YOUTH BASEBALL: Wolfpack has high hopes in World Series

Las Vegas is home to one of the best 13-and-under baseball teams in the country.

The Las Vegas Wolfpack, a competitive travel team made up of players from across Southern Nevada, went 78-12 this season, earned a No. 6 national ranking, and recently advanced to the U.S.S.S.A World Series in Tulsa, Okla.

"We're expecting a top-four finish," head coach Al Ramirez said. "If we can go in and get a top four, that will be real good for Nevada baseball. I think we can get there. We beat teams in California that finished fourth and fifth (at the World Series) last year.

"Once you reach the top four, it basically comes down to the breaks and who has what left, and our pitching staff is probably one of the deepest in the nation, so that benefits us. We have 15 kids on our team and 12 of them are pitchers."

More than 50 teams from 40 states were expected to compete in the World Series.

The Wolfpack, which was formed three years ago, won five of the nine tournaments it competed in this year -- which qualified it for the national event -- and took second in three others against teams from Nevada, Arizona, Utah and California.

The team of 13-year-olds also went 20-5 against 14-and-under teams in Las Vegas.

Ramirez, who also guided the team to second place at a national tournament in Cooperstown, N.Y., last summer, said he didn't expect the team to do as well as it did.

"I thought we'd probably be 60-30 or something like that -- above average -- but the kids really worked hard, and it's paid off," Ramirez said. "Now I'm not surprised. We've played some of the best teams in the West."

The team's starting lineup features Matt Sweat at catcher, Austin Chatterley at third base, Kevin Kreier at shortstop, Alvino Ramirez at second, Chad Robinson at first, Drew Belcher in left field, Jon Jon Lemos in center and Brandon Graff in right. Kyle Bostick is also a regular starter.

Donnie Parke is the team's top pitcher.

"He's basically been my horse all year long. He's thrown the most innings," Ramirez said. "He's been our most consistent pitcher and he's done a great job all year."

Graff, a left-handed pitcher from Pahrump, has also excelled on the mound.

"He's the best 13-year-old left-hander that I've seen on the West Coast and we've been to Utah, California and Arizona," Ramirez said.

Ramirez is equally confident in the rest of his pitching staff, which includes Belcher, Chatterley, Michael McDade -- the team's only 12-year-old -- Robinson, Kreier, Sweat and Bostick.

"I can give the ball to any of those players and feel comfortable," he said. "If you just lose 12 games all year, you've got to use a lot of pitchers."

Other players on the team include Scotty Berke, Justin Mettelka, Tommy Pham and Joey Trujillo.

Sweat is the team's leading hitter.

"Matt Sweat has been the most consistent hitter over the last three years," Ramirez said. "I'd have to say he's one of the best hitters in town, if not the West Coast. He's hit over .500 the last three years." Lemos is another of the squad's leading hitters, with a better than .400 batting average.

Chatterley is a standout on defense.

"He's probably one of our most athletic kids. For a 13-year-old, it's unbelievable some of the plays he makes," Ramirez said. "He's got a cannon for an arm.

"The best part of our team is our defense. We don't make too many mistakes and we don't give up too many runs."

Now that the players are getting ready for high school baseball, Ramirez and his co-head coach, Todd Gamboa, will step down after three years at the helm of the squad.

"It's been a fun ride for both of us," Ramirez said. "It's been real fun watching these kids grow up."