Knights take nothing for granted in state American Legion tourney
Gino DiMaria remembers what it was like when local baseball teams feared having to play Bishop Gorman for all those years.
The first-year coach, who led the Gaels to their first state title since 2012 in May, says that's not the case anymore. But it's not necessarily a bad thing.
It actually might help him.
"Teams respect us, but they don't fear us anymore," DiMaria said. "When I coached (summer ball) at Las Vegas High (1988-2014), I loved playing Gorman. They were nationally ranked and had all the great players. ... But the level of competition in Nevada has gone up. High school baseball in Vegas is top five in the country when I talk to scouts and other coaches."
With that level of competition going up, the Gaels realize no days can be taken off. They must remain on their toes and use an all-out mentality, something DiMaria has stressed since taking over at his alma mater.
It's a mentality his LV Knights, or the "summertime Gaels," have taken on and are eager to use in the American Legion state tournament.
The top-seeded LV Knights #1 (17-4) will face Canyon Springs (1-20), the No. 8 seed, at 8 p.m. Saturday at Durango High.
Fourth-seeded Silverado (12-9) will meet the No. 5 seed LV Knights #2 (8-13) at 5 p.m. to open the double-elimination tournament, which concludes Aug. 1. The winner advances to the Western Regional in Boulder, Colo.
"Whether it's the fall, spring or summer, we always make it a point to win," DiMaria said. "I don't care if it's a scrimmage game, we play to win. It's an all-year mentality."
DiMaria already has made an impact in his short time at the school and will be looking to add onto that spring success.
Only two starters from the state-winning team — Beau Capanna and Jordan Sadovia — remain on the summer roster.
Capanna, a New Mexico commit, has taken on the leadership void of do-it-all shortstop Cadyn Grenier, who graduated and was named to the USA Today All-USA baseball team.
Capanna leads the summer team with a .471 average and is tied for first in home runs (five) with Nick Hernandez. Sadovia has a .357 average with one homer.
But the key to this team has been pitching.
Junior Brian Coffey has done the heavy lifting, going 8-1. Junior Tyler McKee is 6-0, and sophomore Matt Mitchell is 3-1.
Each will presumably get his time to shine in the state tournament since the rules have been altered.
"We're deep in pitching," DiMaria said. "But the format (longer innings) changes during the tournament. The nine-inning games change everything. No matter who we play, we can't take them lightly."
DiMaria said he's proud of how a new batch of players — mostly last year's reserves and junior varsity kids — have stepped up and competed all summer long, whether it was in Albuquerque, N.M., San Clemente, Calif., or Las Vegas.
"It's been a good summer," DiMaria said. "I didn't know we'd have that record. But these kids have battled and responded. We've gotten closer as a team while creating a new identity."
