Matador fans who can't make the trip to Prescott to watch the Matador Baseball team as they battle Yavapai College in the Region I Semifinals can still follow the game... pitch-by-pitch... on GameChanger! Log on tohttp://www.gamechanger.io/ on the internet and search 'AWC Baseball Matadors'. You can follow the game action pitch-by-pitch starting at 2PM Thursday, 2PM Friday, and then if necessary, Saturday at noon! Smartphone users can download the GameChanger app on their phone.
Drew Keehn, head baseball coach at AWC, is enjoying the long road that began more than 50 games ago and that will culminate with the Matador's first trip to the ACCAC playoffs since 2006.
The Mats have played in a manner this season that would make any old-time baseball fan feel all warm and fuzzy inside. With a combination of peak effort and smart baseball, the team has put itself in position to make a postseason run.
"Our guys play really hard, and they compete well," says Keehn. "Our MO is that we are able to out-compete teams a lot of the time."
Dominance out of the bullpen
One of the players leading the way for the Mats is sophomore pitcher, Kahana Neal, out of Pearl City, Hawaii. Neal leads the ACCAC in wins and was named conference pitcher of the week twice this season.
"[Neal] has gone out and given us quality innings each time he's pitched," says Keehn.
Mario Morales, a freshman from Riverside, Calif., has moved into the starting rotation after surprising coaches with his dominance out of the bullpen. And sophomore Cyle Bettis, out of Merced, Calif., has been a workhorse for the Mats all season.
"Cyle has been really good for us in eating up innings," explains Keehn, "and also has the ability to bounce back from pitching on a Tuesday and pitching on a Saturday, and then coming back and pitching on a Tuesday again."
Neal, Morales and Bettis "have really carried the load for us on the mound," Keehn adds.
Offensively, the Mats have had many contributors.
Dallas Hessler, a freshman outfielder from Palm Desert, Calif., has had a monster season, leading the team in hits and RBIs. Kofa High grad and Yuma native Claudio Valencia has also been a bright spot on a well-rounded Matador offense.
A rollercoaster year
Keehn has had a rollercoaster year, starting last April when long-time coach, John Stratton, stepped down, opening the door for Keehn to be named interim head coach. Everything came full circle when the interim tag was officially removed from his title this April, after an impressive first season at the helm.
With Keehn's status no longer in doubt, he can now turn his full attention to his ball club as they prepare for the conference playoffs.
"We feel pretty confident going in that we can compete with any team in the league," Keehn muses.
Go Matadors!
Photo by Randy Hoeft
