Popular opinion says the Reno Huskies will be rebuilding this season, returning just four starters. Coach Savage and his staff might prefer a more acceptable concept of reloading with a talented group of young players that will need to “step up” to fill some vacated roles.  The Huskies won the Northern League a year ago but finished second in the region to qualify for the state tournament. Savage and staff always manage to get the most out of their players and standards are high for the Huskies program and 2019 will be no different.  Today we take a closer look at the 2019 Reno Huskies.

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Team: Reno 

Nickname: Huskies

NIAA Classification: 4A

League: Northern

Head Coach: Pete Savage

Team Twitter Handle:

2018 Overall Record: 34-7

2018 League Finish: 1^st in Division/2^nd in Region

2018 1^st place Finish in League: Reno

2018 Postseason Finish: 1-2

Number of Returning Starters: 4

Number of Returning Pitchers: 6

Top Returning Players: ’19 OF John Kane; ’19 INF Garret Damico; ’19 OF/RHP August Souza; ’19 2B Cade Grogan; ’20 RHP Caedon Kottinger; ’20 IF/OF Coleman Schmidt;

College Commits: “19 INF Garret Damico – CA State East Bay; ’19 RHP August Souza -Santa Clara; ’20 Gunner Gouldsmith – Washington State

Top 2019 Players: ’19 OF John Kane; ’19 INF Garret Damico; ’19 OF/RHP August Souza; ’19 2B Cade Grogan

Top 2020 Players: ’20 RHP Caedon Kottinger;; ’20 IF/OF Coleman Schmidt; ’20 INF Gunner Gouldsmith; ’20 C Lane Oliphant; ’20 RHP Skyler Hales

Other Players to Watch: ’21 INF/C Joseph Simon; ’21 RHP/1B Sam Smith; ’22 INF Mike Cruz; ’22 Garrison Geis; ’22 Grayson Grinsell; ’22 INF Mason Rowe

2019 Outlook: The Huskies pride themselves on pitching efficiently and offensive execution. Senior, left-hander, John Kane is the model of pitching efficiency.  The strike throwing lefty pitches to contact and while he will be expected to shoulder some load on the mound, his bat will offer experience in the middle of the order. Kane has the ability to hit for average with sneaky power. Third baseman, Garret Damico returns to hit at the top of the order and be a catalyst with his hard-nosed playing style and speed. Veteran, August Souza, possess legitimate front end of the rotation stuff. Perhaps the ace of the pitching staff is junior, Caedon Kottinger.  Kottinger is a 3-pitch mix strike throwing right-hander that relies on his command and ability to change speeds. Offensively, both Kane and Souza should impact the lineup as well. Second baseman, Cade Grogan, is a reliable infielder with bat handling skills that are invaluable for an offense built around pressuring opposing defenses.  Grogan is a “heady” player that offers significant senior leadership on the field.

As Coach Savage and the Huskies look to replace some key losses, they may be able to find some answers in some veteran as well as young players.  Senior, John Barry is a left-handed pitcher that could be as important as any.  Barry has the stuff to pitch in the rotation and if he can continue to throw the level of quality strikes he showed during the Fall, he will do just that. Ryan Hess is another veteran that the Huskies will get a lot of mileage out of both on the mound and in the field.  Hess has been effective at the backend of the bullpen and a capable first baseman.  Junior, Coleman Schmidt projects as another middle of the order type bat.  Schmidt has shown the ability to drive the baseball and has the skills to play the infield as well as the outfield.  The Huskies will also get a lift from newcomer, Gunner Gouldsmith, junior.  Gouldsmith is a switch hitting infielder with the ability to hit at the top of the order and play solid defense. Catcher, Lane Olipant is recovering from off-season surgery but appears ready to go. He is in a battle behind the dish with senior, Isaac Schuck.  A third catcher, Carson Isip could spell either one in a pinch.

On the mound, keep an eye on Skyler Hales.  Hales may be a little slow to start as he finishes up his time on the hardcourt, but at some point he will be a force to be reckoned with. Like Hales, sophomore, Sam Smith, may offer some depth when he returns to the diamond from the hardcourt.  Other youngsters to look for catcher/infielder, Joseph Simon, outfielder, Grayson Grinsell and infielders, Garrison Geis and Mason Rowe.

On paper, it would appear that the Huskies have some major questions and rightly so, but don’t sleep on this talented young pack.  The season will provide experience and come playoff time you can expect the Huskies will be in the hunt.