Despite shaky start, baseball season still looks optimistic

Sports – The Nevada Sagebrush The 3-8 Nevada Baseball season is off to a rocky start, to say the least, but it’s not time to panic yet. The team opened the year going 1-3 on a road trip to Sam Houston State and Baylor, then returned home to Peccole Park to go 1-3 in a series against Virginia Tech.
After the home stand, Nevada went back on the road to play a three-game series against Fresno State. The Wolf Pack went 1-2.
The Wolf Pack plays again on Tuesday, Mar.7, against Saint Mary’s in Moraga, California. It is easy to see why fans can be concerned. Lopsided losses to Sam Houston, Baylor, and of course the 24-10 drubbing at the hands of Virginia Tech will have that effect.
But those three losses are not necessarily indicative of the season thus far. Other than those three, the Wolf Pack has been right in the thick of every game. All but one of their other losses came by three runs or less, including three one-run losses.
The run differential numbers are jarring as well. A 14 run loss 11 games into the campaign will do that. So will two shutouts. With their upcoming game against Saint Mary’s, the Pack average 7.5 runs allowed and just 4.8 runs scored.
All of this is ignoring one fact: the Pack has played a couple of very good baseball teams. Virginia Tech and Baylor are both power-five schools, and last year Sam Houston State made it to the NCAA regional. They were eliminated by Arizona, who went on to lose to Coastal Carolina in the College World Series.
Even Fresno State is no slouch. The Bulldogs won 36 games last season and went 26-7 at home.
But there are 44 games left in the season, plus the Mountain West tournament. Not only that but last season the Wolf Pack was not playing its best ...


Read more