Pivotal player
Super sophomore Christiansen a pivotal player in Minico's title run
Minico's seniors very well did their part in leading the Spartans to the Class 4A state baseball championship this season.
Chris Joyce made SportsCenter-worthy diving grabs in center field and batted .452. Second baseman Barak Frank scored 35 runs and made turning double plays seem routine. Shortstop Landon Barnes hit .435 and stole 18 bases. Catcher Alex Moon took charge behind the plate and also tallied 35 RBIs.
However, Minico's seniors agree that their season wouldn't have been as successful without the help of a sensational sophomore. Casey Christiansen is the 2009 Times-News Baseball Athlete of the Year.
"He's just a stud," said Barnes. "He's grown up loving baseball. He's from a baseball family and he always wants the ball in big games. He's a lot more mature on the baseball field than a sophomore would usually be."
But Christiansen's first full season as a varsity pitcher had bumps in the road early as he lost his first four starts.
"I struggled at the beginning of the year and I was disappointed in myself, mainly because we weren't winning," Christiansen said. "I think I learned from it what it took to become a quality pitcher. Later in the year we started winning and the whole team grew into their roles."
As the season progressed, Christiansen became more confident and consistent. As he improved, so did the Spartans. He finished the season with six consecutive wins, including a pair of shutouts against Jerome, the second-place team in the Great Basin West. He led the team with a 2.18 ERA and registered 70 strikeouts while allowing just 11 walks. Christiansen capped his remarkable year by tossing eight shutout innings at the state tournament.
"He's one of those guys you love rolling out because he gives you a chance to win every single time," said Minico coach Ben Frank. "For a sophomore, he's got beyond a senior's mentality. He's been our anchor on the pitching staff."
What's more, Christiansen was equally impressive at the plate, batting .413 and ranking third on the team with 33 RBIs. When he wasn't pitching, he provided a solid glove at third base and shortstop.
"We told him if he's going to play on varsity he's got to really step his game up," Moon said. "We don't treat him like a sophomore. We expect him to play like a senior and I think that helps him with his mentality. We expect a lot out of him and he knows it. He stepped up his game really well this year."
As Minico's catcher, Moon has caught several quality pitchers the past three years. He ranks Christiansen among the best.
"Coming from (2008), we had Dane (Broadhead), R.J. (Salvi), Cody (Winmill). And Casey comes in and has just as good of stuff, if not better, than all those guys," Moon said. "As a sophomore he comes in and deals like that, that's impressive."
Chris Joyce made SportsCenter-worthy diving grabs in center field and batted .452. Second baseman Barak Frank scored 35 runs and made turning double plays seem routine. Shortstop Landon Barnes hit .435 and stole 18 bases. Catcher Alex Moon took charge behind the plate and also tallied 35 RBIs.
However, Minico's seniors agree that their season wouldn't have been as successful without the help of a sensational sophomore. Casey Christiansen is the 2009 Times-News Baseball Athlete of the Year.
"He's just a stud," said Barnes. "He's grown up loving baseball. He's from a baseball family and he always wants the ball in big games. He's a lot more mature on the baseball field than a sophomore would usually be."
But Christiansen's first full season as a varsity pitcher had bumps in the road early as he lost his first four starts.
"I struggled at the beginning of the year and I was disappointed in myself, mainly because we weren't winning," Christiansen said. "I think I learned from it what it took to become a quality pitcher. Later in the year we started winning and the whole team grew into their roles."
As the season progressed, Christiansen became more confident and consistent. As he improved, so did the Spartans. He finished the season with six consecutive wins, including a pair of shutouts against Jerome, the second-place team in the Great Basin West. He led the team with a 2.18 ERA and registered 70 strikeouts while allowing just 11 walks. Christiansen capped his remarkable year by tossing eight shutout innings at the state tournament.
"He's one of those guys you love rolling out because he gives you a chance to win every single time," said Minico coach Ben Frank. "For a sophomore, he's got beyond a senior's mentality. He's been our anchor on the pitching staff."
What's more, Christiansen was equally impressive at the plate, batting .413 and ranking third on the team with 33 RBIs. When he wasn't pitching, he provided a solid glove at third base and shortstop.
"We told him if he's going to play on varsity he's got to really step his game up," Moon said. "We don't treat him like a sophomore. We expect him to play like a senior and I think that helps him with his mentality. We expect a lot out of him and he knows it. He stepped up his game really well this year."
As Minico's catcher, Moon has caught several quality pitchers the past three years. He ranks Christiansen among the best.
"Coming from (2008), we had Dane (Broadhead), R.J. (Salvi), Cody (Winmill). And Casey comes in and has just as good of stuff, if not better, than all those guys," Moon said. "As a sophomore he comes in and deals like that, that's impressive."
