Thursday, March 20, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
What Green Valley High School baseball coach Rodger Fairless is saying doesn't quite mesh with what his team is saying.
"I don't think we're the team to beat," said Fairless.
Of course, then there is the raw data, which is irrefutable. The Gators, the four-time defending Nevada state champions, are already 4-0 and have outscored those four teams by an aggregate 55-4.
Those kind of numbers do not exactly put a dent in a team's credibility.
Green Valley's pursuit of a fifth straight title -- but the first in Class 4A -- is off to a grand start. Those four wins, 10-0 over Bishop Gorman, 10-2 over Western, 20-2 over Cheyenne and 15-0 over Silverado, have served notice to the rest of Clark County that the road to a championship still leads through the Gators.
They are on the road for the next week or so, with tournaments in Yuma, Ariz., and San Diego. The team is in Arizona through Sunday, then in Southern California the early part of next week.
"Right now, we're playing baseball the way it should be played," said Fairless, in his sixth season as head coach. "It seems like they're playing hard every inning, and we've been playing well in all three phases of the game."
No argument there.
Offense? Those 55 runs speak for themselves.
Defense? No complains from Fairless, whose team has been near flawless.
Pitching? This is where Green Valley really may shine this year.
Right-handed junior Mike Nannini is 2-0, having one-hit Gorman and given up just four hits in his next outing against the Skyahwks.
Fairless has three other right-handers he's looking to: senior Ian Jones, senior Doug Cole and senior Taylor Smith.
"We didn't know what we were going to be like," Fairless admitted. "But the important thing is they are playing as hard as they can."
If there is to be a threat from within the Sunrise Division, Fairless said, Basic, Chaparral or Las Vegas are the teams most likely to pose it.
Most of the rest of the local teams play this afternoon.
Western visits Rancho, Bonanza goes to Eldorado, Las Vegas is at Clark, Valley heads to Bishop Gorman, Cimarron-Memorial is at Chaparral and Basic travels to Silverado. Valley-Gorman starts at 3:30; the others at 3 p.m.
Cheyenne and Durango are off today.
Alan Webb of Durango turned it a remarkable performance on Tuesday against Basic. He threw a no-hitter, striking out 17 Wolves, and also hit a home run in the Trailblazers' 9-0 win. Durango is the hottest team out of the gate, with a 5-0 record. Cimarron is 4-0.
Softball Schedule
In prep softball this afternoon, Rancho is at Western, Eldorado is at Bonanza, Las Vegas is at Clark, Cimarron-Memorial is at Chaparral and Bishop Gorman goes to Valley. All games except Gorman-Valley (3:30) have a 3 p.m. start.
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