Nevada Preps Boys Athlete of the Week: Basic’s Cooper Sheff

After a three-game series in Arizona, the Basic baseball team began Class 5A Desert League play last week.

Senior first baseman Cooper Sheff said it was important to see how the Wolves would stack up against league teams. And Basic passed with flying colors.

Sheff had three RBIs in a 15-2 win over Green Valley on March 20 and went 3-for-3 with two RBIs in a 6-1 win over Legacy on March 22. For his efforts, he was named Nevada Preps Boys Athlete of the Week.

“Offense was good. The swing’s been feeling good,” Sheff said. “I got a lot of RBIs and was able to do my part on the field for the team.”

Entering Tuesday, the Wolves are 11-0 and looking to repeat as 5A state champions. Sheff said the goal of repeating and making a run at a national title has the team “determined and focused.”

“I believe that if we keep showing up the way we’re showing up and don’t take a single game for granted, I think we can continue (our current success) and we’ll be pretty good,” Sheff said.

Sheff said he likes to lead by example by never taking a play off.

“It’s good to see how the team is working together,” Sheff said. “Everyone’s playing together, and hopefully I continue to … contribute to the team. It should be a fun ride.”

Sheff is committed to play college baseball at Oregon. He said Oregon was one of the first schools to express interest and continued to follow him throughout high school. After an unofficial visit in late 2021, Sheff made his commitment.

“It was kind of an easy choice for me,” Sheff said. “Oregon has always been kind of a dream school … the high equipment and resources and all of that. Being able to get looked at by them early was good, it was fun.”

Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on Twitter.