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Incline sophomore baseball player and first team All-Mount Rose League selection Chip Bouchard was recently selected to play for the two-time defending NBC National Championship 18U team out of Denver, Colo. — the Colorado Outlaws.
Bouchard was invited to participate in a select tryout among dozens of high school players from throughout the region in Arvada, Colo., on May 1. During the tryout, players participated in skill tests and drills and had individual interviews with coaches about baseball knowledge, leadership, commitment, coachability and dedication.
Following the four-hour tryout, Bouchard was selected as one of the 14 members of the team. He was the only sophomore selected. Besides Bouchard, the team consists of four juniors, seven seniors and two college freshmen. Bouchard will be the Outlaws' starting first baseman and back-up catcher. He'll also do some relief pitching.
After being selected to join the Outlaws, Bouchard benefited from a 45-minute private workout with former Colorado Rockies draft pick and current coach Chad Jacobsen, working on the finer points of playing first base.
“Chip carries himself with such swagger, you can tell he is a leader, is confident and wants to become a great baseball player,” Jacobsen said. “Rarely do you find this in a player only in his sophomore year of high school. Finding Chip, a left-handed hitting catcher and first baseman, is a gold mine.”
Derek Hines, head coach of the 19U Playball Baseball Team and president of Playball Sports, Inc. — under which the Outlaws play — said he was excited to pull a player from the Reno/Tahoe area.
“I know there is good baseball played in Northern Nevada, but to hear about a sophomore hitting like Chip's stats showed, I wanted to see how he matched up with some older kids and some of the best talent in the country on our team here in Denver,” said Hines, who played collegiately at the University of Nevada, Reno and professionally for the Chicago Cubs.
“Not only did he match up, every coach at the tryout said we had to get this kid on board,” Hines continued. “I think Chip could play any position on the field for this team, but for now we are going to make him our first baseman, have him work with coach Stearns on his catching, and let him throw some relief for us in these big tournaments we play in.
“Heck, the kid is only a sophomore and he is the third-biggest kid on the team. I can't imagine what this kid will look like as a senior. I'm just glad I found him first.”
Bouchard will travel to three tournaments in Denver and one in Gillette, Wyo., Rapid City, S.D., Boise, Idaho, and Topeka, Kan. The NBC World Series will be held in Wichita, Kan., from July 30 through Aug. 13.
— This article was submitted to Sports Editor Sylas Wright at swright@tahoebonanza.com.
Bouchard was invited to participate in a select tryout among dozens of high school players from throughout the region in Arvada, Colo., on May 1. During the tryout, players participated in skill tests and drills and had individual interviews with coaches about baseball knowledge, leadership, commitment, coachability and dedication.
Following the four-hour tryout, Bouchard was selected as one of the 14 members of the team. He was the only sophomore selected. Besides Bouchard, the team consists of four juniors, seven seniors and two college freshmen. Bouchard will be the Outlaws' starting first baseman and back-up catcher. He'll also do some relief pitching.
After being selected to join the Outlaws, Bouchard benefited from a 45-minute private workout with former Colorado Rockies draft pick and current coach Chad Jacobsen, working on the finer points of playing first base.
“Chip carries himself with such swagger, you can tell he is a leader, is confident and wants to become a great baseball player,” Jacobsen said. “Rarely do you find this in a player only in his sophomore year of high school. Finding Chip, a left-handed hitting catcher and first baseman, is a gold mine.”
Derek Hines, head coach of the 19U Playball Baseball Team and president of Playball Sports, Inc. — under which the Outlaws play — said he was excited to pull a player from the Reno/Tahoe area.
“I know there is good baseball played in Northern Nevada, but to hear about a sophomore hitting like Chip's stats showed, I wanted to see how he matched up with some older kids and some of the best talent in the country on our team here in Denver,” said Hines, who played collegiately at the University of Nevada, Reno and professionally for the Chicago Cubs.
“Not only did he match up, every coach at the tryout said we had to get this kid on board,” Hines continued. “I think Chip could play any position on the field for this team, but for now we are going to make him our first baseman, have him work with coach Stearns on his catching, and let him throw some relief for us in these big tournaments we play in.
“Heck, the kid is only a sophomore and he is the third-biggest kid on the team. I can't imagine what this kid will look like as a senior. I'm just glad I found him first.”
Bouchard will travel to three tournaments in Denver and one in Gillette, Wyo., Rapid City, S.D., Boise, Idaho, and Topeka, Kan. The NBC World Series will be held in Wichita, Kan., from July 30 through Aug. 13.
— This article was submitted to Sports Editor Sylas Wright at swright@tahoebonanza.com.
