Camp Verde Middle School [10-1] will attempt to avenge its only baseball loss of the spring Wednesday, April 16, when it hosts Cottonwood Middle School at 4 p.m.
Other than that single out-of-conference March 26 road loss to the Lobos, the Cowboys have defeated all comers and are rolling toward their second straight Verde Valley Conference title in Spencer Young’s two seasons as CVMS head baseball coach.
“If we play good, smart baseball — field, swing the bat, make plays — I’m not worried about who we play, to be honest,” Young said. “It’s more internal: These kids play hard. The best thing is they’re all really good kids. When you talk to them, they listen.”
At the core of Young’s second Cowboys team are three eighth-graders and one seventh-grader who have led a dominant conference performance this season, with six of their 10 victories by 11 runs or more for a combined total of 97-12.
First baseman Jordan Huey, a left-hander, joins right-handed pitchers Ryan Loza and Rafael Zapata as returning rotation regulars who, along with seventh-grader Dominic Bruno, came in March 20 to no-hit Beaver Creek School 20-0 in five innings. They form a staff as interchangeably deep as any group of pitchers in the Verde Valley.
“We also have a couple of seventh-graders, like second baseman Dakota Battise, we could throw at any time,” Young said. “I can’t really say we have a No. 1. It all depends on how me and third-base coach Nate Jackson feel the night of the game.”
For the full story, please see the Wednesday, April 16, issue of the Camp Verde Journal.
