Griffons finish season with MINK League's No. 1 offense

The Nevada Griffons as a team collectively tore the cover off the ball this season.

Nevada boasted plenty of firepower, leading the MINK League in multiple offensive categories during its 42-game regular season conference slate. The Griffons led the league in hits (387), home runs (18), doubles (74) and total bases (523). Meanwhile, Nevada finished second to North Division champion Sedalia in runs (255) RBIs (197), and walks (208).

For Nevada in conference play, Tyler Pagano led the MINK League in RBIs with 37 while finishing second in home runs with five, and second in runs scored, touching home plate 35 times. In addition, Pagano led the league in hits with 56 while batting .326 for the season.

Nevada Griffons slugger Tyler Pagano laces a single into left field during the fourth inning of Monday night's regular season finale with the Sedalia Bombers. Pagano finished the 2016 season as one of the top hitters in the MINK League. (Photo by Ralph Pokorny/Daily Mail)

Griffons shortstop Tanner Wetrich's 34 runs scored were third best in the league, while his nine doubles tied him for seventh. Griffons left-handed hitter Judah Zickafoose tied for first in the league with 11 doubles to go along with three round-trippers, 24 RBIs and 12 stolen bases while finishing with a cool .300 batting average.

Zickafoose's Fellow Arizona Western College teammate, the switch-hitting Kainulu Pitoy, tied for third in doubles (10), finished fourth in hits (47) and fifth in runs (31). Pitoy concluded the season with a .313 batting average.

Nevada middle infielder Ethaniel Valdez tied for fifth in the league with 17 stolen bases. Trevor Peterson, who joined the Griffons midway through the season, playing in 23 conference games, showed off his plate skills with a .413 batting average (33 for 80) while also notching five doubles and 19 RBIs.

Nevada first baseman Cole Johnson hit .313 with six doubles, 24 runs and 20 RBIs. (Stats courtesy of www.pointstreak.com).

Additionally, Nevada led the way with a dozen players selected to the MINK South Division All-Star team. Those players were: Outfielders Pagano, Pitoy, and Zickafoose; shortstop Wetrich; second baseman Valdez; corner infielder Johnson; catcher Jake McPhail; pitchers Andrew Crum, Jack Burk, Reid Bukowski, Tyler Butcher, and Aaron Barteau.

The South Division team was managed by Nevada's Ryan Mansfield, who earned the nod after leading the Griffons to a first place finish in the MINK League South Division in 2015.