Columnist Spencer Patterson: New schools off to fine start on diamond

Spencer Patterson

Thursday, April 4, 2002 | 11:45 a.m.

Spencer Patterson covers high school sports for the Las Vegas Sun. Reach him at spencer@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4085.

Generally recognized as one of the nation's most competitive prep baseball regions, Southern Nevada wouldn't seem like an ideal place for first-year high school programs to get their feet wet.

Not so, say Coronado and Sierra Vista, 2002's new additions to the local baseball scene. Sans seniors, the two newcomers have combined for a 22-11 start to their inaugural campaigns, giving their players, parents and fans hope the Cougars and Mountain Lions could be competitive for years to come.

Despite their early success, however, you won't find Sierra Vista coach Nathan Selby or Coronado coach Sam Knapp singing their teams' praises this early in the year.

"It's a nice surprise, but it's early so it's hard to get excited," said Selby, whose team is 12-3. "We're happy with where we are, but no one over here is throwing any parties. We've got our feet on the ground and we know we have a long way to go."

A tough league schedule remains for both squads, with the Lions in the Southwest Division with No. 1 Durango, Bishop Gorman and Bonanza; and the Cougars in the Southeast with ranked Foothill, Basic and Silverado squads, as well as defending state champion Green Valley.

But both Coronado and Sierra Vista have already proved they are capable of knocking off some of the area's powers. The Mountain Lions defeated Palo Verde, Las Vegas and Eldorado early, while the Cougars have wins over Cimarron-Memorial and Cheyenne.

"My whole thing is play hard, and for the most part we do," Knapp said. "Now we need to find consistency. We're young, but hopefully that consistency comes as they mature."

The Lions have received a strong contribution from junior pitcher Austin Stout (4-0), along with shortstop Ty Selby and pitcher/third baseman Justin Garcia.

"We're scrappy, and we're doing some things to win a few games," Selby said. "But we've got a tough couple of weeks coming up, so we'll know a lot more after that."

For the 10-8 Cougars, third baseman Mark Brazel and outfielders Ali Amin and Nate Sexton have led the attack at the plate, with pitchers Kevin Fetzner, Wes Hager and Chase Billington combining for seven victories on the mound.

"A lot of these kids played on our Legion team last summer, and it helped them tremendously," Knapp said. "It helped me get to know the kids, and it helped them get an idea what I expect from them."

Likewise, in boys volleyball, state defending champion Chaparral is out of the gates with an 8-1 mark, the only defeat at the hands of unbeaten Basic (8-0).

League play is already under way on the links, and begins on the volleyball court tonight.