Tiger senior Duncan DeLange fires a pitch Tuesday against Fallon in the season opener. He struck out eight in four innings of work, securing a win to start the spring.
Photo by Ron Harpin.
Douglas High School baseball will look to several new faces this spring in big moments, but the Tigers’ returning core should make them a nightly threat in the North this season.
Jim Tucker, who went 19-10 in his first season as head coach, will be back in charge of the program.
The second-year skipper knows he has some spots to fill, losing nine seniors from last season, but a new crop of 10 seniors steps up to lead the way this spring.
“The blend between the 10 seniors with the mix of some of the younger guys with three sophomores up with us, it's an exciting blend. I think our job now is just to give them the confidence to go play,” Tucker said Tuesday after opening the season with a 2-0 win at home over Fallon.
(Douglas High senior Jeffrey Peters turns on a pitch against Fallon in the Tigers’ season opener Tuesday in Minden. Peters will be behind the dish this year after earning a first team all-region selection at catcher last season. / Ron Harpin)
AROUND THE DIAMOND
Starting behind the plate, Douglas will have senior Jeffrey Peters as a staple at catcher this spring.
Peters hit .376 last season in 113 plate appearances with 12 doubles and two home runs. He finished his junior season with 32 hits and 31 RBIs. He also drew 21 walks to post a .504 on-base percentage.
While his offensive talent will keep him in the heart of the batting order, his skillset behind the plate is undeniable. Peters’ defense and pitch-framing ability will be a large plus for the Tiger pitching staff.
The left side of the diamond will feature Douglas’ only other returning all-region player in Jackson Ovard, who was a first-team selection at utility in 2024.
Ovard, who recently announced his commitment to Feather River College for football, opened the season at third base and will get his share of innings on the mound, too.
The senior hit .371 as a junior with nine doubles and 23 RBIs while striking out nine over 8.2 innings of pitching.
He knocked in Douglas’ first run of the season with an RBI single to left field Tuesday.
At the opposite corner, Titus Gocke (pronounced Go-key) should have the lion’s share of playing time at first base. Like Ovard, Gocke is also expected to be a starting pitcher.
“I think at the corners, Jackson Ovard and Titus Gocke are going to kind of hold us down there, but we've got Jared Peters (a sophomore) to platoon when one of those two is pitching,” said Tucker.
Grayson Kamper, a junior, is expected to be the everyday shortstop for Douglas. As a sophomore last season, Kamper put together 13 hits, 13 RBIs and four doubles for a .289 clip at the plate.
Aiden Tarlo, one of three sophomores on varsity, got the starting nod at second base in Tuesday’s opener and went 1-for-2 with a walk and an RBI.
“In the middle we're hoping to leave Kamper alone and Tarlo, as a sophomore, giving him the confidence to lead from here on out,” said Tucker.
The outfield defense will be controlled by speedy center fielder Luke Main.
The senior already flashed the leather for Tiger fans, tracking down a line drive with a diving catch in the third inning of Tuesday’s win.
Main, who hit .271 with eight RBIs and six stolen bases in 2024, served as the Tigers’ leadoff hitter against the Greenwave.
Blaine Bilderback, a sophomore, and Tyler Sentell, a senior, corralled the corner outfield spots in the first game, but Tucker said JT Lopez is certain to be in the mix for playing time alongside them.
Tucker said Lopez, Jared Peters and Jake Hoover will have big roles off the bench for the Tigers.
“Jared Peters and JT Lopez are the two that come to mind right away in their flexibility what they can do. Jared with a big bat off the bench,” said Tucker. “Then a stable of seniors who have been here before, like Jake Hoover, he works as hard as anybody. So I would say those three, probably.”
PITCHING STAFF
Duncan DeLange got the nod for the opener and certainly looked the part as the ace of the staff.
The senior fired eight strikeouts over four innings and five of those eight hitters left the box looking. He allowed just one hit and no earned runs, picking up the win.
DeLange, a Butte College commit, had 22 punchouts over 21.2 innings last season, keeping opponents off-balance with a fastball touching 90 mph.
Ovard, Gocke and Bilderback will be the other three starters in charge of eating innings.
“We've got 10 to 12 guys willing, … those are the four guys that are going to share the bulk of the innings,” Tucker said.
Kamper will be called upon to spot start or pitch relief innings, as will seniors Blake and Brent Faiss.
Lopez and junior Peter Ziegler, who tossed two scoreless innings in relief Tuesday, are two other names expected to get looks out of the pen.
REGION EXPECTATIONS
Last season, Reno and Bishop Manogue were the top two squads in the North with Galena (No. 3) and Reed (No. 4) slotting in above the No. 5 Tigers.
There were plenty of competitive regional playoff games last season and Tucker doesn’t expect much to change in that department.
If anything, more contenders could be added to the mix.
“This league is good. I've been impressed with the talent in this league year after year. I could see it playing out similar to last year, but Spanish Springs, you know, they were a little young last year and they bring back a lot,” said Tucker. “Then you've got a ton of great coaches that have been here a long time, so I wouldn't sleep on anybody. I think it could be wide open here come May.”