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 their second consecutive series split, the Reno Aces return to Greater Nevada Field for the final time in 2026 to host six games with the Albuquerque Isotopes, Triple-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies, beginning on Tuesday at 6:05 p.m. PT.
The Aces took three of the first four last week against Sugar Land but never could find the victory to give them the set win. It was still an impressive start for the Aces, taking game one with a 10-0 shutout decision before snatching a pair of close victories in games two and four.
Reno and Albuquerque have met only one time this season in the second series of the campaign, with the Aces taking four of six from the Isotopes in their own home park. Included in that set was an 8-1 game one victory before the Aces earned a slim 1-0 shutout victory in game two. Reno then logged another shutout thanks to an 8-0 final in game four and closed the series behind a 3-2 win in the finale.
Albuquerque went on to finish the first half in solid position, ending 39-36 which was good enough for fifth place at 6.0 games behind the first half champion Las Vegas Aviators. However, they have not had the same success in the second half as they are just 28-35, leaving them in eighth place behind the Aces at 11.0 games back of Oklahoma City and Sugar Land with only 12 to play.
Though it is a small sample size, Reno’s 1.73 ERA against the Isotopes is their best against any opponent, and the only team in which they have logged a sub-4.00 ERA. Reno pitchers punched out 55 in those six games with Albuquerque, and Reno’s 2.29 strikeout-to-walk ratio is their second best of any opponent behind only the 2.40 mark they have logged against Sugar Land.
However, hitting has been a different story as the Aces won four of six from Albuquerque despite logging their lowest batting average of any of the nine opponents they have played this year. Reno’s .209 average against the Isotopes is far behind their next highest mark of .231 they have against the Space Cowboys. Reno hit just one homer in that early season series, logged just a .588 OPS, and scored 11 runs, al of which are their fewest against any opponent this season.
In the second half the Isotopes have been middle-of-the-road when it comes to hitting as their .275 batting average ranks sixth of 10 PCL teams, but there is a logjam in the middle as the Aces also have a .275 average in the second half while ranking fourth of 10. Albuquerque has been slugging home runs like crazy, as their 78 dingers since June 23 ranks second in the PCL, as does their 380 runs scored.
Pitching is much the same in this second half for the Isotopes as their 5.69 ERA ranks sixth of 10 PCL squads and sits one spot ahead of the Aces, who rank seventh with a 5.79 ERA. Unfortunately for Albuquerque, their 464 strikeouts is last of all 10 PCL teams in this half, but they have countered that by allowing the second fewest amount of home runs (59).
On an individual level of those with 75 or more plate appearances in the PCL, Zac Veen had been leading the way with a .329 batting average, 15 doubles, 13 homers, and a 1.137 OPS. However, he was selected by Colorado in early August and has not played with the Isotopes since Aug. 9. That leaves Sterlin Thompson as the Isotope with the highest average in the second half by hitting .310 with nine doubles, six homers, 26 RBI, and a .978 OPS.
Of the PCL starters with 25 or more innings pitched in the second half, Jake Brooks has posted the best ERA with a 5.14 but is only 1-4 in that time with 36 strikeouts to 13 walks over 11 outings. Jack Mahoney is not far behind, posting a 5.47 ERA despite going 0-1 in six starts with 23 punchouts to 15 walks.
After MLB Pipeline’s mid-season adjustment, the Isotopes boast four of Colorado’s top-30 prospects, all of whom are led by their No. 3 prospect Charlie Condon. The corner infielder and outfielder has batted .275 this season in 119 games, scoring a total of 99 runs to go along with 23 doubles, seven triples, 25 home runs, 90 RBI, and a .912 OPS.
Reno Aces pitcher Bryce Jarvis is already living out most little boys’ dreams by becoming a professional baseball player. Now, his career is helping him cross paths with another traditional child’s interest thanks to the help of an outside source.
Aamon Jaeger has had a lifelong obsession with fossils and has turned that passion into becoming an Archeologist and Paleontologist. Self-admittedly, he was a terrible student in college, but he enjoyed being in the field working and was lucky that “they’re just here in your backyard” when you live in Montana, even if you had to hike miles to find them.
Over 13 years ago, he was able to convince a group of ranchers that he knew to allow him the chance to search for fossils on their property, and quickly Jaeger discovered a spot with a continuous layer of bone that developed into a full quarry. Over time, that has helped Jaeger build his paleontological excavation and preparation company, NorthWest Montana Fossils.
Though Jaeger and his company pull out 400-500 different bones in one season, it’s the recent discovery of a Metopasaur skull that has led him towards baseball. This skull, from the Metoposaur Koskinonodon family, is what’s known as a Triassic fossil, or “pre-dinosaur” as Jaeger puts it. In technicality, it falls under what’s called the Archosaur family.
“It’s about 85 percent complete, which is very notable,” Jaeger said. “Normally you don’t find skulls that complete in the 80th percentile. What’s very scientifically important about this skull is that it retained placement of about 60 percent of all of its teeth, including these bone-like tusks in their maxillary jaws as well.
“This is really going to help us identify the exact genus and species,” Jaeger continued. “I don’t want to speak too soon, but because this formation and this fossil era of time is semi-understudied, it could open the door to a new branch of the Metoposaur family.”
It is also significant to the Aces for the name that Jaeger has decided to give it: Jarvis.
“I didn’t know if it was real to be honest,” Bryce said of his reaction when initially told the news. “I would hope that’s a first for most people, but it’s cool. It’s an honor and I’m excited to see it in person.”
Jarvis, or “Jarvisaur” as Jaeger affectionally called it, was discovered last March on his Arizona property as their main headquarters in Montana is snowed in during the winter months. Within the first few years of operations, the company established an alternate site down in the northeastern part of Arizona, which became operational after five to six years of study.
Once able, Jaeger and his team brought Jarvis north to their main preparation facility back in Montana where his wife, Chantel, quickly got to work. Thus far, she has logged over 200 hours of restoration.
“She put her heart and soul into this one,” Jaeger said. "These Metoposaur skulls are not easy. There’s a lot of detail involved with them, and she put a lot of work into this guy.”
Past discoveries of Jaeger’s have been named after friends and family—and once even his cat, Pelé, named after the Brazilian soccer legend—but this time he turned to his love of baseball for inspiration.
“We had an opportunity when we were at Spring training in 2025 to get an autograph from Bryce Jarvis and Jake McCarthy, which we were not going to turn down,” Jaeger said. “So, we went to the live autograph session before the game, and they were both very nice, and you could tell Mr. Jarvis genuinely wanted to be there.
“It was such a great experience,” Jaeger continued. “It was everything that we wanted it to be. We thought, he’s not only on fire for baseball, but he’s active with the fans too, and what a nice individual. We decided the next specimen we find, we were going to name “Jarvis” or ‘Jarvisaur.’”
Bryce has become a favorite of Jaeger’s to watch pitch for the past three seasons now because of his ability to remain composed on the mound, and he has the trading card collection to prove it. While he feels for those who have a tough outing, Jaeger mentioned that Bryce’s even-keeled mannerisms make it seem that he never gets flustered and is “a cool cucumber.”
“It’s just kind of always been my demeanor,” Jarvis said. “There’s a lot of thoughts going on in my head and the best way that I’ve figured out how to block those out is to just be as emotionless as I can on the mound.
“It sneaks out every once in a while,” Jarvis continued. “I try to only let it sneak out when it’s in a good way, but that’s just kind of how I’ve always thrown. [It’s] how my dad taught me growing up, to be as stoic as you can and not let anyone guess what you’re thinking.”
To the best of his online internet research ability, Jaeger believes that Bryce is the first specific baseball player or team to be the namesake of a fossil. However, there are several more that Jaeger has in the works, also inspired by past fandoms.
Those include “HoJo,” named after his friend and discoverer ‘s favorite baseball player Howard Johnson, and “Moyer,” of course named after MLB icon Jamie Moyer and found on the same property as Jarvis. The latter earned its name because Moyer was the reason he got into baseball and was the first autographed ball that Jaeger ever received at about 12-years-old.
There’s even a site that Jaeger has named the “Downs Quarry,” named after former San Francisco Giants pitcher Kelly Downs whom Jaeger has had the chance to have out on digging. Notable finds that have worked their way into museums have made sure the Downs Quarry name is forever etched in history for notations and study.
“We’re hoping to have Jarvis start off as this is what we’re doing, and this is what I want to focus the next years of my career on,” Jaeger said. "Bringing baseball and fossils together by naming specimens and sites after baseball players that have been very significant in our life.”
It has now been about 10 years in Jaeger’s estimation that he has been digging for Triassic fossils, but in that time, this is only the second Metoposaur skull that he and his team have found. The first was his wife Chantel’s top discovery of her career, and Jaeger similarly ranks this most recent find as the best Metoposaur find of his career.
“It may seem small, as the skull is only about 16 inches long or so,” Jaeger said. "But these Metoposaurs [have grown] about 10-12 feet long, so they were pretty large with very big teeth. When anything gets over 200 million years old, it’s hard to find teeth along with those skulls as they’re usually separated or eroded out.”
The scientific benefit from Jarvis will no doubt be immense, however it slots in second among his overall finds as Jaeger’s No. 1 discovery remains that of his cat-inspired specimen Pelé that is currently on display in Abu Dhabi.
“I’m honored that he thought of me and thought it would be a good name for it,” Jarvis said. “If you can’t be the biggest, you might as well be the second biggest.”
Recently, Bryce has entered Reno’s top 10 for career innings pitched, forever etching his name in Aces record books. Jaeger says that will also be the case in another industry.
“I’m really excited to have Jarvisaur concrete in the paleontological history,” Jaeger said. “This will be a specimen that scholars for generations to come will turn to in order to do different studies for species identification and things like that. The name Jarvis is going to be used quite a bit in the paleontological world for this era.”
Jaeger's goal in naming Jarvis was to bring together two different worlds that are already connected by a single thread: history. He seeks to connect baseball, America’s pastime with a legacy that stands as one of America’s oldest sports, and fossils, items that transport paleontologists back to a time before humans walked the earth.
“I think that we’re all in our own way kind of treasure hunters, we’re all kind of going after that next home run if you will,” Jaeger said. “I think it’s fantastic like with the Hall of Fame when things get embalmed in history, they are there forever. It’s the same with these specimens when they can be unearthed, brought back to light, and put on display for millions of people to see. They are now completely, 100 percent, document in history, and I would love to have the two worlds collide.”
These discoveries have helped Jaeger become a Triassic power hitter of sorts, and he notes that his company NorthWest Montana Fossils has shifted its main focus of operations to Triassic fossils.
"We have found some very world-class specimens that are on display in very large natural history museums, and Jarvis is going to be along with it,” Jaeger said.
Thinking back to his childhood and his interest in dinosaurs, Bryce remembers going through a brief dinosaur phase as most children do. When he used to visit his grandparents in Lexington, Ken., he would see a dinosaur park along the way. While he did not have a favorite when he was younger, there is one that Bryce has taken to as he’s gotten older.
“[There’s] not a specific favorite, but I feel like as I’ve gotten older and through watching Jurassic Park, the Raptors are pretty cool,” Jarvis said.
Though they are not Raptors, Jaeger noted that those in Reno are just over an hour east of the Lovelock, Nev. area where the “Fossil Hill Formation” is located; a large area of Triassic deep ocean and deep marine layers that have turned into limestone. It holds special significance to Nevada as Jaeger says it was home to Nevada’s state fossil, Ichthyosaur, which often grew to be between 15-20 feet long with serrated teeth.
“I’m beyond excited to have a part of Reno Aces and paleontological history,” Jaeger said. “We really appreciate Bryce for being receptive to this. This is going to be the opportunity of a lifetime.
“When I was a kid, it was a Montana kid’s dream to go to a professional sporting event because we don’t have anything like that,” Jaeger continued. “It’s really cool as an adult to be able to do this and find these ways to participate.”
An impressive 10-0 win in game one helped the Reno Aces take three of the first four games in their series last week with Sugar Land, ultimately ending their trip to Texas and final meetings with the Space Cowboys in a set split.
That early series win was highlighted by impressive offense and stellar pitching, earning the double-digit shutout win to begin the week. Reno snatched games two and four by margins of one run and three runs, respectively, but could not find the final victory they needed to win the set.
Reno never looked back after first pitch in the opener on Sept. 1, using a pair of multi-run innings early and dominant pitching to notch their sixth shutout win of the season with a 10-0 decision over the Sugar Land Space Cowboys.
From start to finish the Aces were in control, scoring three times with their first set of swings behind a two-RBI double by Tyler Locklear and a Demetrio Crisantes RBI groundout.
The biggest inning of the night for the Aces was the third, plating six runs in the frame for just the 11th time this season. Tommy Troy, who was continuing his rehab assignment, started the frame in a big way by crushing his fourth Triple-A dinger of the season. Two batters later and Locklear joined him, reaching double-digit home runs with his 10th of the season to earn his third RBI of the night.
For the second game in a row Pavin Smith left the yard, adding one final run to Reno’s total with his sixth homer of the year to lead off the seventh. Overall, it was the 12th time that Reno has hit at least three homers in a single game.
While the offense was dominating, so was the pitching staff as they combined to hold Sugar Land to just three hits in the contest. All three knocks were singles allowed by starter Ashton Izzi (1-3), one in the fourth and two at the start of the fifth, but both times worked out of danger.
By the end of six innings, Izzi had issued just one walk while striking out six, earning the first quality start of his Triple-A career. Even further, tonight also represented the first victory of his Triple-A career, moving his record to 1-3.
The shutout win for the Aces was just the third time in franchise history that the Aces have won a shutout contest by double digits since they dropped El Paso by a 12-0 final on July 2, 2017.
An RBI on a squeeze play from the most unlikely of sources was what lifted the Reno Aces to victory on Sept. 2 as Aramis Garcia’s bunt to the first base side allowed the go-ahead run to score in what became a 2-1 Reno win over the Sugar Land Space Cowboys.
Already one of the best small ball teams in all affiliated baseball, the Aces got creative by dropping down a bunt with one out and runners at the corners. Garcia placed it perfectly to the right side, with the glove flip towards home from Space Cowboys second baseman Trevor Austin just late.
The Aces struck back during the fourth, as the Space Cowboys broke the tie in the third, in similar fashion as A.J. Vukovich doubled at the beginning of the frame. Vukovich later crossed the plate when Anderdson Rojas singled through the left side after it deflected off the glove of the diving Raynel Delgado at shortstop.
Following a night in which the Reno held the Sugar Land offense without a run, the Aces’ staff nearly did it again as the only run was allowed by starter Avery Short, who checked out after three hits allowed and five strikeouts to a pair of walks over 4.2 innings.
It was the bullpen that shined once again, this time working the final 3.1 frames, this time allowing just two hits after issuing just a pair of free passes in Tuesday’s win. Earning the win was Juan Burgos, who struck out two with one hit allowed in the seventh, while Isaiah Campbell converted his fourth by working the final six outs and striking out three.
That save was Campbell’s second six-out save this season, making him the 10th Ace in franchise history to record multiple six-out saves in their Aces career. The last to do so was the duo of Andrew Saalfrank and Christian Montes De Oca in the 2024 campaign.
A pair of three-baggers helped Reno generate three runs in the third, however those were their only tallies in what ended as an 11-4 loss to Sugar Land on Sept. 3.
Reno’s two-triple third frame was already the second time they have done so this season after first achieving the feat in the sixth inning on July 22 against Tacoma. Logging the first on Sept. 3 was Santiago Espinal who immediately scored on an Anderdson Rojas single, while Pavin Smith followed with a one-out three bagger drove home a pair. The triple for Espinal was his first at any level of baseball since he hit one with Toronto on May 16, 2021.
Charged with the loss for Reno was the returning Mitch Bratt, who was making his first Triple-A start since the beginning of July and allowed six runs on six hits with three walks and only one strikeout.
After starting the game with a bang, the Aces kept the offense moving and built a lead to withstand the Space Cowboys on Sept. 4 by an 8-5 final.
Reno scored all eight of their runs in the first four frames, but the first tally of the game came when fans were still finding their seats as Kristian Robinson crushed a 2-1 offering deep over the wall in left center for a leadoff home run.
That blast marked the sixth leadoff homer of the season for Reno, and exactly half of those six have come from the bat of Robinson. He was also the most recent Ace to do so, achieving the feat during a 7-4 defeat on Aug. 9 against El Paso.
Santiago Espinal joined the dinger party in the next inning, but his blast came in two-run fashion after Demetrio Crisantes kicked off the inning with a single to center. It has been an impressive stretch of late for Espinal, as he has hits in seven of nine games with Reno including each of his last six.
The largest inning of the game for the Aces was the third, scoring four times with three of them crossing on a bases loaded triple from Gavin Conticello.
Robinson and Espinal were the only two Aces with multi-hit games, the former ending his game 2-for-5 with two runs scored, a double and his homer. Meanwhile, Espinal logged one other hit outside his homer in addition to his three RBI.
The Aces homered with their first batter of the game for a second consecutive contest on Sept. 5, but the Space Cowboys recovered with a pair of runs in their each of their first three sets of at-bats en route to a 9-2 defeat for Reno.
Once again, it was Kristian Robinson doing the damage for the Aces by taking the very first pitch of the game deep over the wall in left center field. That marked the seventh Reno leadoff dinger of the year, but the first time in team history that it has happened in consecutive games.
Four of those leadoff big flies have come from Robinson which ties him for most in a season in team history along with Alek Thomas from the 2021 campaign. Even further, that blast gives Robinson the most leadoff home runs in the PCL this season, moving him past the pair of Zac Veen (Albuquerque) and Cavan Biggio (Sugar Land). This was the second time in those four leadoff blasts that Robinson homered on the very first pitch of the game, also doing so on May 23 at Oklahoma City leading to a 2-1 victory.
Outside of Robinson’s homer and an RBI single for Gavin Conticello in the fourth, the Aces had just one other hit in the form of a two-out single by Adrian Del Castillo in the top of the eighth that was left aboard at first.
Trying one last time to secure a set win, three solo home runs by Sugar Land denied the Aces that chance by taking the series finale by a 3-1 decision on Sept. 6.
After back-to-back days of Reno scoring in the top of the first, it was Sugar Land who plated a run first with a leadoff blast from Zach Cole with their first set of swings.
The score remained 1-0 until the top of the sixth inning when a Kristian Robinson walk sparked some two-out life for the BLC-Nine. Two batters later, Tyler Locklear lined one into left that plated Robinson and tied the ballgame at one run apiece.
However, a Pascanel Ferreras home run immediately put the Space Cowboys back in front in the bottom half of the sixth while a Collin Price homer added some insurance in the eighth.
Locklear’s RBI single was the only run-scoring hit for Reno with Pavin Smith and Demetrio Crisantes each adding hits of their own on Sunday – none of which went for extra bases.
Though he only played in two games before finishing his rehab, Tommy Troy batted .500 and scored twice with a double, homer, and two RBI. Santiago Espinal had the highest average of those with 10 or more at bats, hitting .412 thanks to a week in which he was 7-for-17 with three runs scored, a double, triple, homer, three RBI, and a 1.239 OPS.
Ashton Izzi finished with a solid week thanks to his series opening five run-free frames, finishing with a 0.93 ERA over two starts and 9.2 innings for the week while punching out 12.
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.