With lofty achievements and goals come high expectations.
A lot is expected out of the Bayfield High School baseball team in 2016. A strong core of seniors who claimed a football state championship in the fall are back on the diamond in a sport many of those seniors consider their best.
“Football was a long time ago already, but we’re still riding off that,” BHS senior Kelton McCoy said. “We’re a bunch of brothers and are ready to keep it going through baseball.”
Eaton, the perennial state favorite, is ranked No. 1 in the preseason poll despite firing longtime head coach Jim Danley, the state’s all-time winningest coach with 11 state championships in 44 years. The Reds received seven first-place votes, and Bayfield received two to enter the season ranked No. 2.
McCoy is one of six seniors the Wolverines have this season. The son of Derek and Loresa McCoy was named the Class 2A football player of the year by the Colorado High School Activities Association, and he has more than what it takes to take a similar accolade in Class 3A baseball this spring. He hit a team-high 11 home runs a year ago when he finished with 51 runs batted in and a .561 batting average in 23 games played. A catcher by trade, McCoy figures to see more innings on the mound this year with the loss of graduated seniors such as Matthew Knickerbocker from last year’s team that went 18-5 overall and 7-1 in the Intermountain League.
“Our pitching staff, I think we have the best in 3A top to bottom,” McCoy said. “We don’t have a Clay Miller or someone like that you can throw 95, but we have a lot of 85, 86 guys who throw strikes with good off-speed stuff.”
Bayfield head coach Jonathon Qualls is in his third season leading the Wolverines’ dugout. He’s been working with this senior class since they were 14 years old, and he has high expectations for the talented group of boys.
“They’’re a real close group,” Qualls said. “Our expectation every year is a state championship. Now that they have a taste for it, they’ll be working harder. In the past, they’ve walked through some earlier games, which hurts them come playoff time. Hopefully, they’ll be hungrier for the playoffs this year than last year.”
Last year’s state tournament was marred by rain and hail storms that caused several postponements and a hectic state weekend that ended with a 2-0 loss to Valley in the state tournament. The Wolverines went 0-2 in the state tournament after an opening round 5-4 loss in 10 innings to University.
“I think we have as good of a shot (at state) as football, we just gotta get it done,” McCoy said. “We can’t stall out at state like we have.”
Seniors Taed Heydinger, Brody McGhehey and Zane Phelps will play big roles on the mound and in the field for the Wolverines. Qualls said a few younger players will also step up this season.
Bayfield visited Durango in a scrimmage Saturday and came out on top in the unofficial game. An example of the team’s commitment was on display as Phelps and Heydinger made the team’s 11 a.m. bus one night after being knocked out of the basketball state tournament in Colorado Springs. The game ended late, and the team’s bus broke down on the way back to Bayfield, but Heydinger and Phelps still made the baseball bus the next morning.
“Their dedication is why I have high expectations for them,” Qualls said.
Qualls knows Alamosa will be a tough league test this year as always. He also said Centauri is a team on the rise.
McCoy said the team hopes to win the Farmington varsity tournament this weekend, with the first-round matchup coming against Class 6A Belen at 2 p.m. Thursday at Ricketts Park. He also hopes the Wolverines see Piedra Vista in that tournament, where the Wolverines will use wood bats.
Another game McCoy has circled on his calendar is a April 26 contest at Durango, who the Wolverines beat 7-4 a year ago.
After winning the football state title, McCoy said he doesn’t feel any added pressure to succeed at baseball state this season. In fact, he feels the opposite.
“I think actually the pressure is off of us. We got our state championship like we hoped,” he said. “Icing on the cake would be baseball. I think we’re going to be relaxed, confident and get it done, hopefully.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
