Bighorn players off to college

Appeal Staff Report

After concluding a successful summer season in which they finished with an 18-13 record against a high caliber schedule against many of the West Coast's top teams, many of the Nevada Bighorns players are now looking ahead to their college baseball seasons.

This summer was also preparation for the Bighorns to enter the Sierra Baseball League next summer. The league will feature top teams from Northern California and Oregon and figures to be one of the top college summer leagues on the West Coast.

The Bighorns featured four University of Nevada players in centerfielder Aaron Henry, catcher Tyson Jaquez and pitchers Stephen Bautista and Chris Garcia. Henry led the Bighorns in hits and runs while hitting .390 with 21 stolen bases.

Bautista and Garcia both pitched well for the Bighorns. Jaquez played for the Bighorns for the first half of the summer before joining the Mat-Su Miners of the Alaskan Baseball League.

After a 1-for-10 start in the ABL, Jaquez went on to go 11-for-36 to finish with a .261 average with one home run and 10 RBI.

Joining those four players at Nevada will be pitcher Jesse Rasner, who will be a preferred walk-on with the Wolf Pack. Rasner had a strong summer and concluded the summer on Sunday with a two-hit, 10-strikeout, complete game effort in a win over the Redding Colt 45s.

Two other Bighorns, who will play at the Division I level at New Mexico State are pitcher D.J. Simen, who featured a 90-mile an hour fastball, and infielder/outfielder Royal Good. Others at four-year schools include shortstop Kevin Schlange and pitcher Wes Osmer, who will play for Division II Coker in South Carolina.

Nick Nyman, who was the starting shortstop this past season for Division II San Francisco State, will return to the school. Outfielder Ryan Lane will return to Division II Ashland in Ohio and pitchers Troy Morris and Brett Low will be at Division II Hillsdale in Michigan.

Pitcher Nick Smallman will be at Division III Occidental in Los Angeles. First baseman/designated hitter Marshall Kennebrew will return to Western Nevada College while infielder Ray Barratt will attend Cerro Coso in Ridgecrest, Calif.

Pitcher Justin Cutler will be at Feather River Community College and looking to play at Lassen Community College will be Blake Nahlem, Ryan Shepard, Tommy O'Brian, Jonathan Silva, and Jeff Young. Other team members included Adam Anderson, Shane Kockenmeister, Chance Loflin, J.J. Delallo, Matt McDougald, Colt Dotson, and Tony Teixeira. The team was coached by Dennis Young and Scott Anderson.