Tigers battling for positions on the diamond

Nevada outfielder Dakota Bright makes a throw back to the infield during practice while Opie Tipton watches. Bright and Tipton are both hoping to earn playing time in the outfield for the Tigers in 2005.

By Joe Warren

Nevada Herald

The Nevada Tigers have a lot of uncertainty going into the 2005 season. The questions abound like who will be the go-to pitchers? Who will become mainstays in the daily lineup, and who will fill in the many roles that it takes to have a successful baseball team.

Unsettling things further is a first-year head coach, still trying to get a feel for his job, a feel for the players and a feel for what to expect as the lead guy during an entire season.

Gone is former head coach Tyson Beshore, having traded in the skipper's cap for an administrative role as the assistant principal at Nevada Middle School.

Jared Brown is the guy in charge now, coincidentally moving from the administration onto the diamond. Brown actually held the job Beshore currently occupies.

Brown isn't a newcomer to the sport by any means. He served as an assistant coach in 1998 and 1999, both right here in Nevada. Now Brown returns to take over the program.

With the Tigers having practiced now for only a few weeks, not much has been determined for the 2005 Tigers.

"We've got a good group of guys, working hard every day," Brown said. "We are battling for positions right now."

Brown was not ready to go into details as to who would be playing what positions this season, perhaps because he is still trying to figure that out himself.

"The first game we are going to give some people some looks (at different positions)."

Brown said there were still battles going on all over the field. Catcher, shortstop, first base, all over the outfield and especially on the mound, Brown said virtually nothing had been settled yet.

Unfortunately the season is already staring the Tigers in the face, so they are going to have to figure things out pretty quickly. Nevada opens Monday at home against Fort Scott, Brown's alma mater.

The rookie coach did have a good idea about what the Tigers were going to be able to do this season.

"So far, we have several pitchers -- which is always a good thing," Brown said. "We will be a fairly quick team and should be able to do quite a bit of running. We're going to have to rely on our defense, our defense looks real good right now."

As for what teams Nevada will have to look out for this season, Brown was not completely sure.

"I really don't know a whole lot about (opponents)," Brown said. "Being out of it for a couple years. I'm looking forward to playing everybody."