Last year, the Moapa Valley High School baseball team finished in second behind Virgin Valley in the 3A Desert League, but playoff losses to the 3A Mountain League’s Boulder City and Pahrump Valley put an end to the Pirates’ postseason.

This year, the Pirates return their second-best hitter from last season, Lucas Pettingill. Their best player from last year, Tyson Pettingill, graduated, but the Pirates return five varsity players from last year’s roster along with a lot of young talent.

“It will be a different year than we’ve had in the past five years, where there’s been a superstar on our team that we rely on, and this year we will all rely on each other,” said Moapa Valley head coach Justin Williams. “We have good talent everywhere. We will rely on our five players with varsity experience to lead this young team. Our young talent is there and I look forward to our growth.”

The Moapa Valley baseball season is already underway, as the Pirates participated in the Rod Poteete Invitational in Pahrump over the weekend. Moapa Valley fell 4-0 to the Douglas Tigers on Friday, Feb. 27. Jake Hadley and Collin Hughes were the only Pirates to collect hits on Friday, with Hadley going 2-for-4 with a double. Hadley also pitched four innings, striking out eight and allowing three runs on six hits.

The Pirates got their first win of the season on Thursday, Feb. 26. After allowing a first-inning run, the Pirates scored three unanswered to defeat Dayton 3-1. Hughes drove in two runs with a double, and Hadley drove in another with another double. Jayden Staley got the win, pitching five innings and striking out seven. Christopher Kohntopp got the save.

Moapa Valley got a good test in its first game of the year, as the team that ended its season last year, Pahrump Valley, got a 6-5 comeback victory. The Trojans trailed 4-2 going into the bottom of the seventh and plated four runs for the walkoff win. Three of the four runs were unearned, however, as an error in the field contributed to the loss.

MVHS senior Lane Briggs went 3-for-4 with a triple and two runs scored. Junior Weston Ruiz drove in two runs with a triple, and Toby Wood drove in a run with a double. Ty Millett nearly finished five innings on the mound, allowing just two runs on two hits, walking four and striking out five.

On Friday, March 6 at Pahranagat Valley High School, the Pirates (1-2) play Lincoln County at 12:30 p.m. and Pahrump Valley (3-1) at 3 p.m. The PVHS Panthers will play the Pirates at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 7. The Pirates set their sails for Del Sol (0-3) for a 3:30 p.m. road game on Monday, March 9.