Nevada head coach Gary Powers enters his 27th season of directing the Wolf Pack baseball program at his alma mater in 2009, which makes him the longest tenured coach in the history of the school.  His 795 career wins, all coming at Nevada, ranks 26th among active Division I head coaches. 

The longtime time coach will attain yet another milestone this season when the Pack reach five wins which will be the 800th in Powers illustrious career.  On May 4, 2007, at Peccole Park he reached 750 wins when the Pack defeated Louisiana Tech 9-7.  On the final day of the 2005 season the Wolf Pack defeated Fresno State 20-7 to give coach his 700th career victory. 

In 1982 Powers returned to his alma mater to take over the reigns of the Wolf Pack baseball program for which he played in 1970 and 1971.  Powers has built the Pack into a one of the premier baseball programs in the West.

After having two disappointing seasons by Nevada standards, the Pack turned things around in 2007 going 35-26 overall and 15-9 in conference play to finish second in the league standings.  The team advanced to the championship game of the WAC Tournament played at Nevada’s Peccole Park, but were unable to capture the title finishing second.  The 35 wins was the most by a Nevada baseball squad since the 2000 NCAA playoff squad won 38 games.  The second place WAC finish during the regular season tied the 2003 club as the best since joining the WAC in 2001.

Offensively the 2007 squad ranked 45th in the country with a .310 batting average, averaged 2.28 doubles per game to rank 15th in NCAA Division I baseball and turned 1.03 doubles plays per game which was 21st.  The team set a school record with its 139 doubles on the year.

Under his leadership a pair of the Pack’s players garnered two of the top honors in the WAC in 2007 as senior Ryan Rodriguez was named WAC Pitcher of the Year and first baseman Shaun Kort was chosen as the WAC Freshman of the Year.  With Rodriguez’ honor a member of the Pack has now earned all four major WAC Awards as Kevin Kouzmanoff was the 2003 Player of the Year, Powers was the 2003 Co-Coach of the Year and Brett Hayes was the first Nevada player to earn WAC Freshman of the Year honors in 2003.

The 2008 team surpassed the 30 win mark going 34-26 overall and 18-14 in WAC play to finish in a tie for second place.  The tie for second place marked the third time the Pack have finished second in the WAC regular season standings as the 2003 and 2007 teams also took second.  The 2008 squad finished second at the season ending conference tournament just as the 2007 team had done. 

For the second year in a row the school record for doubles was broken as the 143 last year surpassed the 139 by the 2007 squad.  Nationally the team ranked 17th in NCAA Divison I averaging 2.38 doubles per as did the 143 total double.  Defensively the team turned 73 double plays to rank third in the country and the 1.22 double plays per game also ranked third.

Nevada placed six members on the All-WAC team with pitcher Kyle Howe and third baseman Jason Rodriguez earning first team honors.  First baseman Shaun Kort, relief pitcher Mario Rivera along with outfielders Matt Bowman and Mike Hale were selected to the second team.  Rodriguez, Bowman along with pitchers Rod Scurry and Dan Eastham were selected in the MLB draft.

The Seattle Mariners selected three Pack pitchers on day two of the 2007 MLB draft.  Ryan Rodriguez was taked in round 17 and Matt Renfree was selected seven rounds later in round 24.  The Mariners waited until round 31 to pick Rod Scurry.

Seven members of the 2007 squad were named to either the All-WAC first or second team.  Joining Ryan Rodriguez on the first team were outfielder Terry Walsh, designated hitter Baker Krukow and relief pitcher Matt Renfree.  Kort along with Scurry and shortstop Chris Siewert were named to the second team.

Accomplishments
All Coach Powers has accomplished in his 26 years of directing the team is take four Wolf Pack teams to NCAA Regional appearances in 1994, 1997, 1999 and 2000, win over 750 games, earn three Big West Conference Coach of the Year awards, a WAC Co-Coach of the Year honor, claim two BWC titles and two divisional titles. 

He has produced 14 All-Americans, with the last three being Kouzmanoff and Hayes in 2003 with Kort earning Freshman All-America honors in 2007.  In 26 years, 92 players have earned all-conference honors, four players have garnered conference player of the year honors, and Major League Baseball has drafted 76 Nevada players including four in 2008.

Nevada has experienced just three losing seasons since 1991 and Powers has had 17 winning seasons and one .500 campaign in his 26 years, including a .680 winning percentage in the 1990’s with eight straight winning seasons and three NCAA appearances in that decade.  The Pack produced nine winning seasons during the 90’s.

Powers guided his alma mater (B.S. 1971, M.S 1972) to its first-ever 40-win season in 1992 (43-11-1) and duplicated that in 1994 (41-15).  Also in 1994 he guided the Pack to the schools first ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament.  Nevada qualified for the NCAA Tournament again in 1997 and made back-to-back appearances in 1999 and 2000.  In 1999, Nevada went deeper into the NCAA Regionals than ever before, going 2-2 at the Stanford Regional.

During the 1998 season, Nevada dropped No. 1-ranked Stanford, No. 7 Wichita State, No. 13 Cal State Fullerton, No. 17 Long Beach, and No. 27 Pepperdine, giving the team one of its most successful seasons against ranked opponents in the history of Wolf Pack baseball.

Powers’ dedication has helped Nevada rank among the nation’s elite, reaching as high as No. 6 in Collegiate Baseball in 1994 and winning 30 or more games eight times in the 1990’s. Nevada has won 30 or more games in 14 of the last 18 years which includes 43 wins in 1992 and 41 in 1994.

In fact, Nevada ranked in the top 40 in the decade of the 1990’s in winning percentage while playing in one of the top baseball conferences in the country, the Big West.

Philosophy

Since his arrival in 1983, Powers has remained loyal to the idea that attention to detail leads to success.
Fundamentals, above all else, lead to
success.

Powers’ keys to a player’s success include:
1. An understanding of expectations and
careful attention to the system;
2. Knowledge and acceptance of responsibilities;
3. Developing a work habit that encourages an attention to detail;
4. Maintaining a consistency in performance that controls highs and lows and prepares a player to focus on the physical and mental aspects of the game;
5. Working toward the good of the team, and;
6. Understanding team objectives, and playing together to reach a common goal.

A simple guideline that has translated into victories, respect, and national prominence.

The “team” approach was most visible in 1997, when the team set 16 team-oriented records and earned several spots in the NCAA record book. The 1997 Wolf Pack led the nation in double plays, double plays per game, and established the record for most batters hit by a pitch.

In 1998, the “team” again led the nation in double plays, marking the first time since the NCAA started keeping such a record that one team has led the nation in double plays in back-to-back years. The 2000 squad ranked in the top 10 in five categories, led by a number four ranking in team batting average (.342) and Joe Inglett led the individual rankings as Nevada had three players in four categories. The All-American finished in the runner-up spot in runs scored (1.49).

School records set included batting average and fielding percentage (.970) to go with the new attendance mark (1,365).  The 2003 squad tied the 2000 squads fielding percentage mark of .970.

The Pack in the WAC

Competing for the first time in the Western Athletic Conference in 2001 the Wolf Pack baseball team finished in fifth place with a 17-19 mark.  Nevada was more than competitive in its inaugural WAC season, winning or splitting each six game series with five-of-six WAC teams, including a split with conference champion, NCAA Regional Champion and Super Regional participant Rice University.  The Pack also won four-of-six from Fresno State the second team that represented the WAC at an NCAA regional. 

Nevada’s second year in the WAC was not as successful as the Pack finished fourth with a 10-20 mark and finished the year with a  25-32 overall record.  The 2003 season was Nevada’s most successful as the Pack placed second with a 19-10 conference mark.  The 2004 team went 14-16 to finish third.  The 2005 squad posted a 15-15 mark to place fourth and in 2006 the Pack repeated its fourth place finish with a 11-12 mark.  The 2006 squad won its first two games at the WAC Tournament on the way to a third place finish.

The 2007 team went 15-9 in WAC play to finish second in the league standings and tie the 2003 club for the best finish at that time by a Nevada team in the conference.  The 2007 squad improved on the third place finsh of 2006 placing second at the season ending conference tournament.

In 2008 the Pack tied for second during the regular season posting an 18-14 mark and for the second year in a row took second at the season ending tournament.   The second place regular season finish tied the 2003 and 2007 squads for the top finish in the WAC since joining the league in 2001.

In seven seasons in the WAC the Pack have posted an overall mark of 119-115.  The team has placed second three times, third once, fourth three times and fifth.

Peccole park Success

Taking over a program that had no home field but had enjoyed success in the Northern California Baseball Association, the new skipper was expected to help the team continue the progress it had made.

Expectations have been exceeded and now the program enjoys one of the finest facilities in the West in Peccole Park.  The park underwent three major improvements prior to the 2006 season with the installation of FieldTurf, lights, and a new outfield fence. 

The Pack have protected its on-campus facility, which opened in 1988, like a Wolf mother protects her pups: fiercely.  Nevada has posted a 376-175 record in 21 years at Peccole Park, a winning percentage of .682.  In 2005 the Pack recorded their 300th victory at the oncampus facility downing Saint Mary’s College 21-10 on March 12.  Just four seasons later the team is nearing 400 wins at the on campus facility.

Nevada has had a perfect season at home (1992, 27-0) and average over 17 wins a year in the venerable facility.  Pack attendance figures continue to rank  nationally in collegiate baseball.

Coaching Career

Following his playing career at Nevada, Powers became a graduate assistant for football and baseball in 1971.

His first head coaching experience came in 1973 when he was named skipper at Incline High School in Incline, Nev.

Four years later, Powers moved to Wooster High School in Reno, where he guided the Colts to prominence at the state level.

In 1981, Powers assumed his first collegiate head coaching position when he took over a Shasta College (Redding, Calif.) program that had won only three games the previous year. Powers immediately turned out a winner, guiding Shasta to a 17-12 record in ‘81 and a 33-27 mark in two years before accepting the Nevada job.

Playing Career

An all-around athlete at Douglas High School in Minden, Nev., Powers was a two-year starting pitcher at Nevada from 1970-71. In the Wolf Pack’s first year at the Division I level (1970), Powers set team records for appearances and innings pitched.

Powers achieved his undergraduate degree in physical education in 1971, with a minor in math. He earned his master’s in school administration at Nevada in 1972.

Powers and his wife, Rosanne, reside in Reno.

Career Record