Phoenix Christian beat Willcox 9-2 last year to claim the 2A state championship. It was the fourth state championship for the Cougars but the first since 2003. The team is 22-5 this year, good enough for a No. 7 seeding. Let’s take a look at some of the top seeds this year beginning with No. 1 Gilbert Christian.

No. 1 Gilbert Christian (22-0): The Knights are entering the 2018 playoffs with an unblemished record, 22 wins in all. The Knights have outscored their opponents by an average of 15-2 with nine shutouts thrown in the mix. Senior Nick Hershey is batting .648 with 30 RBI, 19 doubles, eight triples and three homeruns. Sam Mominee is hitting .619 on the year with 31 RBI and fellow senior Alec Blakeman is batting .571 with 34 RBI, 14 doubles, three triples and five home runs. Hershey also has 24 steals and Nominee has 19. Hershey leads the team from the mound with a 9-0 record with 122 strikeouts in 49 innings of work and Blakeman is 7-0.

No. 2 Willcox (16-2): The Cowboys took second place last year which was the best finish for the program since the Cowboys won three state championships in a row (1999, 2000, 2001). Adrian Fuentes is in his first year with Willcox after serving as an assistant coach for several years.

“This year we have some strong leaders with five starting seniors and three starting juniors and we have a solid battery when it comes to our pitching and catching,” Fuentes said. “Our biggest leader on the field and at the plate is senior Sherrick Sanborn. He is currently our number one pitcher and is leading the team in batting average with .509. He is followed up by senior first baseman Kade Norris (.481) and junior infielder and number two pitcher Eli Madrid (.466). Our catcher, Junior AJ Fuentes is batting .405.”

Fuentes was a player on the three straight championships.

No. 3 Bisbee (22-4): The Pumas made it to the quarterfinal round last year. Junior Eduardo Vasquez is hitting .603 with 35 RBI and senior Javier Ballesteros is batting .484 with 27 RBI. Vasquez is 9-1 from the circle and Eddie Alvarez is 7-3. The Pumas enter the playoffs on a 12-2 streak with the two losses coming to Willcox and Benson.

No. 4 San Tan Foothills (24-4): The Sabercats made it to the quarterfinal round last spring. Ryan Sutterby is in his second year with the program and he is 46-11. Freshman Trevyn Badger is batting .582 with 26 RBI with 12 doubles and four triples. Badger also has 36 steals on the year. Senior Norman Touey is hitting .477. Badger is 7-1 from the mound and fellow freshman Jason Reyes is 4-1.

No. 5 St. Johns (21-3): St. Johns was eliminated in the first round last year as a 14 seed. Senior Joseph Ramsey is batting .529 with 20 RBI and 14 doubles and sophomore Tate Skousen is hitting .455. Senior pitcher John Robertson is 8-0 with 68 strikeouts and Ramsey is 5-1.

No. 6 Joy Christian (18-7): The Eagles were the top seeds last year, but the team lost to Willcox in the semifinals, 5-4. The program was state runner-up in 2016.

“Our team has been through a lot,” said head coach Klent Corley. “We lost five players a few weeks before the season and we lost our catcher a few weeks into the season. Our kids have been really resilient and have handled tough situations well. This team is much different than years past. Rather than rely on talent, they have had to find new ways to win games. All but one player is playing a new position or is in their first year as a starter. I am very proud of them winning the region because it took a ton of work from our guys. They could have spent the year pouting about what could have been, but instead they knew they had to step up to help their team win. We have had our ups and downs, but I am very proud of how they have competed. I hope that we can help get them playing their best baseball heading into the playoffs.”

Corley lists sophomore Ronan Kopp and senior Nick Ayres as two of his leaders along with senior Jake Pitner and Mason Rhynard.

No. 7 Phoenix Christian (22-5): The Cougars are returning state champions. Mark Band is in his 15th year with the program.

“Our seniors are our team leaders,” Band said. “Steven Cochran, Kyle Janes, Adrian Santa Cruz and Tyler Turk. Steven, in particular, has been a great leader and is our team captain.”

Sophomore Nate Gulick is batting 540 with 34 RBI, Santa Cruz is 6-1 from the mound and Cochran is 7-3.

No. 8 Morenci (11-11): The Wildcats missed the playoffs last year. Joseph Morse has been the head coach for four years.

“Team leaders this year are seniors Michael Ortiz at third base and Derek Waltrip in centerfield,” Morse noted. “Waltrip is also our leadoff hitter who gets the team moving. Junior Desmond Sandoval (6-1, 74 K) and senior David Corona (4-2) have done well this year pitching as well. Catcher Antonio Gallegos has been a leader behind the dish”

 

The baseball and softball championships are presented by Bank of the West.