Bengal News
Bengals kick off 2008 preseason with road scrimmages at Silverado, Palo Verde
(Feb 27, 2008 ) – Bonanza's baseball team will open its preseason this Saturday when it travels to Silverado High School for the first scrimmage of 2008, beginning at 11 a.m. The Bengals, who finished 19-11 last season, look to continue preparation for the 6 p.m. season opener, next Thursday night at Basic.
The scrimmage, which will include umpires, is a chance for the Bengals to try out players as they battle for their respective roles in the program.
"The scrimmages are a chance for us to see what we're working with on a deeper level," Bonanza head coach Derek Stafford said. "We get to face someone other than ourselves, allowing us to kind of get a gauge as to where we stand heading into the season."
Comparing it to professional baseball's Spring Training experience, Stafford was quick to point out that wins and losses are unimportant in the scrimmages. The lineups will be created to optimize preparation for the regular season, which begins five days later.
"Professional baseball players get a month or so of scrimmages," Stafford said. "We get two so we're going to take advantage of these opportunities to try out new things, new players and new strategies. The pros get six weeks but we only get one so we need to make it efficient.
"A lot of guys are battling for spots so this will be their final opportunities to prove to us where they fit and how they will settle into their team roles."
The pitching staff will get innings, the key players will get their at-bats but at the same time, the new players will also need to get their first look at varsity pitching and the speed of the game. Innings will be dispersed with the intention of perfecting roles and optimizing each individual's time for evaluation.
The scrimmage also takes on special meaning for Bonanza coaches, Stafford and Mike O'Rourke, who both played under current Silverado head coach Brian Whitaker.
"It is always special to play against Coach Whit," Stafford said. "I learned high school baseball at Silverado and from Coach Whit. Coach 'O' and I both played there and it's always nice to go home to open the preseason."
The second scrimmage will take place at 3:30 p.m. next Monday at neighboring Palo Verde, the final tuneup before the regular season opens up three days later. But, although the regular season opens next Thursday, Stafford makes it clear that the league games are the most important part of the schedule, so even the regular season games take on lesser importance when compared to the competitive Southwest Division, arguably the top division in the state of Nevada.
"We play in the Southwest Division," assistant coach Kevin Fiddler said. "It used to be the Southeast Division was the best, but I think the Southwest has passed them. Only four teams from our division make the playoffs, but last year, we had five teams finish the season ranked in the top 10.
"A non-playoff team from our division is still better than many of the second or third place teams in many of the other divisions. It's a testament to the growth and coaching in our neck of the woods. Every league game is a battle of epic proportions. One wrong move and you're on the outside looking in. We don't intend on watching from afar this season."
The Basic opener was originally scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. start but Basic requested a time change to 6:00 and Bonanza was happy to oblige. What better stage to open the season then in the first night game of the 2008 season? Attendance is expected to be high as the day's showcase ballgame, officially kicking off a season in which Bonanza expects a thrilling ride.
"It's going to be a dogfight," Stafford said. "We have to just keep at it, battle, play our style of baseball and let the chips fall where they may. We're excited about the possibilities but we know what we're up against. This is going to be wild."
The scrimmage, which will include umpires, is a chance for the Bengals to try out players as they battle for their respective roles in the program.
"The scrimmages are a chance for us to see what we're working with on a deeper level," Bonanza head coach Derek Stafford said. "We get to face someone other than ourselves, allowing us to kind of get a gauge as to where we stand heading into the season."
Comparing it to professional baseball's Spring Training experience, Stafford was quick to point out that wins and losses are unimportant in the scrimmages. The lineups will be created to optimize preparation for the regular season, which begins five days later.
"Professional baseball players get a month or so of scrimmages," Stafford said. "We get two so we're going to take advantage of these opportunities to try out new things, new players and new strategies. The pros get six weeks but we only get one so we need to make it efficient.
"A lot of guys are battling for spots so this will be their final opportunities to prove to us where they fit and how they will settle into their team roles."
The pitching staff will get innings, the key players will get their at-bats but at the same time, the new players will also need to get their first look at varsity pitching and the speed of the game. Innings will be dispersed with the intention of perfecting roles and optimizing each individual's time for evaluation.
The scrimmage also takes on special meaning for Bonanza coaches, Stafford and Mike O'Rourke, who both played under current Silverado head coach Brian Whitaker.
"It is always special to play against Coach Whit," Stafford said. "I learned high school baseball at Silverado and from Coach Whit. Coach 'O' and I both played there and it's always nice to go home to open the preseason."
The second scrimmage will take place at 3:30 p.m. next Monday at neighboring Palo Verde, the final tuneup before the regular season opens up three days later. But, although the regular season opens next Thursday, Stafford makes it clear that the league games are the most important part of the schedule, so even the regular season games take on lesser importance when compared to the competitive Southwest Division, arguably the top division in the state of Nevada.
"We play in the Southwest Division," assistant coach Kevin Fiddler said. "It used to be the Southeast Division was the best, but I think the Southwest has passed them. Only four teams from our division make the playoffs, but last year, we had five teams finish the season ranked in the top 10.
"A non-playoff team from our division is still better than many of the second or third place teams in many of the other divisions. It's a testament to the growth and coaching in our neck of the woods. Every league game is a battle of epic proportions. One wrong move and you're on the outside looking in. We don't intend on watching from afar this season."
The Basic opener was originally scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. start but Basic requested a time change to 6:00 and Bonanza was happy to oblige. What better stage to open the season then in the first night game of the 2008 season? Attendance is expected to be high as the day's showcase ballgame, officially kicking off a season in which Bonanza expects a thrilling ride.
"It's going to be a dogfight," Stafford said. "We have to just keep at it, battle, play our style of baseball and let the chips fall where they may. We're excited about the possibilities but we know what we're up against. This is going to be wild."
