Wave racks up diamond accolades

With state championship trophies in tow, the Fallon baseball and softball teams are racking up the postseason accolades.

Sophomore pitcher Alex Mendez was named to the Division I-A’s all-state first team, while senior first baseman Joe Pyle was second team. Mendez is the only sophomore from the North on the first team.

For the softball team, senior shortstop Ali Tedford and junior catcher Megan McCormick were named first-team all-state.

In addition, baseball coach Lester de Braga was named Coach of the Year for the Northern DI-A. Fernley coach Diane Chapin was named COY for softball.

Elko baseball player Jacob Conklin and Fernley softball player Serena Olson were named the league’s Most Valuable Players, respectively.

Both Mendez and Pyle were named to the North’s first team.

On the North’s second team for Fallon are junior pitcher Riley Williams, catcher Brock Uptain, sophomore second baseman Jack Swisher, junior left fielder Marshall Coverston and senior center fielder Dalton Frank.

Shortstop Sage Mori and right fielder/pitcher Dylan Jabines were named honorable mention.

Mendez was 9-2 with a 2.39 ERA and 77 strikeouts in 64.1 innings with only 16 walks. His nine wins was tops in the DI-A and was third in strikeouts.

Pyle hit .376 with 21 runs, 18 RBIs and five doubles with five stolen bases. He committed just five errors and tallied 10 assists.

Williams went 3-2 with a 4.27 ERA with 36 strikeouts in 37.2 innings. Uptain, meanwhile, hit .386 with 11 RBIs and just two errors behind the plate.

Swisher batted .404 with 20 runs, three doubles, three triples and one home run, while Coverston hit .353 with 35 runs, 16 RBIs, six doubles, one triple and one homer.

Frank, who missed about half the season due to injury, hit .388 with 14 runs and RBIs and seven doubles in 16 games.

Mori batted .271 with 24 runs, 16 RBIs and five doubles and tallied 43 assists at shortstop. Jabines hit .359 with six doubles, 21 RBIs and 22 runs.

The Lady Wave, meanwhile, gathered four first-team all-North selections in Tedford, McCormick (utility player), centerfielder Paige Thorn and pitcher Kayla Buckmaster.

The second team consisted of third baseman Kalyn Huckaby and right fielder Izzy Thomas, while the honorable mention selections are infielders Hannah Frank and Caitlyn Welch and catcher Ashlie Alvarez.

Tedford led the Lady Wave with a .558 average, and 49 runs and added 38 RBIs, 18 doubles, four triples and 21 stolen bases. McCormick, meanwhile, was the hammer in the lineup as she led Fallon with six home runs, 42 RBIs, 19 doubles and had four triples and scored 37 runs with a .505 avergae.

Thorn hit .518 and clubbed four homers, 12 doubles and three triples, while she added 34 RBIs and scored 47 runs. Buckmaster went 12-5 in the circle with a 3.74 ERA in 103 innings. She struck out 88 hitters and held opponents to a .277 batting average.

Huckaby hit .468 with 36 runs, 32 RBIs and four doubles. She was solid at third base with a .886 fielding percentage and recording 76 out outs.

Thomas hit .429 with five doubles, 26 runs and 20 RBIs with 16 stolen bases. A smooth defender in right field, she committed just one error in 33 chances.

Frank hit .437 with 42 runs and 15 RBIs, while Welch battted .435 with 23 RBIs and Alvarez hit .556 with 12 RBIs in 14 games.

Rival Fernley was also well represented in both sports.

In baseball, senior pitcher Kevin Montgomery was tabbed second-team all state and first-team all-North. Infielder Gavin Henderson was named to the second team, while Zack Burns and Brandon Hlade were honorable mention.

The softball team, meanwhile, featured shortstop Mercedes Rothwell on the first-team all-state and all-North teams along with Olson. Outfielder Caitlin Kindred and pitcher Courtney Dunn were also named to the North’s first team.

Kailey Daggitt, Shandell Gemmel and Hailee Edgar were second-team selections, while Taelyne Phillips and Brooke Chapin were honorable mention.

Olson led the league with 14 homers and 70 runs, was second with 51 RBIs, a 1.132 slugging percentage and was third with a .574 average.