From South Carolina to the Biggest Little City
The Reno Aces came to Northern Nevada in 2009, and since then they have had over 500 players come through Greater Nevada Field. Interestingly enough, five of those players have come from the University of South Carolina. South Carolina has had recent success at the NCAA level, winning NCAA Championships
The Reno Aces came to Northern Nevada in 2009, and since then they have had over 500 players come through Greater Nevada Field. Interestingly enough, five of those players have come from the University of South Carolina. South Carolina has had recent success at the NCAA level, winning NCAA Championships in 2010 and 2011 and have won four regionals since. Three of those players are in the Diamondbacks system, including two on the Aces.
On the field, Widener had a great collegiate career. He switched between a starter and a reliever quite a bit throughout his career. In his freshman year, he pitched in 21 games and started two of those. He pitched in 40 innings, went 3-0 with a 1.72 ERA along with 38 strikeouts.
He started three out of his 19 games in his sophomore season. He saved nine games, went 1-5 with a 4.78 ERA and struck out 44 batters in 32 innings. Then, in the fall of 2015 after his sophomore season, he had ulnar transposition surgery and rehabilitated for a few months. When he returned, he started the most games of his career, starting nine out of the 17 games. He went 4-2 with a 4.20 ERA with 68 strikeouts in 55.2 innings.
The right-hander was later drafted by the New York Yankees, and after two seasons in the Yankees system, he was traded to the Diamondbacks in 2018 in a three-team trade with the Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays. He pitched a full season with the Double-A Jackson Generals in 2018 and in 2019 was promoted to the Aces. While in Reno, Widener has started 19 games, is 6-5 and won PCL Pitcher of the Week on 6/30/2019.
A familiar Aces face that played his college ball at South Carolina is
In his freshman year in 2010, Marzilli hit .385 with a 1.079 OPS and three home runs and eight doubles. In his sophomore year in 2011, he hit .294 with a .789 OPS and .284 with a .753 OPS in his junior year. Overall, Marzilli hit .302 with eight home runs, 75 RBI, 36 doubles and an .821 OPS.
He was drafted by the Diamondbacks in the eighth round of the 2012 draft. He moved through the system quickly and made his Aces debut in 2015. He has played in Reno at some point in each season since he made his debut in 2015. He has played 111 games in an Aces uniform, hitting .258/.346/.384 with four home runs, 37 RBI and 18 doubles.
Reno's 2017 MVP, and Marzilli's roommate in college,
His best year came in 2011 during his sophomore campaign, where Walker hit .358/.438/.554 with 10 home runs and 62 RBI. Over his three-year career at South Carolina, the first baseman hit .336/.427/.533 with 30 home runs, 168 RBI and 45 doubles.
He was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the fourth round of the 2012 draft. The Orioles designated him for assignment in 2017 and was then claimed and waived by both the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds before being claimed by the Diamondbacks. Walker was the Aces' starting first baseman in 2017, and over the season, was a PCL All-Star and the PCL MVP. In 133 games, Walker hit .309/.382/.597 with 32 home runs, 114 RBI and 34 doubles with a .980 OPS.
Now with the Diamondbacks, Walker is the starting first baseman. In 89 games, the 28-year-old is hitting .256/.325/.497 with 18 home runs, 46 RBI and 20 doubles. His 18 home runs is good for third on the Diamondbacks, behind only All-Star
The other two South Carolina alums that played with the Reno Aces haven't done so in a while. The first of which is Blake Cooper, who played for South Carolina from 2007-2010. As a freshman, he pitched in 17 games and started 11, and for the rest of his three seasons, he was a full-time starter, starting at least 15 each year.
Cooper's best season came in 2010, where he started 20 games and went 13-2 with a 2.76 ERA and 126 strikeouts in 137 innings. He was named to the Southeastern Conference All-Conference Team that season.
Overall at South Carolina he went 34-14 with a 3.72 ERA and 294 strikeouts in 376.1 innings. He was on the 2010 NCAA Championship team with Evan Marzilli and Christian Walker.
Cooper was drafted by the Diamondbacks in the 12th round of the 2010 draft and reached the Aces in 2014. Cooper only made 17 relief appearances that season and pitched 24 innings to a 6.00 ERA with 20 strikeouts.
The final player, Jon Coutlangus, pitched for the Aces in their inaugural season of 2009. Before that, he was an outfielder at South Carolina from 2002-2003. In his freshman year, Coutlangus hit .260 with one home run, 11 RBI and four doubles. In his sophomore season, he came back and started every game for the Gamecocks. He hit .317/.390/.420 with three home runs, 24 RBI and 10 home runs with an .810 OPS.
He was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 19th round of the 2003 draft and was eventually converted to being a pitcher the next season. He was claimed off of waivers by the Reds in 2007 and made 64 relief appearances in the big leagues but was traded to the Diamondbacks in 2008. He made his debut with the Aces in 2009 and made 21 relief appearances. Coutlangus pitched in 29 innings to the tune of a 6.52 ERA and 18 strikeouts. The Aces were his final minor league team.
The Reno Aces and South Carolina Gamecocks have had an interesting connection. And it won't be stopping soon.