Columnist Spencer Patterson: Knights have big plans for summer

Spencer Patterson

Friday, June 14, 2002 | 9:21 a.m.

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

Legion standings

Records through Wednesday

East Division

West Division

The Bishop Gorman Gaels are back on top.

American Legion baseball state champions or runners-up from 1995-99, Gorman is giving the rest of Southern Nevada an early warning it may be the program to beat again in 2002.

The Gaels, known as the Las Vegas Knights during the summer season, are off to a 12-0 start in conference play.

They've done it without graduated seniors Dan Mangiapani and Chris Ortiz -- two of the team's top performers in the spring -- and largely without pitcher Russ Warthen, currently in Japan with the United States' Goodwill Series squad.

"We've really had some kids step up and fill in the gaps," Gorman coach Ken White said. "We've got a lot of depth."

That depth also helped the Gaels overcome the absence of five key players last weekend. While seniors-to-be Anthony Garcia, Chris Siewart, Blake Wilson, Chris Brown and Warthen played in the annual Kelley Baseball Showcase in Reno, their remaining Gorman teammates went 4-0 against quality opponents Silverado and Coronado.

"We were able to get some young kids some experience," White said. "We were hoping to get a split out of it, so we were very happy to win all four."

Outfielder Nick Sansone, one of six Gael varsity Legionaires who played for the school's junior varsity squad in the spring, has helped lead the charge thus far. The junior-to-be is batting .533 (16-for-30) with four doubles and 20 RBIs.

As expected, varsity veterans Garcia (five homers), Brown (.533) and Wilson (.500, two homers, 13 RBIs) have contributed, and starter Josh Roberts leads the pitching staff with three wins and a 2.25 ERA.

White's squad will put its unbeaten record on the line this weekend when the Gaels play in the 16-team Prescott Invitational in Prescott, Ariz. Later this summer, Gorman will travel for games in Hamilton, N.J., and the 28-team World Cup tournament in Binghampton, N.Y.

"We'll measure ourselves in these tournaments," White said. "We'll be seeing lots of good Connie Mack teams in Prescott, so we'll know a little more after that."