It's becoming a summer tradition in which Carson City is the host for some quality baseball.
Once again, Carson City will host the USABA 18 and under World Series. The Carson Cardinals will again test themselves against some of North America's best teams in the tournament to be held July 18-26.
Fourteen teams are scheduled to play in the tournament, which will be divided into two seven-team divisions. Round-robin pool play in which teams will play six games in three days from July 18-20 will be held to determine seeding for the double elimination championship round, which will begin July 22.
The Cardinals will play at 4:45 and 7:30 p.m. each day July 18-20 at Governors Field.
The Cardinals have only 16 players, but coach Steve Cook said there's much to like about his team.
"Not a lot of guys on the team, but we have a lot of heart and we play hard," Cook said. "I'm feeling pretty good about this team right now."
With only 12 players, the Cardinals were able to make the semifinals at the Timet Woodbat Classic in Las Vegas. Among the highlights of that tournament was Ryan Henry pitching a gem in a 1-0 win over Centennial, which advanced to the NIAA/U.S. Bank 4A state finals this past season.
Carson's pitching has been strong this season with Levi Diaz, who redshirted this past season at Lassen College. Diaz was the ace of the staff for a Fernley team that won the 2001 state 3A title.
Other pitchers include Jarrod Bone, who will pitch for Bakersfield (Calif.) College, Josh Camper, Todd Hendrix, Jared Ellis and Adam Martin. Henry, Bone, Camper and Hendrix all pitched for Carson High's varsity this past season.
"I feel good about the quality of pitching we have," Cook said. "All the guys we throw out there are quality guys. Nobody has had a bad start."
But with six games in three days, pitching depth will be a concern.
"We might pick up some pitching for the series," Cook said. "The quality is there. We just need more arms to get through."
Others on the team include catcher Owen Brolsma and outfielder Neil Holmes. Brolsma, Holmes and Henry were all featured this summer in the Kelley Baseball Showcase for Nevada's top players who just finished their junior seasons.
At first base is Tony Teixeira, who can also catch. Carson High's double play combination from this past season, Andrew James at second base and Carl Winter at shortstop are also manning those positions for the Cardinals. Another talented infielder is Dayton's Matt Bowman and Martin can play third as well.
In the outfield are Jon Teeter and Aaron Henry, who both played for Carson High's varsity this past season. Also in the outfield is John Parmenter.
Cook said the USABA event will "probably be a little bit better talent-wise" than the Timet Classic. "I'm anticipating some really good teams coming in," he said.
Among the top teams scheduled to play is the Oakland Oaks. Three teams from Solano County in California will be in the tournament, the Solano Blue Jays along with teams from Vacaville and Fairfield. The Cardinals split a doubleheader with the Blue Jays earlier this summer.
The rest of the teams scheduled to play are: Rainier, Wash., Triple Play of Seattle, the Langley Blaze of Canada, Edmonton, Canada, the Apache Red and the Apache Blue of Texas, Ridgecrest, Calif., Douglas High, Woodward, Okla. and the Redding (Calif.) Rattlers.
Charles Whisnand is the Nevada Appeal Sports Editor.