MORENCI — The Morenci varsity baseball team entered the 2025 season with excitement and high expectations after a one-win season just a year ago.
The Bulldogs finished with a 10-win improvement at 11-13 in the regular season — “1,000 percent better than last year,” first-year head coach Matt Enders said. “Even with the 11-13 record, we had five games we lost in walkoff fashion, one-run games.”
They also dealt with multiple winnable games being canceled, and sometimes that created long layoffs between other matchups.
Enders credited much of the turnaround to a team identity focused on “family and togetherness no matter what we faced.”
“We got on each other appropriately but we didn’t pull ourselves out of any games mentally,” he said. “Compared to last year, we competed in every game. It was a night-and-day difference from last year.”
Sand Creek and LCS were key games for the Bulldogs this year. They went 1-3 (0-2 vs SC, 1-1 vs LCS) in those four games with the three losses all coming by a single run and one of those being an extra-innings loss to LCS.
Senior Wyatt Stevens (.452/.551/.507) and junior Talan Kruse (.452/.573/.677) led the team in batting average. Junior Blake Moran (.382/.460/.500), sophomore Jonas Castillo (.382/.470/.485) and senior Zachary Stevens (.368/.506/.439) rounded out the top five.
Kruse finished with 21 RBI and 29 runs scored to lead the team in both categories. He also added 14 stolen bases.
Wyatt Stevens had 18 RBI to go along with 25 runs and 14 steals. Castillo chipped in 17 RBI and 25 runs.
Moran had a team high 23 thefts as well as 22 runs scored and 16 RBI. Sophomore Skylar Trent was fourth on the team with 24 runs and his 20 stolen bases were good for secondmost.
Castillo (4-5) fired the most innings pitched with 42.1 and finished with 61 strikeouts. Moran (3-3) threw 33.2 innings with 47 strikeouts. Wyatt Stevens (0-3) contributed 21.2 innings and 21 strikeouts.
“Watch out for Drew,” Enders said, referring to freshman Drew Joughin (.345/.493/.345) who added 15 RBI, 20 runs scored and 9 steals while only striking out 9 times at the plate all year. He also pitched 19 innings with 23 strikeouts and had a 2-1 record in those games.
“We laid the foundation this year and I can’t wait to see where this leads us,” Enders reflected. “This is exactly what I was hoping would happen. They came out in a different mental state and saw that they could win.”
Enders is extremely grateful for the senior leadership displayed by the Stevens brothers and Aiden Williams.
“Zach was a captain, which tells you a lot. Everyone looks up to him for leadership,” Enders said.
“Wyatt is an extremely hard worker and reliable,” he said. “He was leading us all year in average, and even on the mound, just came in and got the outs when we needed it.”
“Aiden is just resilient, he’s a quiet fighter,” Enders said. “He’ll go anywhere we ask him to play.”
“We’re going to miss them,” Enders said of his seniors.
The Bulldogs season came to an end last Friday with a 13-2 loss to Britton Deerfield in the district tournament.
“I’m beyond proud of how this group never gave up. Every single game we competed this season. It wasn’t just about turning around a record. It was about building something lasting,” Enders said.
Coach Enders thanked his assistant coach Brad Moran for his support and leadership as well as all of the parent volunteers.
“Your support meant everything,” he said. “This team is only getting started and the future is bright.”