A championship will be handed out Saturday night at Ricketts Park to conclude the Connie Mack World Series, the amateur baseball tournament held in Farmington since 1965.
Gage Mestas of Durango High School helped continue a legacy of Durango players to compete in the famed tournament that in recent years has been expanded from 10 teams to 16, with 12 squads advancing out of pool play and into a double-elimination bracket. Of the qualifying teams, one comes from the city tournament in Farmington in a league made up of local teams, and many of Durango’s top ballplayers compete in the Connie Mack city league each season.
This year, Mestas’ 4-Corners Baseball squad, called the Frackers, won the city tournament and host rights. He split time this summer playing in tournaments with the Albuquerque Baseball Academy as well as the 4-C Frackers, and he got a chance to follow in the footsteps of his older brother, Gavin, in earning a chance to compete in the CMWS at second base with one pitching appearance.
“It means a lot to me and my family following those footsteps and fulfilling a legacy,” Mestas said. “Hopefully, we can continue it and get some more Durango guys here next year.”
Along with playing in the tournament comes a parade, elaborate opening ceremonies and the chance to be treated like a superstar by the adoring fans.
“The fan support was unreal,” Mestas said. “I felt like a celebrity after every game. Kids asking me for signatures, that’s something I’ll carry with me. It was a great time seeing all the smiles on little kids there, and when kids would come to me and say, ‘Hey. you’re the Durango kid, best of luck,’ knowing Durango was there supporting me through it, it made Connie Mack so much better.” The Frackers were eliminated from the tournament Tuesday night after going 1-2 in pool play and 1-5 overall in the tournament. It wasn’t without facing elite competition, as the Frackers faced five of the teams that made the final six of the tournament and two of the final four.
“The majority of guys we played, I’ll see them on TV some day,” Mestas said. “To know I fielded a ground ball and threw them out or caught their line drive, that’s special. It was a great opportunity and opened my eyes to see the competition and what I gotta do and work for.”
Mestas’ team dropped a 13-5 game to two-time defending champion Midland of Ohio, the greatest program in the history of Connie Mack-level baseball in the American Amateur Baseball Congress. The Frackers actually led 5-4 going into the fifth inning of that game before Midland brought in its ace pitcher to avoid an upset. Midland will be one of the teams to compete on championship Saturday.
The Frackers then earned a 9-7 win against Phenom out of Texas later the same day, as Mestas pitched 2 1/3 innings. After being touched up for two runs early, he came back out and put two zeros on the scoreboard.
A 9-5 loss to the Southern California Renegades was the only game 4-C manager Mike McGaha felt his team wasn’t a contender in, with an 8-2 deficit early in the game.
In bracket play, the Frackers had a tough draw against the D-BAT Elite Griffis team out of Dallas. A walk-off walk sent D-BAT to a 4-3 win. On Tuesday night, it was the Florida Legends that sent the Frackers home with a 4-2 loss to end the host team’s tournament. In each of the final two games, 4-C had more hits and fewer errors than their opponents, with some tough luck going against them.
“We need some luck in the draw,” McGaha said. “Three of the final six teams in the tournament were in our pool. The thing for 4-Corners Baseball is that we’ve gotten to a point now that even not getting deep in the tournament, we’re in every game. We’ve gained the attention and respect of opponents and aren’t just getting run-ruled with their No. 7 guy on the mound. We’re beating Midland 5-4 and they have to bring in their 98 mph guy in to close us out. I think we outplayed D-BAT, then same thing against Florida. We know we had a team capable of competition in the tournament.”
In all, Mestas played in nine tournaments this summer and roughly 60 games. He got a chance to play with his brother Gavin in the Tony Andenucio Memorial Baseball Tournament at Pueblo’s Runyon Sports Complex in mid-June, and the 4-Corners team won its first ever title at the tournament better known as the ’Nuch. It was at that tournament that a slow start with 4-C for the younger Mestas turned around.
“Gage was our second baseman all year and probably our first or second right-hander out of the ’pen, and he gave us a spot start at the ’Nuch,” said McGaha, who has coached Mestas during summer ball since he was 11. “He came on in relief against a Grand Junction team in the first inning after our starter didn’t record an out, and we actually run-ruled that team. It tells you how good his outing was.
“At that tournament and after that, Gage really took off and had a good summer.”
The summer spent on the road for Mestas was all about playing in front of scouts and getting a chance to showcase his skills as he aims to play college baseball. Mestas has Division I dreams and knows the exposure of a long summer can help in that pursuit.
“The summer was jam-packed and super tiring traveling to Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Albuquerque, Arizona and all over,” he said. “The whole point was to get exposure, and it was a great time. Mixing in games with the Connie Mack city league was very hard with 8 p.m. games. I’d get home at midnight, be at weights for football the next morning and then leave for Albuquerque again. It was hard on the body, but I got in a rhythm eventually and it turned out to be a great summer.”
Now, the Durango High junior will turn his focus to football before he looks to the spring high school season.
“Next spring is going to be a different story for the high school team,” Mestas said. “We’re coming for revenge from that playoff loss. Knowing the competition out there, I know what to do to get bigger and better and put our team in the best position to win.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
