Buoyed by two returnees from last year, the Carson City Babe Ruth 13-15 year old squad opens defense of its championship when the Nevada state tournament opens Friday in South Lake Tahoe.
Play in the double elimination tournament continues through July 18 at Todd Fields, located at South Tahoe Middle School. The tournament field includes teams from Reno, Sparks, Elko and Lyon County.
Brothers Jake and Jessie Rasner both played for the Carson team that won the state tournament last year in Carson City. Carson defeated Fallon in the finals to earn a trip to Southern California for the Pacific Southwest Regional Tournament.
The Nevada champion will advance to the regional tournament, which starts July 26 in Fresno, Calif.
Jake Rasner pitched as a freshman for Carson High's varsity this past spring and earned second-team all-league recognition.
In addition to the Rasners, other members of the Carson squad include Jason Alcasas, Alex Tanchek, Adam Anderson, Jason Knowles, Murphy Gardner, Seth Carter, Derek Shoaf, Cody Drews, Dan Ford, Adam Houghton and Kyle Bacon. Scott Rasner is the manager, assisted by coaches Rick Knowles and Trent Osmer.
Meanwhile, Carson's 13-year-old Babe Ruth club is set to play in its state tournament starting Friday at the Charlie Smith Baseball Complex in Sparks. That tournament continues through July 20, with the champion advancing to the regional tournament on July 25 in Napa, Calif.
Members of the Carson 13-year-old squad include Jeff Van Epps, Joe Skates, Jason Mather, Robby Gibson, Kevin Zahnter, Josh Caron, Marcus Adams, Brooks Greenlee, Johnny Hazeltine, Rigo Lopez, Nick Smallman, T.J. Hein, Kasey Cahill, Caleb Carter and Anthony Fagan. Don Zuker is the team manager, assisted by coaches Wade Greenlee and Zach Caron.
Carson's 14-year-old club plays in the state tournament on July 19-25 in Reno. The champion advances to the regional tournament starting Aug. 2 in Fallon.
Members of the Carson 14-year-old roster include Morgan Dickens, Loren Woolridge, Jason Dittenber, Jack Jacquet, Zach Taylor, Jeremiah Teeter, Joe Schwendhelm, Logan Parsley, Jacob Jarrard, Roy Good, Jack Maloney, Kyle Cahill, Chris Ames, Matt Mitchell and Bryan Mustafa. Winn Teeter is the manager, assisted by coaches Jon Teeter and Drew Chiazza.
(Editor's Note: Photos of the 13-year-old and 14-year-old all-star teams will appear this week in the Nevada Appeal).