Batter up

     By Chris Jones
     View staff writer
      They didn't walk away with a state championship, but the players and coaches from the Basic High School baseball team certainly came a long way in 2000.
      Prior to the start of play last spring, most forecasters picked the Wolves to finish no better than third in the talented Sunrise Region Southeast Division. Instead of settling for No. 3, however, Basic overcame its nationally ranked division rivals Silverado and Green Valley, and earned its own Top 20 spot in Baseball America's national poll.
      The Wolves finished 25-5 -- good enough to claim the division championship -- before falling to the eventual state 4A champion Skyhawks in the Sunrise Regional tournament.
      Relative success also followed in American Legion play, when Basic finished with a 31-15 record before losing to Durango by a 4-2 score in the semifinals of the league's postseason tournament on Aug. 3. Two days later, Cimarron-Memorial defeated Durango 6-5 to capture the state American Legion title.
      Although he'd gladly swap places with the Spartans -- who advanced to the American Legion Western Regional Tournament in Ogden, Utah, thanks to their victory over the Trailblazers at UNLV's Wilson Stadium -- Basic coach Mike Kazek credits his team's maturation to its ability to develop a winning attitude.
      "I don't like to lose, and I think (my coaches and I) have instilled that in the kids," Kazek said. "Some of the kids, at the end of the (Durango) ballgame, were pretty upset, and that's what I'm looking for. To me, that's a positive because that means they don't want to lose."
      With most of Basic's key players set to return, it's clear Kazek is already looking forward to next spring, when he believes the challenges his players faced in 2000 will deliver some real dividends.
      "We're going to be in this situation again next year in the high school season," Kazek said. "We'll remember things and make it work to our advantage. ... You can't replace the experience gained from playing against quality teams."
      The Wolves' newfound familiarity with pressure could pay off on the mound, where soon-to-be seniors Jesse Craig and Trevor Markwell and incoming juniors Matt Elliott and Brian Lake combined to handle much of the Wolves' pitching responsibilities in 2000. All are expected to return, and Kazek feels the four hurlers will do nothing but improve.
      After watching their solid sophomore seasons in both high school and American Legion play, Kazek is also looking forward to big things from catcher Leland Montoya and second baseman Micah Schnurstein during their junior years.
      "We're going to throw some of the best nine players at other teams," Kazek said.
      One player Kazek wishes had more eligibility is 2000 graduate Jared Prisbrey, who starred as a pitcher and outfielder for the Wolves this past season.
      In what turned out to be his final game with Basic against Durango, Prisbrey went home with a loss, despite giving up only five hits and no earned runs in 6 2/3 innings pitched. Although he was disappointed his team fell short of the tournament championship, the Wolves' lone graduate player said there's a bright future ahead on the diamond at Basic.
      "We surprised a lot of teams with all the young kids we had," Prisbrey said. "Next year, (Basic) is going to be stronger than ever. There are teams that are losing five or six players, but (here) I'm the only one that's leaving. ... They're going to have a really good team."
      Although his tenure with the Wolves ended, Prisbrey won't have to travel far to continue his baseball career. He's decided to enroll at the Community College of Southern Nevada, where he'll play home games for the second-year baseball program nearly two miles south of Basic at CCSN's Henderson campus.
      "Some of our seniors elected not to play and I respect that, but Jared was just a cornerstone of our ball club," Kazek said. "He's a gamer. ... He may not have all the tools, but he's got a heart bigger than anyone I've seen."