This year, in addition to the Scout Day Showcases, we are also going to spotlighting programs as a whole with an interview with each participating teams head coach providing insight into their expectations for Spring 2021, key players, incoming players, players expected to have breakout seasons, how they have navigated the past year and much more. Next up, in his first year as the Green Valley/Mountain West skipper, Manny Llamas, provides insight into the Mountain West program, how they have combatted the pandemic and their plans for the future.

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Mountain WEst SPOTLIGHT
Head Coach, Manny Llamas

What are your expectations for your program for the 2021 Spring Season?

As a staff, we are optimistic that there will be a 2021 season.  We expect our players to compete at a high level and to not take anything for granted.  As we have seen, the baseball season could end very abruptly, so we expect our players to give their full attention to every opportunity they are given.  

Who are the top returning players you have coming back this Spring? Expectations of those players?

On the offensive side, our lineup will consist of top returners, such as Cannon Greene and Callan Hermansen.  Along with those two we have high expectations on a few underclassmen in Connor Apeceche and Chaz McNelis.  We have a lineup that will be scrappy and that should be able to compete with anyone in the state. 

Defensively, we will be led by our senior backstop in Cannon Green (2.01-2.12 pop time) and by our Shortstop, Nicky Garritano.  Surrounding them are guys who play the game hard and can play well.  Players such as Chaz McNelis, Connor Apeceche, Presley Whybourne, Cash Donovan, and Ethan Samson.  

On the pitching side, we have a few arms that will carry the load for our team.  Older guys like Patrick McNinch and Mack Harris will eat up a good chunk of innings for us.  We will also be relying on a few young arms that can throw well, such as Connor Apeceche and Jackson Williams.  

Who on your roster do you expect to have a breakout season in 2021? (1-2 players in each class, 2021-2024)

2024 class that will help our 2021 season include Connor Apeceche who can do many things well and will be a key part to our team.  Another Freshman that we see contributing to our 2021 season is TJ Shaw.  TJ can play both corner infield positions very well, and is a high motor kid who will compete for a starting spot.  Very bright future for those two athletes. 

In our 2023 class we expect guys like Chaz McNelis, Brandon Jenkins, and Eddie Tarango to have break out seasons but to also help play meaningful innings in preparation for the 2022 season.  

A few up and comers in the 2022 class include Nicky Garritano, Presley Whybourne, and Patrick McNinch.  

How does your program differentiate from others? What does your program do in the Summer and Fall Seasons? 

For us, we really emphasize being a great teammate and being a great person first before anything else.  High school baseball is about teaching the individual to be a better person, better teammate, and better communicator so that they have skills outside of baseball.  With that being said, we also focus on the small details of fundamental baseball, such as, playing baseball hard and playing baseball the right way.  But, we also love to coach up our kids like any other program. 

How are you preparing for the Spring?

This fall, with us losing a season, our emphasis was to make up for the lost season.  We spent our fall and winter playing as many games as possible while also getting as many reps as possible in a practice setting.  We spent our time really breaking down the fundamentals of the game of baseball while also creating a game-like feel to practice to, again, make up for the lost innings.  We spend our time outside as much as possible while also spending time inside the cages to get offensive reps. 

Do you have any college commits within the program?

Callan Hermansen - CSN

Besides a State Championship, what do you try to accomplish within your program every year?

Every year our goal is to compete on and off the baseball field.  Off the baseball field we want to accomplish a great team GPA.  On the baseball field we want to compete for State titles.  Every year we also want to ensure our guys accomplish their goals whether it be academically, athletically, or socially.  Our end goal is to ensure we provide our guys with a great high school experience because this is something they only get once.  

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DIRECTOR NOTES
Brett Harrison, PBR Nevada Director of Scouting 

In his first year at the helm, Manny Llamas, has taken no time at all to put his stamp on the program, instilling his gritty style of play that he brings over from Rancho. He stepped into a Mountain West/Green Valley program that has a rich history of success over their 30 year existence and is looking carry on those traditions with a young group that is lead by CSN signee and Area Code Games attendee, Callan Hermansen, with the two-way prospect is heading to play for the JUCO Powerhouse next year as pitcher. I am expecting a break out year from Nicky Garritano, a high baseball IQ middle infielder that has seen significant physical development over the past year and has translated well to the field. TrackMan Pitcher Update attendee, 2022 RHP Patrick McNinch, should be the team's workhorse this year with a wiffle ball type arsenal on the mound, being able to throw multiple pitches from multiple arm slots for strikes. The younger talent coming in is a very good sign for Mountain West with an interesting 2023 left-handed hitting infielder, Chaz McNelis, and 2020 Junior Future Games attendee and 2024 C/IF, Connor Apeceche, projected to make an immediate impact in the heart of the lineup. This is a program that may surprise some people this year, in the past Coach Llamas has produced teams you never take for granted because of their tough style of play and this group seems to already have adopted that mentality and is looking to carry it into Spring 2021.

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UPCOMING EVENTS

SHOWCASE	STATE	DATE	LOCATION
Mountain West Scout Day	NV	01/28	Burkholder Park
Golden Spikes Scout Day	NV	02/04	Heritage Park
NSA Scout Day	NV	02/09	Heritage Park
Las Vegas Rams Scout Days	NV	02/16	Heritage Park
Nevada Athletics Scout Day	NV	02/17	Doc Romeo Park
Las Vegas Aces Scout Day (Session 1)	NV	02/18	Heritage Park
Rawlings Tigers Scout Day	NV	02/22	Rainbow Family Park
Las Vegas Aces Scout Day (Session 2)	NV	02/23	Heritage Park
Sierra Vista Scout Day	NV	02/25	Heritage Park
Bishop Manogue Scout Day	NV	02/27	Bishop Manogue High School
Reno Knights Scout Day	NV	02/27	Bishop Manogue High School
McQueen Lancers Scout Day	NV	02/28	Bishop Manogue High School
Sparks Blue Sox Scout Day	NV	02/28	Bishop Manogue High School
Bases Loaded Elite Scout Day	NV	03/03	Doc Romeo Park
The Meadows Scout Day	NV	03/07	The Meadows