Mingus Union High School opened its spring baseball season with a shutout Saturday, Feb. 20, using four pitchers to win a home scrimmage with Bradshaw Mountain High School, 5-0.
Senior Fernando Chavez made his bid for staff ace by starting with two shutout innings.
But sophomore Tyler Kelly added two shutout innings of his own on top of a three-for-three performance, including a homer in his first at-bat that his father, assistant coach Pete Kelly, said hit the MUHS auxiliary gym.
“He crushed it,” Kelly said. “His second at-bat, he hit the ball so hard off the pitcher the trainer said it might have broken one of the kid’s bones in his leg.”
Whether starting in the infield or pitching, Chavez and Kelly are the current leaders by default of a Marauders team lacking only in experience entering its first season in Division III.
Besides Chavez, only center fielder Tristan Clark is projected to be an incoming senior starter for the Marauders, looking to go deeper in the playoffs than they did in the Division II state tournament last season in a loss to eventual state champ Tucson High School.
“Our expectations are to compete for the state title,” Kelly said. “We have some younger guys this year, but if they can bunt and are willing to step up and contribute the other small things that the team needs, it really shouldn’t be any difference in pressure situations. A lot of these players played five, six years together.”
Second baseman Zack Abrigo could be a third key senior and hurler, depending on which player shows up this spring, Kelly added.
“Is it going to be the Abrigo who is not afraid defensively and has had good practices, or will it be the one that didn’t really contribute most of last season?” Kelly said. “He had a no-hitter against Kingman High School, but then again, that was just Kingman.
“Just like with Fernando, he will need to attack the [strike] zone, hit [his] spots and stay ahead of batters rather than have them give in to batters.”
Sophomore Jose Pacheco, who also tossed a shutout inning against the Bears, will be another factor on the mound when not in right field, as will third baseman Andrew Kulis, who sat out the scrimmage with an injury.
Sophomores Mitchell Lindsay and Jordan Huey will battle for time at first base, although Huey threw a Bears runner out from right field in the first inning which preserved the shutout.
“He short-hopped the catcher, so I thought, ‘Oh, crap. Not a chance,’” Kelly said. “But it wasn’t too shallow. Gus made a nice play.”
Two-year starter William “Gus” Henley will be backed up at catcher his junior year by sophomore Tyree Kim, coming off a wrestling injury.
“Gus struck the ball real well,” Kelly said. “His swing’s coming around. A few at-bats, he just got under the ball too hard.”
Huey, however, is the only left-handed pitcher on staff and may split time on junior varsity this season, Kelly indicated. Marauders freshmen in the scrimmage included Chris Massey, Justin Tanner and Brad Howard, who Kelly thinks is capable of great things — if he listens.
“He’s kind of hard-headed,” Kelly said. “He’s got to adjust to not being the star anymore.”
For the full Marauders baseball schedule, please see the Wednesday, Feb. 24, issues of the Camp Verde Journal and Cottonwood Journal Extra.
