Foley didn't fold for Nevada

RENO - Ryan Foley's freshman season at Nevada has been interesting to say the least.

Foley, a natural shortstop, played third base in the early stages of the season because Dayton's Matt Bowman had a sore arm. He made six errors in a six-game, 13-day stretch. And then when he finally got a chance to play shortstop again, Foley broke his right index finger, sending him to the sidelines for six weeks.

Shortly after he was cleared to play, Foley was installed as the starting shortstop, and he's a big reason why Nevada has played better defense in the last three weeks of the regular season. Foley has started 13 of the last 16 games at shortstop.

"I'm a lot more comfortable," said Foley, who will be in the starting lineup at shortstop when the Pack play San Jose State in the first round of the Western Athletic Conference Thursday at 3 p.m. at Pete Beiden Field in Fresno. "I understand and know what I'm supposed to be doing out there."

Foley has made just two errors in his last 10 starts at shortstop, and he's shown that he has an outstanding arm.

"He's been huge," Bowman said. "He's come back (from the injury) and done a really good job. I'm impressed how he's handled it.

"I didn't feel too sorry for him (earlier). The same thing happened to me when they put me at third last year. I could see he wasn't real comfortable there. He looks really good at shortstop."

Foley said he never lost his confidence after the error-fest, though he did admit that he put pressure on himself. He said that his teammates kept him from getting down and that assistant coach Jay Uhlman was a big help, too.

"I was coming up with the ball, but I was just cutting off the throw," he said. "Every time I fielded the ball I felt confident. It's a different throw from third than it is from shortstop.

"The guys joked around about it and that helped me stay loose. To me, coach Uhlman understood the most. He would take 10-to-15 minutes a day with me on the field and pounding things into me."

In fact, Foley credits Uhlman for any improvement he's made since coming to Nevada from perennial powerhouse Green Valley High School in Henderson.

"I've learned a lot from coach Uhlman; different ways to play the game," Foley said. "I just go out there and do what he tells me, and it's been working. That's about it."

Unlike many kids, Foley doesn't really pattern himself after any shortstop in the majors, though he admits to following the careers of Khalil Green of the San Diego Padres and Omar Vizquel of the Giants.

"I was watching the College World Series when he (Green) was at Clemson," Foley said. "He was great, and I just kind of followed him after that."

Foley's emergence isn't really a surprise to Powers. He knew Foley was playing out of position.

"Going into the season, he was our really bonafide shortstop," Powers said. "The other two (Leo Radkowski and David Ciarlo) were just trying to play to the best of their ability. I thought David did a good job for a time, but the game catches up to you after a while. It affects you mentally and physically."

Since he feels a lot more comfortable in the field, Foley's confidence has soared at the plate as well. He enters the tournament with a .224 average and 12 RBI.

"The hardest transition was on offense," Foley said. "It's a different level of pitching. There was one good pitcher in the city (Las Vegas). Here, every team has one good pitcher.

"In high school, if you got ahead 2-0, you'd see a fastball. Now, I could see a slider or change-up and they have command of all their pitches. Now, I can relax and go up to the plate relaxed and do what I can do. I don't try to do too much."

Foley went 7-for-14 in a recent four-game stretch with three runs scored and six RBI. Included in that was a 2-for-4 and a career-high four RBI against Fresno State. He hit safely in all three games against New Mexico State last weekend, going 3-for-11.

And, if he can contribute at the plate, it's an added plus for the Wolf Pack.

Contact Darrell Moody at dmoody@nevadaappeal.com, or by calling (775) 881-1281

The Foley File

High school: Green Valley

Position: Shortstop

Average: .224

Homers: 0

RBI: 12