Bryce Moyle
Eleven Carson High baseball players received post-season accolades in a vote among league coaches.
Shortstop Connor Pradere, outfielder Cody Azevedo, catcher Kyle Krebs and pitcher Bryce Moyle were named first team. Outfielder Jesse Lopez was a second-team selection, and DH-pitcher John Holton, first baseman Terek Been, third baseman Abel Carter, second baseman Jace Keema, pitcher Jared Barnard and pitcher Joe Nelson received honorable mention status.
Pradere had a tremendous offensive season, stealing 43 bases (a school record) out of 48 attempts. He hit .410 and scored a team-leading 47 runs.
“Connor had an amazing year running the bases,” coach Bryan Manoukian said. “We stole 97 bags as team and Connor had 43 of them. He hit .410 and was a huge part of our offensive production.
“He is totally deserving of any shortstop in our league of first team. He played a very good defensive shortstop considering that we played him out of his natural position of outfield for the majority of the season.”
Moyle compiled a 6-3 record with a save en route to a 2.75 ERA. The junior lefty is one of the top hurlers in Northern Nevada.
Bryce has been one of the best pitchers in the league for two years now,” Manoukian said. “This award was no surprise and he was a unanimous choice for this honor. I have high expectations for Bryce in the future as the leader of the staff and our team.”
Moyle’s batterymate, Krebs, also was a no-brainer. He hit .406 and drove in 33 runs, nearly one a game.
“Kyle was asked to catch every game and hit third, two very tough jobs to ask anyone to just one of them,” Manoukian said. “He has been a consistent .400 plus hitter for the past 24 months. He is always a leader in hits, average, and RBIs. He will be very tough to replace.”
Azevedo, along with Pradere, formed one of the most feared 1-2 punches at the top of the order. Azevedo hit .340 with 29 runs, 29 RBI and 19 stolen bases without being caught.
“I am so happy that Cody had the year that he did after really struggling his junior year,” Manoukian said. “Cody epitomized the “family at-bat” concept and his number stats weren’t as strong as the other’s that won first team, but the coaches recognized that he literally sacrificed his at-bats to score Connor or allow him to steal his was into scoring position. They rewarded his team mentality.”
The biggest unsung hero was probably Lopez, who hit .350 and drove in 16 runs.
“Jesse may have been the best ninth hitter in the league,” Manoukian said. “He made some amazing defensive catches in left center and down the line. He has worked very hard on improving his arm strength. Jesse is becoming a good base runner and working on transitioning into the everyday center fielder and lead-off hitter for us in the future.”
Holton had a big year at the plate, especially down the stretch, hitting .378 with 26 RBI. Carter, a sophomore, hit .367 with a homer and 16 RBI. Been ended his career with a .289 average, a homer and 16 RBI. Keema, converted to second base after last season, hit .287 with a homer and 19 RBI.
Barnard compiled a 4-2 record with one save. He had an ERA of 4.23. He started some games at shortstop and is likely to be in that role next season. Nelson, who had knee surgery in December, returned late in the season and did a good job on the mound. The right-hander compiled a 2-2 record with one save and an ERA of 3.07.