BY MIKE HOUSER
Nevada Appeal Sports Writer
Western Nevada College athletic director John Kinkella said Wednesday that Wildcats softball coach Dick Allen has stepped down and has been replaced by assistant coach Scott Rasner.
Allen, who was inducted into the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association Hall of Fame in 2006, could not be reached for comment.
"We're in transition. Scott's taking over as interim head coach," Kinkella said. "It's a family deal (for Allen). I can't talk about it."
Allen, who coached softball and basketball at Reed and Wooster, guided the programs to a total of 10 Class 4A state championships (including seven softball titles), also played for the Nevada Wolf Pack basketball team from 1970-72.
Allen took over WNC's first-year program on Feb. 25, 2008. Western Nevada will play its first regular-season game against Central Arizona College Jan. 30 in Henderson.
The 51-year-old Rasner is a 1975 Carson High School graduate and, along with Allen, coached the Wildcats during their fall season.
"There's a little pressure, but I'm pretty excited about doing it," Rasner said. "We'll definitely have some fun. It's our first year out of the chute here. We'll definitely work hard to make an impression."
Rasner said he'd have plenty of help from CHS assistant coach Bob Carvin, who helped the team in the fall, and Wildcats assistant coach Louie Sanchez. Rasner said Sanchez's daughter, Leah Sanchez, a 1998 CHS grad who played softball at Long Island University, also would be helping out the team.
Rasner has coached youth baseball locally for more than 20 years and his sons Jesse and Jake are both currently pitching for their respective teams. Jake played last year for the White Sox's High-A affiliate, the Winston-Salem Warthogs (now called the Dash), while Jesse is a junior for the Wolf Pack.
Rasner's nephew, Darrell Rasner, who played baseball for CHS and Nevada, pitched for the Yankees last season. New York sold his contract to the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of the Japanese Pacific League after the Major League season concluded.
Rasner said he was somewhat taken aback by Allen's departure.
"I was surprised by it all," he said. "Hopefully we won't lose a step. In the fall we did well against (junior college) teams from California. I just have to learn the administrative side of (the job). As a team we had a 3.0 grade point average, so that will be my main focus. It was good, but we'll definitely concentrate on that."
The Wildcats are scheduled to play 50 games this season, with the majority of them on the road, including its season-opening doubleheader against Central Arizona and Yavapai (Ariz.) College at Stephanie Lynn Craig Fields.
Western Nevada will open its home schedule with a twinbill against Northern Idaho College Feb. 13 at Centennial Park, beginning at 1 p.m.
The Wildcats begin practice on Monday.