By Chris Parker
Nevada baseball was excited to get back on the field last year looking to bounce back from a three-win campaign in 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic took the season away along with the final season of high school baseball for three seniors.
“We had three seniors who were looking forward to finishing their high school careers, and we were disappointed they didn’t get that opportunity,” Nevada head coach Danny Penn said. “Last season we had a number of players who’d played a lot as sophomores and we were excited to see the progress they had made.”
Penn and the entire Tiger baseball program are excited to get back together.
“We are extremely excited to get back on the field. You always hear it, but we truly are not taking a single day for granted,” Penn said. “Our coaches are really talking to our players about taking advantage of every opportunity to be on the field with their teammates and to make the most of it.”
Seniors Elijah Nadurata and Blake Pryor and junior Eli Cheaney will team leaders for Nevada.
Nadurata will be a pitcher and outfielder.
“Elijah is one of the players we were really looking forward to seeing his progression last year. We didn’t get to do that but he’s continued to work hard on his own and we’ll look for him to lead our pitching staff and likely hit in the middle of our order. Elijah has really matured over the last couple of years and has done a nice job of helping our younger players learn the ropes,” Penn said.
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Pryor will be behind the plate at catcher and also pitch.
“Blake was our starting catcher as a sophomore and we thought he was one of the better defensive catchers around. Offensively he may have been a little overmatched, but he’s really grown into his body since the 2019 season and we really think he’s going to have a solid season. He’ll be our starting catcher and will also see extensive time on the mound this year,” Penn said.
Cheaney will play shortstop and pitch.
“Whereas Blake and Elijah will likely be more verbal in their leadership, Eli is more of a lead-by-example type. He’ll be our starting shortstop and likely hit at the top of our lineup. He’s a hard worker that our younger players can look up to and follow his lead,” Penn said.
Sophomore Case Sanderson along with seniors Lane Wilson and Drake Seaver and junior Kartman Highley will round out the rotation. Highley will also play first base.
Junior Logan Marquardt and sophomore Cade Beshore will join Pryor behind the plate at catcher.
Drake Seaver, Marquardt and Beshore will also compete for time at second and third base.
Wilson, Sanderson, Nadurata, Seaver, Beshore and Asa Wilson will all see time in the outfield.
“We have a number of guys who are hungry to get on the field, and I know they won’t lack motivation. We’ve got a hardworking group that love baseball and want to be successful. I think our pitching staff has the opportunity to be really strong,” Penn said.
Gaining varsity experience will be key for Nevada this year.
“A lot of our now-seniors really would have benefitted from having their junior season last year. A lot of them got some experience as sophomores but were sometimes overmatched. I would have loved for them to have had an opportunity to experience a little more success last year, which would have hopefully really had them primed for their senior season. We have some really talented players on our team this year; right now (very early), I could see us perhaps lacking a little depth, so we’ll need some guys to step up and fill some roles for us,” Penn said.
Nevada opens the season Mar. 26 and 27 at the Stockton Tournament.
“I expect our team to play the game the right way,” Penn said. “We’re going to be a fundamentally strong team that will look to do the little things well which will give us the opportunity to be successful.”
