With two of the top-ranked players in the state plus a wealth of depth and experience, Douglas County baseball has all the pieces in place to make a run at the program’s first state championship this year.
The Huskies boast senior right-hander and BYU commit Max Stanley, the No. 1-rated arm in the Class of 2023 according to Prep Baseball Report, as well as star senior shortstop/closer Finley Bates (San Diego State).
Add in a couple other Division I pledges in senior right-hander/first baseman Hunter Gotschall (Hawaii) and senior second baseman Eli Athanas (Central Connecticut State), and loaded DC’s ultimate 2023 goal is clear.
“We want to play in the last game of the year,” head coach Craig Gienger said. “I want to be the team that’s there with a chance to win it all. We’ve definitely got the talent and the supporting cast who are very meaningful to our team and can carry us along that journey… And it feels right with this team. I’ve had a lot of good teams, but this one loves each other, and they want it for each other.”
Gienger, in his eighth season leading the Huskies and 21st overall coaching on Front Street, is a 1989 Douglas County graduate. One of the top players in program history, Gienger was drafted as a center fielder in the 46th round out of DC in 1989, in the 73rd round by the Mariners as a first baseman out of Otero College in 1990, and again in the 32nd round by the Athletics as a righty out of BYU in 1992.
From there, Gienger showed promise as a young pitcher in the A’s organization. He played two seasons at the Singer-A levels, including a strong 1993 campaign in which he posted a 2.38 ERA in 19 games and earned a late-season call-up to Double-A.
But when he flew in for his Double-A debut, baseball fate derailed him.
“There was a kid there they were going to release in Double-A and I was going to take his start,” Gienger explained. “I flew in that night, and none of my luggage showed up — I didn’t have my cleats, glove, anything. So they decided I would skip that start, the other guy would start again, and he went out and thew a no-hitter. So they didn’t release him and I sat in the (Double-A) bullpen the rest of the season.”
The next spring, Gienger needed season-ending shoulder surgery, and was out of affiliated ball for good. But he admits it all worked out in the end: He’s ended up with a life in baseball as a coach instead of a player.
And this year, Gienger knows the Huskies can go as far as Stanley and Bates will take them, which, according to college and pro scouts, could be pretty far. The combination of Stanley and Gotschall on the mound will also make No. 3-ranked DC (2-2-1 entering the weekend) formidable come time for districts, where teams need at least two bonafide starters to get through to the state tournament.
“We were just in Arizona, and one of our players counted 30 guns in the stands pointed at Max when he was pitching,” Gienger said. “So, there’s a lot of pro interest. And with Finley, he’s our engine… he’s a hard-nosed player with the lineage and it shows.”
Finley’s dad, Jason Bates, was an infielder who played for the Rockies from 1995-98. He’s now an assistant on Gienger’s staff. And Finley’s not the only Huskie with pro lineage — Gunnar Gienger, the coach’s son, figures to be one of two freshmen southpaw bullpen contributors along with Bricen Moore.
“Last year was tough with injuries, including losing Finley for most of the season (due to a fractured wrist) and other players we hoped we’d have and didn’t,” Stanley said. “We’re looking to make up for that this year.”
Stanley features a fastball that sits in the low 90s and can top out at 95. He also has a mid-70s curveball, a mid-80s changeup and a mid-80s slider/cutter combo that he’s confident will be an effective out pitch against top hitters this year.
“The (slider/cutter) is a hard, gyro-esque slider,” Stanley said. “I really like throwing that pitch to righties right at the front door, to get them to freeze up. And my changeup’s come a long way, too.”
There’s a chance Stanley hears his name called in July’s MLB Draft. The Rockies, Nationals, Padres, Dodgers, Braves, Phillies, Guardians, Blue Jays, Tigers and Rangers are all scouting him heavily.
“I’ve been lucky enough to pitch in some huge games in huge atmospheres, like Area Codes and Perfect Game Nationals, where there’s hundreds of scouts looking at your every move,” Stanley said. “That was a cool experience, but now I’m just focused on enjoying the process and pitching and trying to get us that title this year. Whatever happens with the draft, happens.”
