseman.
 
On the middle infield, Nevada will have options with Keaton Smith, Jaylon McLaughlin, Tyler Bosetti and junior transfer Wyatt Tilley from College of the Sequoias. Smith played in 42 contests last season and smacked three home runs, while Bosetti hit .271 as a freshman with a .794 OPS. McLaughlin is entering his third season, and totaled eight RBI in 2018 with a .252 batting average.
 
OUTFIELD
 
Nevada lost two of its starting outfielders to eligibility, including reigning Tony Gwynn Mountain West Player of the Year Grant Fennell. Redshirt senior Weston Hatten is the only returning starter from last year's outfield core, but redshirt junior Daniel Perry is transitioning to outfielder for 2019. Perry played second base for the Pack in 2019, but flashed some big-play ability on defense as he patrolled right field in the MW Tournament in 2018.
 
The Wolf Pack will boast multiple players who are ready to step in and patrol the outfield, including redshirt sophomore Otis Statum Jr., who was forced to sit out last season following surgery on his shoulder. Three freshmen in Sawyer Jaksick, Julian Boyd and Nick Seamons are also ready to compete for time in their first season.
 
CATCHERS
 
A plethora of catchers will be at Bruce's disposal this season, led by 2018 first team All-MW selection Kaleb Foster, who slashed .310 last season with six home runs last season. He will go to work along with junior Marco Valenzuela, who hit .163 last year with nine RBI.
 
There will be tons of depth at catcher, wish Josh Prizina available after redshirting his freshman season. Matt Clayton from Yuba City, Calif. will also look for innings behind the dish for the Pack in his freshman season.
 
TICKETS
 
Season tickets are available for purchase online at NevadaWolfPack.com or by calling (775) 348-PACK. Season tickets start as low as $130 for the general public.