Nevada only picked up a pair of one-run victories over Collins-Maxwell-Baxter in its first 15 games. But the Cubs split their final 10 games of the regular season before falling to Ballard in Class 3A district semifinal play to end the season with a 7-19 record, including a 4-12 Raccoon River Conference mark.
"I was extremely pleased with the progress we made as the season went along," Nevada head coach Brad Cross said. "May was tough in a good way because we had so many players representing the school in other sports. By the second week of June we had everyone available, but we had to play catch up and we hurt ourselves too much and let winnable games get away. But as July approached, we were playing baseball at times - win or lose."
The adjustment period was made worse by the fact that Nevada was unable to get many home games in during the first half of the season.
"By far, Billy Sunday Field is our biggest challenge - it's a beautiful park and the Parks and Recreation crew do everything they can to help, but until the city takes action, it'll never be on par with other fields around the area," Cross said. "This year, because of the standing water in May and June, we only played seven home games out of a schedule that should've had 15. The grind of going on the road night after night, along with the additional expenses and parents rearranging their schedules, takes a toll."
But things began to go more in Nevada's favor by the end of June.
The Cubs began to turn the tide on July 29 by snapping a nine-game losing streak with a 3-2 victory over RRC power Saydel. They split with Carroll in a doubleheader two days later and then dropped four-straight close battles, losing to Dallas Center-Grimes by one run on July 2, dropping 5-3 and 3-2 battles to Winterset on July 8 and then suffering a 13-12 setback in a slugfest with West Marshall on July 9.
Nevada edged Colo-Nesco by a 5-4 score on July 11 to get back on the winning track, and then the Cubs stepped it up a notch for their final two regular season games. The Cubs faced Perry, a top-10 3A team during the season, and Carlisle, the RRC champion and seventh-ranked team in 3A, at Billy Sunday Field and they pulled off the upset both times, winning by respective scores of 4-2 and 3-1.
"I was hard on them early and often, but as we rounded into shape they took care of business and taught each other what it takes to win," Cross said. "You don't accidentally beat two top-10 teams back to back. These guys made it happen."
The momentum didn't carry over into districts, however, as the Cub offense went flat in a 6-0 loss to Ballard. But Cross said that loss didn't take away from what his team was able accomplish at the end of the season.
"It would've been easy to give up, but the guys wouldn't quit," Cross said. "Each night was a fresh determination to take care of the little things you can control, and we really grew. From focusing on getting the leadoff batter out each inning, to moving base runners over to making the routine play or changing speeds on pitches, you could hear the seniors mentoring the younger players about the importance of the little things and it really took hold."
The senior group of Matt Bosworth, Nick Sutton, Cole Sheets, Lance Borton and Tyler Olson played a huge role in Nevada's turnaround.
"I can't say enough good things about our five seniors," Cross said. "Each of them performed their roles to contribute in a positive way to our overall success. We don't make playing baseball easy because it's not an easy game at this level; we look for guys who really want to dedicate themselves to the team, and these five guys have earned a 'game ball' and they represented their school well."
Bosworth was a second-team all-RRC pick in the outfield after hitting .368 with 23 runs, 18 walks, 15 steals and five doubles. He made 37 putouts and 12 assists with just two errors on defense and he was third on the team in innings pitched with 41 1/3.
Sutton was honorable mention all-conference as he hit .338 with four doubles, 19 runs and 10 RBI. Sutton threw a team-high 52 1/3 innings, compiling a 4-4 record with one save and he had a 4.28 earned run average with 42 strikeouts and 29 walks.
Sheets hit .220 with seven runs and RBI apiece and he tallied 29 putouts and 24 assists at second base. Borton posted a .391 on-base average with nine runs and eight RBI and Olson made 10 putouts defensively.
Junior first baseman Curtis Borts and sophomore catcher Alex Cross were also all-conference picks for Nevada this season.
Borts joined Bosworth on the all-RRC second team, hitting .312 with seven doubles, two home runs, 14 runs and 15 RBI while making 174 putouts and only two errors in the field. Cross made all-RRC honorable mention as he hit .235 with 10 RBI and recorded 15 putouts and 21 assists and just one error behind the plate.
Junior pitcher/outfielder Ross Van Allen also had a solid season for Nevada. He hit .279 with two homers and 17 RBI, while going 2-6 with a 4.43 ERA in 42 2/3 innings on the mound.
Freshman Ty Borton made 34 assists and 22 putouts, playing primarily at shortstop, and sophomore Tyler Ellingson tallied 14 assists and nine putouts at third base for the Cubs during the year. Brandon Bartleson scored five runs and drove in four, Bryce Black collected four hits in eight at-bats, Trevor Davis made 15 putouts, Mike Chisholm scored seven runs and Zach Cross made nine putouts and three assists as the other major contributors for Nevada.
The Cubs ended up scoring 108 runs on a .244 batting average with 29 extra-base hits and 45 steals as a team. They also had a staff ERA of 5.51 with 101 strikeouts and 120 walks and a team fielding average of .914.
Next season, Nevada will have to regroup with the loss of the quality senior class. But Cross is optimistic about what his team can accomplish with the right attitude.
"There are too many unknowns that occur between now and next May, and the team chemistry is different each year, but we have lots of high-character guys who know what it takes to win and it's a fun group to work with," Cross said. "I'd go to bed happy if I have nine guys who work hard, hustle, play tough and get their uniforms dirty, even if we lose every game."
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