Coach: Summer best time for young players to hone skills

Focusing solely on player development this summer, Southern Nevada Eagles 14U suffered a minor setback, finishing the week with a 1-2 record.

Ask Boulder City High School baseball coach Ed McCann whether the team’s win-loss record matters to him and he’ll scoff at the idea.

“Honestly, as long as we’re improving each day, the wins and losses don’t really matter,” McCann said. “Do we want to win every game? Of course we do, but right now we’re trying new things and experimenting and that’s what playing this summer is all about. I have a right-handed batter (Jeremy Spencer) batting left handed this summer so he can become a more valuable player. We’re focused on developing future varsity studs.”

Stacked with a roster loaded with future varsity talent, the Southern Nevada Connie Mack league Eagles suffered a 4-2 loss to 4A Foothill on June 13, followed by splitting their doubleheader with 4A Las Vegas on Monday, June 17.

Winning game one 10-4, the Eagles exploded for five runs in the fourth inning to fuel the rout.

At the plate, David Padilla finished 2 for 3 at the plate with a pair of runs batted in; Cameron Calvez (1 for 1), Charlie Stewart (1 for 3) and Dylan Spencer (1 for 3) each drove in a run apiece.

On the mound, Spencer earned the victory, throwing three innings where he struck out three batters.

In game two, the Eagles fell 8-3, but got an RBI each from Matthew Pickens (1 for 2), Dodger Smith (1 for 2) and Jeremy Spencer (1 for 3).

Padilla finished 1 for 1 and David Wagner finished 1 for 2 at the plate.

“I think what happened Saturday was just fatigue,” McCann said. “It’s hard to play back-to-back, especially for younger players and that’s OK. We’re learning how to manage this. We came out firing in game one and then stalled a little bit in game two. That’s what this summer is all about, learning. I’d rather it happen here than in March when it’s time for varsity.”

Dropping to 7-3 on the season following their pair of losses, McCann said he likes what he sees from the bunch. Getting a first-hand look at the roster made up of freshman and eighth-graders, McCann said he feels there are many high-impact players on the team who are only getting better in the Connie Mack league.

“We’ve had a great first couple of weeks of baseball,” McCann said. “We have a lot of talented kids who are coachable and want to do things the right way. They want coaching and then they apply it during the game. I’m excited for the future of our varsity program. We’re already a loaded team and having all these kids will give us great depth. There’s a lot of bright futures out here.”

Contact Robert Vendettoli at BCRsports@gmail.com.