The Tonopah High School athletes are preparing for the spring sports seasons to kick off next week.
The Muckers had an eventful spring season last year in all four – baseball, softball, boys golf and track & field – of their sports.
Baseball:
In baseball, the Muckers began their season with former head coach Jace Collins. After a rough start to the season, Collins was dismissed as the team’s head coach.
Assistant coach Rhett King was promoted to head coach for the remainder of the season, leading the Muckers to a 10-7 regular season record and 6-1 in league play.
Tonopah made the regional playoffs, but, unfortunately, were eliminated by the Pahranagat Valley Panthers.
The Muckers will kick off their 2023 season with a road matchup against Pahrump Valley High School on Friday, March 10. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
Softball:
Head coach Ken Jose led the Lady Muckers to the state playoff tournament for the first time since the 2019 season.
Jose guided the Lady Muckers to a 14-9 regular season record and the No. 3 seed in the 1A Southern regional tournament.
Tonopah was able to get two wins against the Indian Springs Thunderbirds during the regional tournament to advance to the regional championship.
The Lady Muckers lost their two main pitchers in Hannah Dowers and Jessica Callaway. Both players graduated following last season, so Jose will be looking to fill his starting rotation going into the season.
Tonopah will kick off their 2023 season with a tournament in Laughlin this Friday and Saturday, March 3-4.
Boys Golf:
Drew Otteson, a freshman during the 2022 season, qualified and participated in the 2A state golf tournament for the Muckers.
He was the only representative for Tonopah as he shot a 102 at the 2A Southern regional tournament to qualify as an individual in the state tournament.
This year, he’ll be entering the season as a sophomore with plenty of experience.
Track & Field:
Head coach Tony Palmieri guided the Muckers to a successful 2022 season.
The girls’ team placed second overall at the 2A Southern regional event, while the boys’ team placed fifth. The girls’ team also had a fifth-place finish in their appearance at the 2A state track & field competitions.
Tonopah’s girls 4×800 meter track team took home gold at the state competitions. The team of Anni Stubbs, Brianna Sanderson, Hayley Palmieri and Kennedy Crawford ran a time of 12:09.94.
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Contact sports writer/editor Danny Smyth at dsmyth@pvtimes.com. Follow @the_dannysmyth on Twitter.