By LOU MARTIN
The Progress
The sounds of spring are reverberating in the Virgin Valley as baseball season is just around the corner. The Virgin Valley High School baseball team heeded the call from head coach Dan Wright and reported for the 2024 season last week.
The Dawgs are hoping to continue their great run established over the past few years. The team has gone to the Nevada State Championships the past two years, winning it all in 2022.
“This year’s team has a strong group of seniors to lead the way for a talented group of juniors and underclassmen,” said Coach Wright. “A few months ago, we committed to a strenuous offseason strength and conditioning program, along with weekly “baseball mental” sessions, and the boys have put their hearts and minds into this training. I’m excited to see how the fruits of the hard work this offseason will pay off for the team.”
Coach Wright and his staff are in the process of molding 14 returnees and two freshmen into a single cohesive unit. The team’s seven seniors include Bryce Intagliata, Kurt Felix, Drake Wakefield, Chandon Henson, Dodger Smith, Cameron Wright and Gunner McOmie. The juniors on the team are Mason Montoya, Cade Litzenberger, Daxton Noel and Manny Plancarte. These experienced players will mix with sophomores Jordan Goodsell, Koby Perry and Tray Hughes to assist freshmen Degan Shaner and Uriah Perieda in their first taste of high school ball.
Kurt Felix led the Dawgs in hitting last year with a .457 batting average.
Intagliata is a two way player with 5 wins and a 0.29 earned run average and a .319 batting average.
Montoya brings to the team a .430 avg. plus a 1.78 ERA on the mound. The team went 9-1 in 3A Mountain League and 25-13 overall to advance to state in 2023.
The Bulldogs will open the season at Durango on March 1 in Las Vegas, before holding their annual Cactus Classic Baseball Tournament on March 4-6.
The Bulldogs will open their tournament play on Monday next week against Utah’s Duchene High School.
All home games will be played at Hunter Park on East Mesquite Blvd. this year. This is due to an ongoing project at the school to revitalize the old Bulldog field with an artificial turf surface. Hunter Field has been upgraded to serve as a high school venue for this year.
All you sun-lovers should prepare for a great season of Bulldog baseball in Mesquite.
