Manager Blake Lalli expects big things from his Reno Aces as PCL title defense starts

The Reno Aces open the year Friday with its season opener against the Las Vegas Aviators with a 2:05 p.m. first pitch in a game that will air on Nevada Sports Net.

The club is looking for its second straight Pacific Coast League title and will be under the direction of manager Blake Lalli, who also ran the team in 2021. Lalli and ace pitcher Brandon Pfaadt, one of the top prospects in minor-league baseball, chatted with NSN this week to preview the season.

"Right now, it's a really strong roster," Lalli said. "I've been messing around with a lot of lineups, and it's actually a really hard lineup to write just because it's so deep. On the offensive end, one through nine there's guys hitting at the bottom of the order that are probably used to hitting in the middle of the order. And it's a good problem to have. Then you pair that with the starting rotation, which is strong top to bottom and a very, very strong bullpen. Some big arms are going to be coming out of the pen this year. You'll probably see some some big velo and good stuff. Our job is to get these guys in the major leagues and help the Arizona Diamondbacks, and that's still going to be our No. 1 one goal. So as long as we have guys, we'll enjoy them. It should be pretty fun."

You can watch Blake Lalli and Brandon Pfaadt's full interviews below.