They’ve been told they don’t belong and they don’t deserve what they’ve received. They’re ready to prove the entire state wrong.

The Durango High School baseball team went only 6-13 during the regular season but was deemed one of the top-eight teams in the state by the Colorado High School Activities Association’s state tournament seeding criteria thanks to playing one of the most difficult schedules in the state. That gave the Demons the right to host the Class 4A District 2 tournament Saturday, beginning at 10 a.m. at Walden Memorial Field.

The No. 8 Demons have the worst overall record in the 32-team state tournament field, with only one other team, No. 30 Kennedy, entering the weekend with a losing record at 9-10.

Durango’s selection to host a district tournament, which determines the final eight teams selected to play in next weekend’s state tournament in Denver, prompted reaction from the rest of the state, and the CHSAA already has set a meeting for September 10 to outline a new formula for how teams are selected for the tournament.

But that is for next year, and this year’s Demons are ready to take advantage of a golden opportunity to reach the eight-team state tournament for a third consecutive season.

“We need to come out and prove to everybody we deserve to be here,” said DHS senior pitcher Dayne Rowley, who will be the starting pitcher against No. 25 Eagle Valley (12-7) at 10 a.m. Saturday. “I know it was a big surprise we got a hosting spot, but I think we deserve it because we play a tough schedule against really tough teams. I think we’ll prove we can play.”

The district tournament is single elimination. The winner between Durango and Eagle Valley will advance to the district championship game at 3 p.m. against the winner of No. 9 Evergreen (14-5) and No. 24 Delta (12-7), who play at 12:30 p.m.

The Demons are anxious to get on the field in front of their home fans and make a statement that they are better than their 6-13 record shows.

“Everyone doubting us makes us want to prove them wrong even more. Playing in front of our home crowd with everyone supporting us, we want to show the people we deserve to be here,” DHS slugger Casey Dunlap said. “We consider ourselves pretty lucky to be hosting a playoff game, and we want to take advantage of it.”

DHS head coach Eric Baker said he hasn’t had to do much to motivate the players. He said they saw the negative reaction across the state to their selection as a host team as soon as the brackets were released Wednesday.

“This generation knows more about Twitter than me, and they saw the stuff long before I did,” Baker said. “Obviously, there is some angst out there about us being in this position, and it’s hard to argue against them, but it is what it is. We don’t create the CHSAA bylaws. They gave us an opportunity, and all we can do is make the most of it and see what we can do.”

The Demons certainly don’t lack experience. They’ve reached the final four at state each of the previous two seasons, and four of the six seniors on the roster know what it is like to play in those games.

This is the third consecutive year DHS has hosted a district tournament.

The Demons’ last game was a 4-1 loss at Montrose last Saturday. Montrose was awarded the No. 2 seed in the tournament, and having played the Indians close seven days ago has made the Demons believe even more they can hang with any team in the state.

Rowley, son of Darren and Kari Rowley, was the starting pitcher in that game and had the best showing of his season. He struck out seven and allowed three hits and one walk in a complete game.

“That was a huge confidence booster for me and the whole team. Even though we lost, it gave us momentum going into the state playoffs,” Rowley said.

Rowley will enter his start with a 4.80 earned-run average and a 1-4 record in eight starts and nine appearances overall.

Dunlap, son of Aaron and Julie Dunlap, has led DHS offensively. The senior has seven home runs and seven doubles to go with 27 runs batted in and a .532 batting average.

Senior Hayden Sill has two homers and a .361 average, though the rest of the team has struggled at the plate much of the season, especially against curveball pitchers.

Eagle Valley has seven players hitting .300 or better and has hit 10 home runs as a team this season. Senior Wade Ticer has led the team with three home runs and a .459 batting average along with a 2-0 record on the mound with a 3.82 ERA.

Dunlap and Rowley said the Demons will have to play a complete team game to win the first game and reach the 3 p.m. championship game. After playing as individuals during large portions of the season, they are confident the team has come together this week.

“We have some of the most talented kids in the state, but we’ve played too much as individuals. If we come together as a team, we can play with anybody,” Rowley said. “There’s been a negative connotation around Durango, but it has brought us closer as a team. We’re all working for one cause and fighting for the same goal right now.

“We are ready to make a statement. The statement we want to make in this community is that we’re a good enough team to play at this level.”

jlivingston@durangoherald.com