Welcome to the 2026 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.
Coming off a series in which they found success later in the series while receiving mostly sharp starting pitching, the Reno Aces move their focus to the Sacramento River Cats, Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants, as they start a six-game set beginning on Tuesday at 11:05 a.m. PT.
Of last week’s six games, five of the six were decided by three runs or fewer, which included a pair of one-run wins for the Aces on May 22 and May 23. LuJames Groover had the best average of the week for the Aces, hitting .421 with two runs scored, a trio of doubles, and a 1.055 OPS. Luis Urías have a big series, finishing with Reno’s second-best average at .368 while scoring four runs, hitting a homer, and driving in five RBI.
This week marks the second meeting with Sacramento in the month of May, as the Aces went into California’s capitol from May 5-10 and left with a series split. Reno shut out Sacramento in the series opener, 4-0, but saw the River Cats enact revenge by winning games two and three.
The Aces reversed the tables by winning games four and five by a combined three runs, which included a one-run victory by a 2-1 margin on May 8, but the River Cats avoided the series loss by snatching the series finale on May 10 with a 9-7 decision.
That series split means the Aces still trail the River Cats in the all-time series, with Sacramento leading by a 155-148 (.488) margin. Sacramento is now one of two opponents that Reno has faced 300 or more times in franchise history, the other being Reno’s Silver State rival Las Vegas whom the Aces have also played 303 times.
Part of that is due to pitching, as Reno’s 5.65 ERA all-time against Sacramento is their third highest of any opponent in their franchise history with 25 or more games against. The Aces have found some success without their strikeout stuff, as the 2,465 strikeouts are Reno’s most against any team in franchise history. However, there have also been areas of concern as the River Cats have hit 407 homers against Reno, which is also the most in Aces history.
Meanwhile, Reno is batting just .275 in team history against the River Cats which ranks just 14th of the 18 opponents that Reno has played 25 or more times. While the Aces have slugged 317 homers, one of four opponents that Reno has slugged 300 or more homers against, the Aces have struck out on 2,510 instances which is the most in franchise history (also franchise record walks drawn with 1,220).
Since the Aces last met the River Cats, Sacramento has won nine of their last 12 games with series wins over Round Rock (five games to one) and Sugar Land (4-2). Those nine wins are tied for the most in the Pacific Coast League and tied for third in all Triple-A.
In that time, the River Cats are hitting .295 as a team which ranks just fourth in the PCL while their 91 runs are third, but they are just three runs shy of PCL-leading Oklahoma City (94). Long balls have been key in Sacramento’s success, as their 16 home runs lead the PCL and are ninth in all Triple-A in that time.
Pitching has continued to be a bright spot for the River Cats, as their 3.36 ERA over those two weeks is a PCL best while ranking third in all Triple-A despite tying for the fifth most innings pitched. As a unit the River Cats have punched out 105 hitters, third most in the PCL and 12th in Triple-A, and their 1.98 strikeout-to-walk ratio is second in the PCL and 13th in Triple-A.
Part of that success came from left-hander Carson Whisenhunt, who has made two starts and allowed only one earned run on 10 hits in 10.1 innings for a 0.73 ERA. The 2025 PCL Pitcher of the Year is back to his old trick this year as he is 4-2 with a 3.32 ERA and 49 strikeouts to 21 walks.
Hitting has also been on fire these past two weeks, as nine different players who have donned a River Cats jersey are hitting above the .300 mark, which includes three that have totaled 10 or more RBI. Tops among those is Drew Cavanaugh, who has driven in 11 on six doubles and a pair of homers while hitting .353.
Not far behind him is Osleivis Basabe at .324 with five doubles and 10 RBI, while the recently promoted Aeverson Arteaga, who has 10 RBI while batting .306.
On July 30, 2025, David was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, an aggressive blood cancer that attacks the bone marrow and weakens the immune system. The diagnosis upended Calvert’s life overnight.
If you’ve ever attended a Reno Aces game, you likely know David. As the club’s team photographer since the inaugural 2009 season, baseball has always been his passion — and he can’t wait to get back in the dugout.
Now, David faces the fight of his life. His treatment is progressing well thanks to the stewardship of physicians like medical oncologist Dr. Harry Menon. Menon is the Section Chief of Oncology for the William N. Pennington Cancer Institute at Renown Health, and he has served as a Hematology and Oncology Physician at renown since August of 2021.
We are elated to say that Calvert's cancer treatment is progressing well enough to allow him to be honored on June 12th at Cancer Survivorship Night, throwing the first pitch and participating in our Cancer Survivorship Moment!
Offense was among the top highlights for the Reno Aces in their most recent series with their Silver State rival, the Las Vegas Aviators, setting a number of franchise records while nearly earning a series split.
Four multi-run frames, including three-run innings in both the first and second, helped the Aces cruise to a comfortable 15-7 win over the Aviators in their series opener on June 2.
A Tim Tawa double and LuJames Groover walk preceded a big blast in the first by Tyler Locklear, as one swing of the bat gave Reno the early lead with a three-run blast out to center field. That was the first of two hits for Locklear, a theme that would last through the week, while also totaling four RBI. Groover finished with three hits and reached in five of six plate appearances thanks to a pair of walks.
The 15 runs scored are a new season high for Reno, and their most in a game since they dropped 15 tallies in a 15-2 win over Sacramento on Aug. 29, 2025. Those 15 runs were largely due to the eight doubles that Reno recorded in the contest, easily their new season high and the seventh time in team history they have reached that mark.
Making his Triple-A debut was right-hander Jose Cabrera (1-0), and it was one to remember as he punched out six hitters without issuing a free pass. Though he allowed four runs on six hits in his five innings of work, the offense was strong enough to earn him the win in his debut.
Unfortunately for Isaiah Campbell, he saw a streak come to an end as he went 20 appearances to start the season without allowing a home run until the Stefanic blast in the sixth.
Though it was Las Vegas that scored first on June 3, Reno rallied for three runs in the fourth frame and eventually secured a 4-2 win on the road in game two.
The Aces took starter Kohl Drake off the hook for the loss with that fourth inning, using three consecutive singles to load the bases before Angel Ortiz doubled home two with a liner to center field. Kristian Robinson chipped in a sacrifice fly for the Aces to finally take the lead before the third came to a close, then he added another in the away half of the sixth to double the Reno advantage to 4-2.
Reno’s bullpen was nails throughout the game, combining to toss the last five frames while allowing only four hits and striking out five. Additionally, the Aces’ pitching staff held the Aviators to a 0-for-10 mark when batting with runners in scoring position.
A pinch-hit home run from Tim Tawa in the top of the eighth brought the Aces within one on June 4, but they could get no closer as the Aviators outlasted Reno in game three by a 5-4 final.
Christian Cerda also homered in the contest, launching his fourth of the season in two-run fashion during the second inning to take the game’s first lead. Both homers in the contest were preceded by triples, as Luis Urías did it in front of Tawa during the eighth while Kristian Robinson logged his prior to Cerda.
That home run from Tawa was the 37th pinch-hit homer in Reno history, the first since Luken Baker did it just days ago on May 29 at home against Reno. Even more clutch, it was the 21st pinch-hit home run in the eighth inning or later in Aces history, and the first since Aramis Garcia on May 9, 2025.
Down to their final strike on June 5, Tawa played the hero for the Aces and delivered a game-tying hit that forced extra innings. However, Reno’s struggles in extra frames returned as Las Vegas walked-off winners by a final of 11-10.
Reno had taken the lead in the top of the 10th on a double from Urías, his fourth of the game which tied a franchise record and joined Andrés Chaparro (2024) and Andy Weber (2025) as the only Aces to achieve the feat. However, a bases loaded double dropped the Aces to 2-5 in extra-innings games in 2026.
The Aces had taken the game’s lead just two batters in on a Tawa 421-foot blast, his second home run in as many at-bats. Additionally, Reno saw one of the most exciting plays in baseball during the seventh when Andrew Velazquez hit a sinking liner that rolled past all outfielders to the fence, allowing Velazquez to race around the bases for an inside-the-park home run.
Urías’ four doubles led all Aces in hits, while Velazquez chipped in another three knocks and scored twice.
For the second night in a row and fourth time in the past six games the Aces reached double-digit runs, but even a five-run first inning could not keep up with the Aviators in a 21-10 defeat on June 6.
Reno started the game with a five-spot in their opening set of at-bats, which included a bases loaded walk, an Andrew Velazquez three-run triple, and an Anderdson Rojas RBI single. That lead was the only one Reno would hold in the contest, as the Aviators scored 19 straight runs.
There was a bit of franchise history in that game as Locklear notched his ninth consecutive multi-hit game which became the new longest streak in franchise history. The previous long for consecutive multi-hit games was eight, which had happened four times with the last by Cooper Hummel in 2021.
Tawa also had a big night at the dish as he was 4-for-6 with two runs scored, two doubles, a homer, and two RBI. Also logging four hits was Velazquez, who ended 4-for-5 and was a home run shy of the cycle while logging two runs scored.
This was easily a new season high for runs allowed and marked just the fourth time in franchise history that the Aces have allowed 21 runs or more in the same game. The last time they did so was Aug. 28, 2025 when the Sacramento River Cats also scored 21 in a 21-7 defeat of the Aces in Reno. However, it fell just one shy of matching the franchise record for runs allowed in a game.
A two-RBI double by Christian Cerda in the top of the fifth brought Reno within one of Las Vegas in their series finale, but the Aviators added an insurance tally and handed the Aces a series loss behind a 4-2 final on June 7.
It was not until the fifth inning when Reno recorded their first hit, as each of the first 12 batters were retired in order. Singles from Tyler Locklear and Jose Fernandez started the frame, but then quickly two were retired. Delivering in the clutch was Cerda, ripping another double after two in last night’s contest to bring both runners home.
Unfortunately for the Aces, they did not have another hit after that fifth inning until the top of the ninth with two outs when Locklear logged his second hit of the game in his fourth trip. That extended his multi-hit game streak to 10 consecutive games, which took sole possession of first place for the longest such streak in all professional baseball.
This was the final series of the season between the Aces and the Aviators, with Las Vegas winning each of the three series by 4-2 margins. This marked the first time since the 2019 season that Reno has lost the season series to the Aviators, as Reno went 74-47 against Las Vegas from 2021-2025 (2020 season cancelled).
There were seven different Aces that hit above the .300 mark and an eye-popping five above the .400 line, but only one eclipsed .500 as Velazquez hit .526 (10-for-19) with six runs scored, two doubles, one triple, one homer, six RBI and one walk. However, Tawa was arguably more impressive with his production, logging a hit in all six games played and batting .476 (10-for-21) with eight runs scored, four doubles, three homers, seven RBI, three walks and a 1.637 OPS.
Infielder LuJames Groover has been named the Player of the Week by the Pacific Coast League after a scorching hot week at home against the Salt Lake Bees, Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels.
The 23-year-old led the Aces to a series victory with a slash line of .476/.571/.762 for a 1.333 OPS. He recorded 10 hits, four of which went for extra bases, along with six walks and four runs scored. His 13 runs batted in throughout the week led all of Triple-A with no other player even reaching double-digits.
Reaching base in all six starts last week, he recorded at least one hit in five of the six contests and two-plus hits in four. In game two, the Georgia native logged the best performance of his young Aces’ career, connecting for his first home run at the Triple-A level, a grand slam in the eighth inning, to cap off a 3-for-5, six RBI night.
During their two-week road trip, the Reno Aces have welcomed a lot of new faces to the roster whether it was by way of the Arizona Diamondbacks’ trade deadline moves or call-ups from Double-A Amarillo. Among them are some of the D-backs’ top ranked prospects and some organizational fan favorites.
#7 Tommy Troy | Position: 2B/SS | Hometown: San Jose, CA
Troy was called up from Double-A Amarillo just over a week ago, on August 2, and made an immediate impact in the Aces’ lineup recording six hits in his first 13 at-bats including four extra-base hits. A first-round selection in the 2023 MLB Draft, he spent most of his life in Northern California growing up in San Jose, Calif. and playing college baseball at Stanford University. While playing at Stanford, he was a first-team All-American and all-PAC 12 recipient, helping the Cardinal to back-to-back conference titles in 2022 and 2023. The 23-year-old ranks as the Diamondbacks’ No. 5 prospect in the organization according to MLB Pipeline and earned his promotion after hitting .286 with a .875 OPS this season in Amarillo.
#60 Ivan Melendez | Position: 1B/DH | Hometown: El Paso, TX
Melendez got the promotion to Reno at the same time as Tommy Troy and wasted no time showing off his raw power at the plate. In his Triple-A debut in Las Vegas, the Texas native launched a grand slam as part of a multi-hit performance in his first game with Reno. The right-handed slugger became Double-A Amarillo’s all-time home run leader earlier this year launching 50 homers in parts of three seasons with the Sod Poodles. A second-round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, Melendez had a tremendous career at the University of Texas, winning the Golden Spikes Award (best collegiate player) and breaking the BBCOR single-season collegiate home run record in 2022.
#57 Kristian Robinson | Position: OF | Hometown: Nassau, Bahamas
Robinson was moved from Amarillo to Reno on July 26 and brings a unique combination of speed and power to the Aces’ lineup. At the age of 16, he was signed as an international free agent in 2017 and skyrocketed through the D-backs’ system becoming the organization’s No. 1 prospect in 2020 and 2021. Following personal mental health issues during the COVID-pandemic, he was sidelined for three years and remained out of the game until May 2023. With his career back on track, he looks to become just the 10th player from the Bahamas to make it to the big leagues.
#49 Kohl Drake | Position: Starting Pitcher | Hometown: Orem, UT
Drake was the premier piece of the Diamondbacks’ Merrill Kelly trade with the Texas Rangers at the July 31 MLB trade deadline. The left-handed pitcher started his season in Double-A Frisco before a promotion to Triple-A Round Rock brought him to the Pacific Coast League. In four games with the Express, he pitched to a 5.19 ERA none of which came against the Aces. In his organizational debut, the 7th-ranked Arizona prospect turned a solid outing picking up a win over Las Vegas on August 2. A 11th round selection in the 2022 MLB Draft from Walters State Community College, the Drake helped lead his team to back-to-back NJCAA Division I World Series appearances in 2021 and 2022.
Two new arms will also be coming out of the bullpen at Greater Nevada Field in #61 Brandyn Garcia and #23 Juan Burgos. Burgos (25th ranked prospect) and Garcia (20th ranked prospect) were both acquired in trades with the Seattle Mariners at the end of July.