Welcome to the 2024 Thirteenth Edition of Leading Off, the official publication of the Reno Aces Baseball Club. This season-long publication will release an updated edition before every homestand. Stay up-to-date with everything happening at Greater Nevada Field, and learn more about the opponent coming to town! Its logos and graphics are trademarks of the Reno Aces. All rights reserved—Aces photos provided by Aces Team Photographer David Calvert.
The Reno Aces (32-24, 67-64) return home to Greater Nevada Field for a final time in 2024 after splitting their final road trip of the season with Sugar Land to host the Albuquerque Isotopes, the Triple-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. The series will start on Tuesday, September 17, at 6:35.
This final homestand for the Aces has Pacific Coast Lague playoff implications. The BLC-Nine has a three-game lead over Las Vegas. A playoff berth for Reno would result in the club playing in the Pacific Coast League Championship Series in Sugar Land next week.
The clubs played a six-game series at the end of August, and Albuquerque defeated Reno in four of the matches.
Notable played on Albuquerque’s roster include outfielders Jimmy Herron and Zac Veen.
In their previous meeting, Herron was a problem for the Aces, going 6-for-18 (.333) with two home runs and five RBI. The Duke product has been one of Albuquerque’s most reliable offensive weapons, slashing .284/.364/.465 with 14 home runs and leading his team in RBI with 67. He is coming off a productive series versus the Las Vegas Aviators, which saw him tally three doubles, one home run, and three RBIs while coming around to score eight times. Containing Herron’s bat will be crucial in Reno’s route to victory.
Veen, currently ranked as Colorado’s #3 overall prospect, drove in a team-leading six runs against the Aces in the first series. The 22-year-old’s power prowess has carried over into Triple-A since being promoted to Albuquerque on August 24, smashing six long balls and driving in 15 runs in 20 games. Veen, the #9 overall pick in the 2020 MLB draft, has enjoyed an efficient month of September, hitting .236/.288/—491 with six extra-base knocks, including four home runs, and six RBI.
Tim Tawa has swung it well vs the Isotopes this season, going 8-for-23 (.343) with two home runs and four RBI in six games. The Stanford alumnus has been on fire lately, collecting seven extra-base hits, four home runs, and 11 RBI across his last seven games. He has also registered four multi-hit performances over that stretch. Since Tawa’s promotion to Triple-A Reno on August 20, the 25-year-old has slashed .351/.421/.745 with nine home runs and 22 RBI while leading the Pacific Coast League in hits (33) and total bases (70). He’ll look to keep things rolling in the upcoming matchup against Albuquerque.
At just 8 months old, Caitlin Howard, was diagnosed with biliary atresia, a condition in infants which can cause liver failure. Her father, Mitchell Howard, donated part of his liver to save his daughter, allowing her to grow and thrive as a young child living in Bishop, California.
However, at age 9, she began to feel ill again––further tests revealed she needed another liver transplant. Caitlin received her second liver transplant at 14 years old after six years on the national transplant waiting list. Today at age 31, she enjoys life with family and friends, spending time outside and caring for animals.
“Connecting with Donor Network West has helped me,” said Caitlin. “I didn’t know anyone who had a transplant growing up, especially in my small town. Now, I know people who have experienced the waiting and the aftermath of transplant and they know what it’s like.”
Representing Donor Network West, Caitlin will run the bases during the second inning at the Reno Aces’ Home Run for Life game, presented by Donor Network West, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024, at Greater Nevada Field as the Reno Aces take on the Albuquerque Isotopes.
Since the start of 2024, Donor Network West has facilitated the transplantation of 1,100 organs and helped save the lives of 849 individuals. However, the national transplant waiting list continues to grow and every 10 minutes, someone in need is added to waiting list––continuing to raise awareness and further education about the impact of organ donation is critical.
Donor Network West, northern Nevada’s only federally designated nonprofit organ procurement organization, is proud to support Home Run for Life baseball games during the Reno Aces’ 2024 season. In its third year, the partnership brings significant awareness about organ donation to northern Nevada where the need is great.
“Donor Network West is honored to celebrate the lives of transplant recipients like Caitlin,” said Matthew Graves, vice president of donor operations, Donor Network West. “Our partnership with the Reno Aces enables Donor Network West to further our mission to save and heal lives by highlighting the tremendous impact of organ, eye and tissue donation in northern Nevada.”
Six times per season, the Home Run for Life game series honors a northern Nevada community member who has received a life-saving transplant, lost a loved one who gave the gift of life through organ donation or helped provide support and healing to those impacted by organ, eye and tissue donation. This is the sixth and final Home Run for Life game of the 2024 season.
“In our third year of partnership with Donor Network West, we’ve been able to highlight the impact of organ donation during nearly 20 home games,” said Eric Edelstein, Reno Aces president. “Donor Network West’s work is lifesaving, and the Reno Aces are proud to support them in raising awareness of the importance of organ donation.”
Anyone, regardless of age, race or health status can join the registry to become an organ donor. To learn more about organ, eye and tissue donation, visit DonorNetworkWest.org.
In a likely Pacific Coast League Championship Series preview, the Reno Aces (39-29, 74-69) split their final road trip of the year against the Sugar Land Space Cowboys (41-27, 90-53) this past week at Constellation Field.
The Aces finished the series on a strong note, winning three consecutive matchups from Thursday to Saturday. Although they fell by a walk-off defeat on Sunday, their strong finish has REno in the driver's seat for post-season play with one week left in the regular season. The Aces have a three-game lead over Las Vegas with six games left.
Thursday’s 5-2 victory was highlighted by another dominant start on the mound by Tommy Henry. The southpaw limited the Space Cowboys to two runs across six frames with three walks and six punchouts en route to his ninth win. Tim Tawa provided a three-run big fly, his eighth of the year, to give Reno an early lead in the first inning. Jorge Barrosa followed that up with a two-RBI double in the second to close out the scoring for the Aces.
In Friday's 6-0 shutout victory, the Aces showcased their team effort by relying on their bullpen to finish the job. Konnor Pilkington started on the bump in a bullpen game, tossing 2 2/3 clean frames. The bullpen, including Joe Jacques, Jake Rice, Christian Montes De Oca, Jose Castillo, and Austin Pope, combined for 6 1/3 innings of work, securing the victory. Tim Tawa continued his hot streak with the bat, going 2-for-5 with a double and three RBI.
Andy Weber and Tawa delivered clutch home runs in Saturday’s 4-2 comeback win. Down in the seventh inning, Weber came through in a big way, crushing his first Triple-A home run for a two-run shot into right-center field to give the Aces the lead. Tawa came up in the eighth and smacked his third home run of the series for a much-needed insurance run to help put away Sugar Land. Humberto Castellanos continued to shove, earning his ninth win of the campaign after allowing two runs in six innings, walking one and striking out seven. The right-hander owns a 2.47 ERA with 33 strikeouts and 10 walks in his last eight appearances.
Tawa was a force to be reckoned with against Sugar Land, going 9-for-25 (.360) with three doubles, three home runs, and 10 RBI. Since his promotion to Triple-A Reno on August 20, the 25-year-old has been on fire, slashing .351/.321/.745 with 18 extra-base hits, nine home runs, 22 RBI, and nine walks. His performance will be crucial in the upcoming matchup against the Albuquerque Isotopes as Reno continues their playoff push.
Deyvison De Los Santos, the Diamondback's #14 overall prospect, will be heading to Arlington, Texas, during the All-Star break to represent the Diamondbacks in the SiriusXM MLB All-Stars Futures Game at Globe Life Park. The Futures Game is part of the All-Star festivities and will showcase all 30 MLB organizations' top prospects.
De Los Santos has been incredible this season while splitting time between Double-A Amarillo and Triple-A Reno. During the year, the powerful infielder combined for a .349/.400/.689 slash line while leading Minor League Baseball in home runs (26), hits (101), and total bases (199) while placing second in RBI (76).
Before his advancement to Triple-A Reno, the 21-year-old was dominating the Texas League, leading in hits (55), AVG (.372), home runs (14), RBI (37), SLG (.696), OPS (1.122), and total bases (103). He earned his spot on the Aces roster after a monstrous month of May, where he smashed seven home runs, drove in 19 runs, and hit .365 before making his Aces debut on May 21.
The exciting Dominican continued to produce in Triple-A, taking the Pacific Coast League by storm, collecting 46 hits and 39 RBI in 141 at-bats (.326 batting average) while leading the league in home runs (12), extra-base hits (25), and total bases (96) in 36 games since his promotion. He most recently capped off a definitive June with a two-home run, eight-RBI performance, which included a 463-foot grand slam, in Sunday's series finale against the Oklahoma City Baseball Club.
This past offseason, De Los Santos was selected in the Rule-5 draft by the Cleveland Guardians but was offered back to the Diamondbacks after Cleveland couldn't find a spot on their 26-man roster for him. That was a mistake, as De Los Santos has been crushing minor-league pitching this season and has made a significant push for his promotion to the big-league club.
Tune into Peacock and SiriusXM on Saturday, July 13, at 1:10 p.m. PT to watch De Los Santos represent the Arizona Diamondbacks in the MLB Futures Game at Globe Life Park.
Audrey Jade Hope Sullenger was rushed to the hospital in May 2011 at just three days old. Although paramedics were able to restart her heart, she was declared brain dead after 48 hours. Her mother, Felicia Hill, decided to donate Audrey’s organs, which saved two lives.
Audrey’s cause of death remains unknown, and Hill believes her daughter was born to save lives. Her heart saved the life of then 3-week-old Addison McArthur, and her kidneys saved 38-year-old Hydee Efondo Lim.
“When I was approached by Donor Network West to see if I was willing to donate Audrey’s organs, it was an immediate yes––I knew the good that could come out of it,” said Hill. “We’re continuing to educate people on what Audrey was able to do with her tiny life 13 years later. It brings so much peace and comfort knowing that her life wasn’t lost for no reason.”
Hill and her two daughters, Olivia and Moriah, will honor Audrey by running the bases during the second inning at the Reno Aces’ Home Run for Life game, presented by Donor Network West, Friday, April 26, 2024, at Greater Nevada Field as the Reno Aces take on the Sugar Land Cowboys.
As a longtime Donor Network West ambassador, Hill uses her platform to destigmatize organ donation by sharing her daughter’s story and legacy.
One donor can save up to eight lives through organ donation and heal up to 75 lives through tissue donation.
Donor Network West, northern Nevada’s only federally designated nonprofit organ procurement organization, is proud to support Home Run for Life baseball games during the Reno Aces’ 2024 season. Now in its third season, the partnership brings critical awareness about organ donation to the northern Nevada community, especially with nearly 700 Nevadans on the national waiting list hoping to receive life-saving organs.
“Audrey has deeply impacted the northern Nevada community through her legacy,” said Janice Whaley, president and CEO of Donor Network West. “It is an honor to recognize her and the decision her family made to give the gift of life to others. Donor Network West is proud to partner with the Reno Aces to commemorate northern Nevada’s donors and donor families.”
Six times per season, the Home Run for Life game series honors a northern Nevada community member who has either received a life-saving transplant, lost a loved one who gave the gift of life through organ donation or helped provide support and healing to those impacted by organ, eye and tissue donation.