Bighorn baseball ready to launch

If everything goes well, an elite college level summer league will be coming right here to Carson City.

While the Nevada Bighorns are set to launch their inaugural season in one month, the team is already looking to 2008 in which it plans to join a league with other collegiate level summer clubs from Northern California and Oregon.

The effort to begin the league has already been established in which six teams have committed to join: The Humboldt (Calif.) Crabs, the Redding (Calif.) Colt 45s, Solano County, Calif., Quincy, Calif., Medford, Ore., and the Bighorns.

It's hoped that two more clubs will join the league for a total of eight teams. The plan calls for all the teams to play each other six times in home and home three-game series.

In addition, it's hoped that a similar league in Southern California will be formed and that the champions of the two leagues will meet each other.

But those who are taking on the task know that they are taking on a daunting challenge in which the entire community will need to back.

"I think Carson City can support it once it gets out there," said Bighorns coach Dennis Young about promoting the team. "I think Carson is a great baseball team."

Since the Carson Capitols last played in 2001, Young said the community is looking for summer baseball of similar caliber.

"I think people are hungry for it," Young said. "We've just got to get it out there and be competitive."

Fielding a competitive team in the proposed league will also be a daunting challenge. The Humboldt roster, for example, is normally littered with Division I players.

The Bighorns should receive a glimpse of what it will take to be competitive in the proposed league. Humboldt, Medford and Redding are all on this summer's schedule.

Also on the schedule are six Wednesday games at Moana Stadium against another elite semipro team, the Reno Astros. Another team on the schedule will be an 18 and under club traveling to Australia that will be coached by former Carson High baseball coach and athletic director and Capitols coach Ron McNutt. The Bighorns are scheduled to open the season on May 26 at Carson High against East Los Angeles.

This year's team is slated to have players from Western Nevada Community College and up to four players from the University of Nevada. Carson City's Cal Lewis, a Douglas High graduate and now the starting third baseman for South Dakota State, is also slated to be a player-coach once his season is over.

Those interested in helping in any with with the Bighorns can go to the team's website, www.nevadabighornbaseball.com or call Young, (775) 721-3024. Applications for interested players will be on the website soon. The Bighorns have scheduled a fund-raising four-person scramble golf tournament to be held on Oct. 13 at Eagle Valley East.