After leading Ignacio back to the Class 2A State Tournament’s Sweet 16 by blending a solid senior core with several emerging underclassmen, rookie head coach Isiah Valdez was named the 2A/1A San Juan Basin League’s Coach of the Year.
“It was a total team effort,” he said, prior to leaving Bob Smith Memorial Baseball Park in Limon following a season-ending loss to LHS in the Region I championship. “We started slow all season in some games but we always battled back. They just played hard; everybody wanted to win.”
Ruling the SJBL in 2024 for a third consecutive year, the Bobcats finished 5-1 in the league and 18-7 overall, including a Round-of-32 victory over Rye in the regional semifinals, after dealing with an unexpected preseason change at the top, from successful two-year leader Duke Baker (the league’s COY in ’23) to former assistant Valdez.
Valdez knew he had to change very little on the diamond which was not a good omen for IHS’ opponents.
Senior Phillip Quintana was named a First Team All-SJBL pitcher, though his work behind the plate, especially as a mentor to sophomore heir apparent Gabe Archuleta (first team catcher), was also as valuable as his batting. Senior shortstop Devante Montoya earned First Team All-League infield, with senior first baseman Rylan Maez receiving Second Team.
Sophomore Ambrose Valdez, IHS’ primary center fielder this spring, was a first team outfield selection along with freshman William Mendoza-Lechuga, the boss’ right field anchor almost from day one.
“We are graduating a lot of guys,” said Isiah Valdez. “But we’ve got a couple of young guys coming up. Any time you can get these younger guys that are going to be here next year playoff experience, it’s always good moving forward.”
