It’s a little more serious in the second season

Nick Christensen

Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2004 | 10:08 a.m.

In the world of high school sports, there's baseball season, and then there's baseball season.

The spring months mean rainouts, away games two miles from your home school, and studying to keep up the grades that keep ballplayers eligible.

But the summer months mean American Legion baseball, with no defensive line changes and no teachers or coaches keeping a watchful eye on grades.

It seems as though even the rainstorms, like the one that blew through the 2004 Nevada State American Legion tournament at Henderson's Lied Field Monday, are accompanied by sunshine.

This is the second season for many of Nevada's prep baseball players, about 45 games leading to the state tournament and for this week's winner, Nevada's sole berth in the American Legion Western Region tournament next week in Greeley, Colo.

Seven teams have survived for today's fourth day of play in the tournament -- today's matchup of defending NIAA champion Reno against Henderson's Basic High highlights the winners' bracket, which also includes Palo Verde. Las Vegas, Bishop Gorman, Centennial, and Durango are alive in the loser's bracket of the double-elimination tournament.

For Las Vegas coach Izzy DiMaria, summer baseball is all about the kids having fun.

"They're more relaxed in the summer," DiMaria said. "They don't have that hammer always on them from their teachers."

DiMaria said that American Legion baseball prepares the players for their regular high school season. DiMaria is not the Wildcats' spring coach.

"We try to get ready for the state tournament, but we can help Las Vegas develop a pitcher or an outfielder," he said. "But we're not a farm club. We just look to help with a couple of guys."

Rules on substitutions are also tougher, which helps players stick to one position and develop their defensive games.

"They're not always in and out. They only substitute for the pitcher," DiMaria said. "That's real baseball. The talent shows up."

Some teams play with as few as 11 players on their roster, another challenge for the coaches.

Palo Verde coach Mike Besser is also the school's spring coach, and he likes to use American Legion ball as a springboard for college-bound seniors to finish up their high school careers.

"We have two graduating seniors, Chris Cassell and Jon Evans, and they're taking advantage of the summer preparing for college," Besser said. "They've gotten 130 at bats apiece. They'll be ready to go in a month."

Palo Verde is the top seed in the tournament, which for Besser is just as important as the spring's tournament, if only for the experience it gives his kids.

"We make a run each year in Legion ball," he said. "It's still a state tournament, and it's good experience as well."

He said that the lessons taught in the summer stick around through the winter months to spring ball.

Centennial and Durango play at 5 p.m. today at Lied Field on CCSN's Henderson campus. Reno and Basic follow at 8 p.m.