Preseason Preview: Desert Vista

As we gather info from coaching staffs, and come to a conclusion with our Preseason Power 25 Rankings, we expect Coach Patrick Herrera and his group to be a very competitive team with some big time upside. They're coming off a tough year in 2021, but a coaching change, and a talented roster could be the difference for DV this season. Pitching seems to be the strong point for this roster in 2022, with a few returning arms in: 2023 RHP Bryce McKnight (Arizona), 2022 LHP Michael Trausch, 2023 RHP Michael Caruso, and 2022 RHP Drew Gilbert, DV should be able to get enough quality innings to hold opposing offenses down. The four arms listed above are pitchers suitable for any role Coach Herrera plans to use them in, strike throwing and defensive play will be the key to their success. If these arms are performing as they should expect a lot of ground balls/weak contact, with that, DV's infield play is also important. The infield will be made up of some combination of: 2023 Grant Haas, 2022 Brady Thomas, 2022 Joey Gentile, and 2023 Xander Ras. These four are fundamentally sound infielders that are almost 'plug and play' type guys that can have success at any three of the infield spots. Offensively, losing 2021 1B Beau Ankeney is obviously a huge blow to this lineup, but this group has a chance to be a really scrappy offense that will play more of a 'get him on, get him over, get him in' type of style. Quality at bats and running the bases is going to get DV in the run column this spring, and they have the coaching staff and veteran players to do so, very excited to follow Desert Vista this spring.