Galena stayed within the program for its next baseball coach, which should help provide some continuity for the Grizzlies.

Rusty Bendle is the new baseball coach at Galena. He served as the Grizzlies' pitching coach the past two seasons, under Beau Walker in 2023 and Mark Saake in 2024.

Saake told the RGJ he was fired over the summer after a complaint that he was putting undue pressure on players to participate in the fall workout program.

Bendle, 46, said Walker and Saake were good mentors for him as he takes over the program.

Bendle played baseball at Youngstown State in Ohio as a pitcher. His uncle lives in Incline Village and, after a phone call with him, Bendle moved to Northern Nevada.

“I just fell in love with the area and never went home,” Bendle said.

Bendle said playing f

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