Published Caption: Cathleen Allison/Nevada Appeal
Reno High school baseball coach Pete Savage loves heading up the Kelley Baseball Showcase for one main reason: the focus is entirely on the athletes.
"It's exciting to be a part of it," said Savage, who couldn't remember how many times he has coached the game. "I think it's a great opportunity for the kids to showcase their abilities."
Carson pitcher David Charles is one of 25 players on the Northern roster - and the only member of the Senators - who hopes that added attention will help him land at a college.
Charles will get his chance to prove his mettle today when the showcase kicks off at 1:30 p.m. today at Bishop Manogue High School in its 12th edition of the game. The game features high school baseball players from both the South and the North, facing off against each other, but more importantly in front of both college and pro scouts.
"That was my goal the entire year," said Charles of making the showcase roster. "Coming into my junior that was what I wanted to do. I wanted to work hard because I knew that was pretty much the ultimate thing to get. To get into it, I feel great. I feel honored. Not many juniors can say they went to it."
The event was founded by Stew Colton, who was an assistant baseball coach at the University of Nevada, Reno.
In its previous 11 years, the showcase has produced seven Major League Baseball players, more than 100 players who have signed professional contracts and more than 200 who have gone on to play junior college or Division I baseball.
Players are chosen by the Nevada 4A coaches, who first select players who were named to their respective all-region first team and the remainder are chosen based on position need.
Like most all-star games, all players are expected to play. Charles, who has yet to be courted by any colleges for his baseball talent, said he is counting on pitching for one inning, in which he hopes he brings his best stuff.
"David pitched against us in regionals and he's a good, tall, left-handed pitcher with a lot of ability, who certainly has good a future in the game," Savage said.
His "stuff" includes his go-to pitch, the changeup, a slurve and splitter. The senior-to-be throws in the low-80 mile an hour range, which makes him more of a player who relies on location and movement rather than power-throwing strikeout power.
"You want to go out there and have a great outing always," Charles said. "And it's always in the back of your head where it's kind of like, 'If I screw up, it's all over,' but I'm sure the scouts there know that things like that happen. But I think every player there wants to play great; play the best baseball they've played all year."