Pictures for multimedia package

The Dugout Club raises money for baseball team.

For the last couple of years the Nevada Wolf Pack baseball team has been receiving extra funding from the private booster club called The Dugout Club.  The Dugout Club was started by former Nevada baseball players to help raise money for future teams.  Besides taking donations the Dugout Club also organizes the Bobby Dolan Baseball Dinner, where all funds to directly to the Dugout club.

Over the last couple of yeas the Dugout Club has been responsible for helping make upgrades to Peccole Park, like replacing the field with turf, fixing fencing around the park, and renovating the training facility and locker rooms, to name a few improvements.

To join the Dugout Club you make a donation ranging from $250.00 to $5,000.00.  With the donation you get access to the special seating area, discount on concessions, and tickets to the Bobby Dolan Dinner.  For more information go to nevadawolfpack.com

Annual exhibition game raises funds for university baseball team.

On April 5 the University of Nevada, Reno Wolf Pack baseball team and the Reno Aces will renew their annual Exhibition game at the Aces stadium.  While this is an exhibition game, the main point of the game is to raise money for the UNR Dugout Club.  While both teams benefit greatly from the game, the UNR baseball team gets the most from the event, as a portion of the proceeds from the game to the UNR baseball team.  Last season the Reno Aces organization gave the UNR Dugout Club a check for $15,000.

The basbeall essentals.

Money isn’t the only benefit of the game, each team benefits in a couple of different ways.  For the Wolf Pack, they get to experience what it’s like playing in a major league stadium, against an almost major league team.

“It gets them on the field with guys that are getting paid to play at the highest level next to the major leagues,” said baseball head coach Gary Powers.  “It gives them a measuring stick, and it gives them something to shoot for, it’s a great experience to have.”

The day the game is played is also benefits the teams.  For the Aces, the game is two days before their first game of the season, so it helps their team get back into shape and helps them prepare for their first game.  For the Wolf Pack, the game gives them a chance to forget about their conference record and just play the game they love.

“Its right in the middle of the season,” said Senior Outfielder Waylen Sing Chow.  ”So it’s a good break for us to just to enjoy baseball without us having to concentrate on us always having to win.”

The community is also benefiting from this event.  Jerry Cail, the Director of Sales and Fan Relations of Wolf Pack athletics, is raising money to get at risk kids to be able to go to the game.

“I’m selling tickets and getting donations for tickets for at risk kids in the community like the Boys and Girls Club, Big Brothers Big Sisters and the folks over there at Reno Housing Authority,” said Cail.  “So I sent out a mailing to mostly our donors and the response has been great, for 50 bucks they can send 5 kids to the game and have a great time at the ballpark.”

This is also a way for the community to get fired up for the start of baseball season.

“Its gets people pumped up for baseball,” said Senior Pitcher/First Baseman Brock Stassi.  “There are a lot of baseball fans, and people love the Aces, and we [The Wolf Pack] have good support here, so it’s really cool to see the people come out to the game.”

Even though the game is against a Triple-A team, The Wolf Pack doesn’t do anything differently to prepare, for them it’s just another game.

“In baseball, the truth is your playing against the game,” said Stassi.  “You put the ball in play and the rest is up to them, you can’t prepare for a team’s defense.”

What makes this game different for the players is that it is an exhibition game rather than a regular game.  The rules for this exhibition game are that the pitchers and catchers for both teams will be Aces players.  The game will only last seven to nine innings, and each pitcher has a pitch count he can’t go over.  Once the pitcher reaches his pitch count, that half of the inning is over.

Cail is the mastermind behind this exhibition game.  Last year he saw an opportunity to raise money for the UNR baseball team, give both teams a good experience, and give the Aces good publicity, all in one event.

” The baseball team runs short of funds,” said Cail.  ”So I got together with the General Manager of the Aces and asked him if he thought the exhibition game as a fundraiser for the baseball team was in the cards.  It was about a 6 month process to let the [Arizona] Diamondbacks, who are the owners of the local franchise, to let the triple a team play against the university.”

The first exhibition game was a success as a lot of people, both from the school and local community, came out to support both teams.  It worked so well Cail decided to try it again this year.

“3,800 fans showed up to the first game,” Said Cail.  “They wrote a check for about $15,000 for the baseball team which helps in recruiting and the little things they really don’t have budgets for, and their budgets are cut even more. We decided to talk with them again to see if we could make it an annual event and they were agreeable because it’s kind of a win-win for them.”

Students are also looking forward to the game.

“I am really excited for the exhibition,” said Robert Bennett, a 18-year-old journalism major.  “I had fun last year, it really gets me excited for baseball season, and its for a great cause.”

This year the game is being held on April 5 at 6:05 p.m.  Tickets are $13 for general admission, $7 for kids between the ages of 3 and 12, and a special ticket for all university students and faculty with a school ID will be $10.

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UNLV sweeps Nevada at the first home series

The Nevada Wolf Pack Baseball team is off to a slow start of the season.  After Sunday’s loss ending the 3 game sweep against rival UNLV, the Wolf Pack is now 0-9 for the season.  For a team that was ranked 3rd in the conference preseason polls, this is not the start that anyone expected.

The 0-9 start to is starting to take its toll on some of the players, and is affecting the way they play, but some players know they have to get past the losses and move on.

“Whenever you get swept, especially at home its not a good feeling,” Said Senior Pitcher, Brock Stassi. “Hopefully we’ll be able to turn it around on Tuesday.  That’s the good thing we play in two days, and we get the opportunity to go at it again.”

Head Coach Gary Powers know that baseball is a mental game, just as much as a physical one.  You cant let a bad performance get to your head.

“You have to have the right mind frame, this is an adverse game in general,” said Powers.  “So you have to learn how to deal with that but you can’t dwell on it. You have to learn that one at bat doesn’t make a day, you have look forward to the next at bat, if you dwell on the last at bat that you didn’t do well, probably going to have another one you won’t do well in, and that’s what I think out problem is right now”

The main thing Powers wants his team to focus on is worrying about the future games, and not worrying about past ones.

“What we talked about after the game is putting these nine games behind us, because we can’t change that. We have to be looking forward to the next game, and the next chance.

That pep talk after Sundays game must have had the effect Powers wanted.  On Tuesday, March 8, The Nevada Wolf Pack traveled to the Bay Area to play UC Davis.  The Pack got their first win of the season with a final score of 3-2.  The Wolf Pack plays its next series against University of the Pacific, at home this weekend.

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Wolf Pack baseball 2011 season schedual

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