Bishop Manogue Softball and Baseball Preview

Bishop Manogue Miners Softball

Head Coach: Chris King, 4^th Season as Varsity HC at Bishop Manogue and Nate Harris, Co-Head Coach, 1^st Season as Varsity HC at Bishop Manogue

Previous Season Record: 23-11 overall, 10-6 league

Overview: A year ago I said that the Miners were finally coming of age and would be ready to compete. After the dust had settled I was proven correct in my assessment as they were a top three finishers in the regional playoffs. The work is not done for the Miners as they are still looking to ‘Breakthrough’ and make it to the State Tournament.

This year’s version of The Lady Miners Softball program will once again be looking to break a 23-year championship drought. All things considered, on paper, they have possibly the best roster in the North with their blend of power and speed and their ability to have a 1-2 punch of dominant arms in the circle.

Only time will tell if they are prepared for what’s ahead but I think it’d be wise as to not second guess or bet against these ladies as I believe that we’ll see them finish in the Top 2 of the standings in our region come season’s end. Without further ado, here is our preview of The Bishop Manogue Miners this season as well as Coach Harris’ responses to the questions we asked him last month.

What can we expect from your team this season?

Offense – We have high expectations for our offense this year with the potential to score a lot of runs. [We also have a] combination of a little speed up top with power behind to drive them in. With an experienced lineup, we hope to be better at executing situational hitting and manufacturing runs when needed.

Defense – With a lot of starters returning, we expect continuity and communication to be our biggest strengths defensively this season. We believe our experience gives us the ability to handle in-game adjustments and provide stability behind our pitching staff.

Pitching – We are excited about the depth and stability of our pitching staff. We return last season’s Pitcher of The Year in Sammi Boggs, as well as another All League Pitcher in Kaylee Sanchez and a very talented Freshman in Deleaney Harris.

Returners for the 2026 season – 8, including two starting pitchers.

What is the key to your team’s success this season? Our pitching will keep us competitive in most games. Finding consistency both offensively and defensively will be the key to our overall success and help us in reaching our ultimate goal.

Newcomers you are excited about: Deleaney Harris and Olivia Rodriguez.

Players to watch:

Senior Sammi Boggs, Pitcher – Boggs, The Iowa State Commit, was last year’s Pitcher of The Year in Northern Nevada and she will look to continue her ascent this season after leading The Miners to The Final Four in last year’s Northern Nevada Regional Playoffs. In my opinion, she’s one of the Top Five Pitchers we’ve had in this area in the last 15+ years, and I am excited to see what the future holds for her.

Senior Kiki Harris, Utility – Harris, The Nevada Commit, can do just about everything on the softball diamond and she will continue to elevate her game this season after committing to Coach Hayward and The Nevada Wolf Pack’s softball team beginning this fall. She still has one final season to accomplish the goal of becoming State Champions this spring for The Miners.

Senior Sis King, SS/2B – Returning to the middle infield once again this season is King who has continued to show she is an All League caliber player for The Miners. She has speed on the base paths and will look to put her opponents in tight spots, continued upward trajectory.

Senior Averie Stephan, Utility – Stephan rounds out the Miners quartet of Seniors looking to dominate the North this season. She can play pretty much anywhere on the field and is a threat to score every time she gets on base offensively.

Senior Kaylee Sanchez, Pitcher/Utility – A dominant pitcher, Sanchez, is off to a scorching start of the season at the plate where she is currently batting over .500, don’t be surprised if she continues to prove she’s an all-around player not just a dominant arm.

Sophomores Lo Hysell and Reese Vaulet are other names to watch for The Miners this season.

League Schedule:

3/3 at Galena

3/5 vs. Galena

3/10 at Reno

3/12 at Douglas

3/14 vs. Douglas

3/17 vs. Carson

3/31 at Carson

4/7 at Damonte Ranch

4/9 vs. Reno

4/11 vs. Damonte Ranch

4/14 vs. Reed

4/16 at Reed

4/18 at Spanish Springs

4/21 vs. Spanish Springs

4/25 vs. McQueen

4/28 at McQueen

4/30 at North Valleys

5/2 vs. North Valleys

Bishop Manogue Miners Baseball

Head Coach: Charles Oppio, 34^th Season as Varsity HC at Bishop Manogue

Previous Season Record: 28-8 overall, 14-2 league; 2025 Northern 5A Regional Champions

Overview: Last season when I previewed the Miners my question was “Can the Miners claim their throne once again this season?” Well, the answer to that question was a resounding yes as they went 14-2 in league during the regular season and outscored their opponents 37-9 during their run to the regional championship.

Along the way they had 6, 8, and 11 game winning streaks while adding to Coach Oppio’s impressive career win total, which now stands at 790 games, impressive for a man whose tenure is now approaching the middle of his fourth decade at the helm. He’s a legend in the game of baseball and still has the itch to make the Miners the gold standard for baseball in Northern Nevada.

The Miners return talent all over the diamond and are oozing with talent but they will need to put it all together to prove once again that they are the team to beat in the North. Without further ado, here is our preview of The Bishop Manogue Miners this season as well as Coach Oppio’s response to the questions we asked him last month.

What can we expect from your team this season?

Offense – Good combination of power and speed.

Defense – Solid up the middle.

Pitching – Strong starters.

Returners for the 2026 season – 3 Position Players, 9 Pitchers.

What is the key to your team’s success this season? Staying healthy.

Players to watch:

Senior Keenan Dolan, P/IF/OF – The South Carolina commit is currently running his fastball up to over 92 MPH and continuing to hone his command of his other pitches which include a nasty slider and an always developing changeup.

Senior Wade Huntsman, P – The Nevada commit makes for a perfect 1-2 pitching combo for the Miners this season and Coach Oppio will look to keep his aces fresh as they try to snap a two-decade streak without a state championship.

Senior Aidan Cruz, Catcher – The battery mate for Manogue’s elite pitching staff Cruz is a legit next level player and he’ll look to have a big senior season that college coaches won’t be able to look past.

Senior Nate Lemieux, IF – Lemieux has been a starter on the Miners Varsity team since he was a sophomore and he’ll look to go out with a bang this season as he has earned All League honors in each of the last two seasons. This kid can rake!

Senior Emilio Alonso, P/Utility – Alonso is the do-everything player that the Miners can depend on throughout the year as he will play multiple positions and they’ll look for him to be a leader for this squad once again.

Rounding out the “players to watch” for the Miners are a quartet of Juniors that includes: Kyle Glenn, IF; Trinidad “Cinco” Guillen, IF; Corbin Koch, P/OF; and Caleb Rasner, P.

The list doesn’t stop there however as Sophomore Demari Stacker, OF is also a name to watch for these Miners.

League Schedule:

3/5 at Spanish Springs

3/6 vs. North Valleys

3/12 at Carson

3/14 at Reed

3/31 vs. Galena

4/2 vs. McQueen

4/4 at Douglas

4/7 vs. Damonte Ranch

4/9 at Reno

4/11 vs. Carson

4/14 vs. Reed

4/16 at North Valleys

4/18 vs. Spanish Springs

4/21 at Galena

4/23 at McQueen

4/25 vs. Douglas

4/28 at Damonte Ranch

4/29 vs. Reno