SOFTBALL
Head Coach: John Glover, 7th Season as Varsity HC at Douglas
Last season’s record: 33-4 Overall, 16-0 League.
Northern 5A Regional Champions and NIAA 5A State Champions.
Key Losses: Emma Stagliano, Mackenzie Willis, Bre Williams, and Dakota Till.
Overview: The Tigers broke through last season and became Large Class State Champions for the first time in over three decades and it was a magical run the entire way through. Led by a great group of upperclassmen the Tigers were able to avenge their heartbreak from the previous year and in the process laid claim to one of the most dominant runs in recent history. The Tigers ended their season on a 25-game winning streak and outscored their opponents 25-11 in the state tournament. They also set a state record smashing 67 home runs as a team during the season, besting the previous record during the run to the title. The Tigers also showed their dominance by outscoring their opponents by 259 runs during their 37-game season. The Tigers return a nucleus led by a trio of Seniors in Gatorade State Player of The Year Talia Tretton, Grand Canyon signee Haley Wilkinson and do-it-all Zora Simpson that will undoubtedly be looking to repeat as State Champs. I called it last year and I am gonna bang the drum once again – Mark my words, “I believe that the Tigers repeat as State Champs when it’s all said and done in May.”
What can we expect from your team this season?
Offense – We want to compete in every at bat. Our goal is to move runners and score more runs than the other team.
Defense – Defensively we want to be able to make routine plays at a very high percentage.
Pitching – Our goal is to throw strikes and play solid defense behind our pitchers.
Returning starters for the 2024 season – 7.
What is the key to growing/maintaining your program? The key is work ethic and eliminating external distractions.
What is different or special about your team this season in comparison to years past? Each team is unique. This team will have to find it’s identity and be able to get along with each other and care about each other just like the teams of the past.
Players to watch this season:
Senior Haley Wilkinson, SS – Signed to play D-1 Softball at Grand Canyon University.
Senior Talia Tretton, P – Signed to play D-1 Softball at The University of Iowa. Nevada State Gatorade Player of The Year. Northern 5A MVP, Dual threat to go yard anytime she digs into the batter’s box.
Senior Zora Simpson, 3B – First All Region Selection Last Season.
League schedule:
3/16 at Bishop Manogue (Doubleheader)
3/19 at Spanish Springs
3/21 vs. Damonte Ranch
4/11 vs. McQueen
4/13 at Reed (Doubleheader)
4/16 vs. Reno
4/18 vs. Reno
4/25 at Damonte Ranch
4/27 vs. Galena (Doubleheader)
4/30 at McQueen
5/2 vs. Spanish Springs
5/4 vs. Carson (Doubleheader)
BASEBALL
Head Coach: Jim Tucker, 1st Season as Varsity HC at Douglas. Previously served as the JV head coach at Douglas HS the past two seasons. Prior to that Tucker was the Varsity HC at Kouts HS in Northwest Indiana for five seasons.
Last season’s record: 12-16 Overall, 7-9 League. Seventh place finish in Regionals.
Key Losses: Kaden McIver
Overview: A season ago the Tigers fell short of expectations (in my opinion) after coming off a great 2022 campaign. After finishing below .500 in league during the regular season the Tigers suffered two brutal one-run losses (1-0 heartbreaker against Damonte Ranch and a 4-3 extra innings loss to McQueen) in the playoffs to end their season under .500. Well, the boys of Minden have turned the page and have a new coach to go along with a positive outlook heading into this season. Armed with arguably the region’s most talented OF prospect (Thomas Young) since Jace Avina the Tigers will be a tough out for any team this season if they execute their gameplan as instructed by their new coach, Jim Tucker.
What can we expect from your team this season?
Offense – We have a mix of power, speed, and contact in our lineup and plan to utilize the short game to consistently put pressure on opposing defenses. Our hope is to make opponents uncomfortable when we’re on offense.
Defense – Our philosophy is to make the routine plays and rely on our defense to keep us in ballgames. We have a lot of guys that play multiple positions, so we’re excited to be able to change looks and fill gaps as needed depending on who we have pitching as well.
Pitching – We have several returning pitchers from last year’s staff looking to build off last season. Our priorities are throwing strikes and controlling the running game on the bases.
Returning starters for the 2024 season – 7, they are all capable of competing as position players or pitchers.
What is the key to growing/maintaining your program? In our first year with a new coaching staff, we’ve placed a specific emphasis on player development and growth. We’ve invested in Rapsodo for hitting and pitching (for) ball metrics. We’re using Blast Motion to capture swing speeds. We’ve enjoyed using the OnForm app for video analysis and individualized coaching voice over videos and have also invested in Gamesense Sports, a vision/occlusion training app. Along with team pitching and hitting kits from Driveline Baseball, we’ve put the emphasis on training and developing every player in the program and giving them each individual plans to grow their skills. We just created a recovery and development lab in a former garage space with a full massage table, marc pro devices, compression boots and other modalities to keep our athletes healthy as well.
What is different or special about your team this season in comparison to years past? The biggest difference between this team and last year’s team is the change in the coaching staff. The players have responded well to the new coaching staff and deserve a lot of praise for their ability to buy into what we are trying to do as a full program. We do return most of our varsity team from last year, having graduated only one senior, Kaden McIver, who is currently playing for College of Southern Nevada.
Players to watch this season:
Senior Thomas Young, OF/P – Committed to San Diego State and probably the best OF prospect in Northern Nevada since Jace Avina.
Junior Jeffrey Peters, Catcher
Junior Duncan DeLange, P/OF
Senior Carter Bleeker, INF – Committed to College of San Mateo.
Sophomore Grayson Kamper, IF/RHP
Freshman Blaine Bilderback, RHP/IF
League Schedule:
3/11 vs. Carson
3/19 at Galena
3/21 vs. Damonte Ranch
4/2 vs. Bishop Manogue
4/4 at Bishop Manogue
4/9 vs. Reno
4/11 at Reed
4/13 vs. Spanish Springs
4/16 at Carson
4/18 at Damonte Ranch
4/20 vs. McQueen
4/23 vs. Galena
4/25 at McQueen
4/27 at Reno
4/30 vs. Reed
5/1 vs. Spanish Springs
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