The Paseo Verde Little League team is hoping for a second chance.
The Henderson team went to the Little League World Series two summers ago, winning its first two games before it was eliminated with a pair of losses.
Coach Corey Edwards knows it’s a little early to be thinking about this year’s LLWS, but his team is one tournament championship away from having another opportunity to play on youth baseball’s biggest stage.
Paseo Verde will begin its quest against Wyoming at 3 p.m. Saturday at San Bernardino, California, knowing a Mountain Region tournament title would send the team to South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. It would be the fourth consecutive year in which a team from Southern Nevada has represented the region in the LLWS.
Summerlin South claimed the American championship last year, and Edwards hopes to capitalize on the momentum.
“Nevada is a small state, but we play really good baseball here,” said Edwards, whose squad won the state title July 26 with a 5-2 win over Spring Valley. “There is a confidence that comes with that, but we want to make sure to avoid arrogance and cockiness.”
The team has been dominant in the postseason, sweeping through the district and state tourneys with a 6-0 record.
“I just want them to focus on one game at a time,” the coach said. “I won’t even book a (batting) cage or a practice field until after we win.”
Although none of his 12 players was on the 2024 roster, Edwards said that season’s success is fresh on the minds of everyone involved with the league. In fact, three players from that LLWS squad recently spoke with this year’s team about their experience.
Utah presents the most notable roadblock for Paseo Verde, which shares many similarities with last year’s champions from Summerlin. Pitching depth and strong hitting are convenient attributes to take into regional play.
Though Utah shares those strengths, Edwards refuses to worry about the team from Lone Peak. Or about Colorado, Wyoming or Montana.
“I’m more worried about what we’re doing and not what everybody else is doing,” the coach said.
Among Paso Verde’s postseason leaders has been pitcher Owen Guzman, who has a 2.25 ERA with 14 strikeouts to go with a .400 batting average. Fellow hurler Payton Hinsen has a 1.29 ERA.
Mikey Kleiner leads the offense with a .571 batting average, while Jace Ward is at .562. Maddox Bryan is the team’s reliable clutch hitter, batting .500 with a whopping 10 RBIs and a walk-off homer.
Other standouts include Logan Edwards, Brooks McFarland, Carsynn Meyer, James Esber, Hudson Cowley, Theo Bingham and Michael Guerrero.
The regional tourney runs through Aug. 14 with the winner advancing to the LLWS, which begins Aug. 18.
Contact Jeff Wollard at jwollard@reviewjournal.com.
