NMMI Sports Press
Five Colt Baseball players earned all-state honors for their play during the 2023 campaign that saw NMMI win 20-plus games and make the state playoffs for the 12th-consecutive season and first under new head coach Brad Blackwell.
Sophomore starting pitcher and shortstop Tegin Maloney was named to the first team at both positions. The Co-District 4/5-3A Most Valuable Player had eight wins over 13 starts on the mound, racking up 113 strikeouts to just 20 walks with a 2.66 earned run average.
At the plate, the lefty slugger finished the year with a .469/.598/.926 slash line, amassing 38 hits (second on team) with 43 runs batted in (first). He drew the most walks on the team with 25. Defensively, Maloney posted a .933 fielding percentage with 29 putouts, 27 assists and only 4 errors.
With a state title under his belt and numerous in-season and post-season awards, Maloney has accomplished more than most players do in a full high school career.
“It’s exciting for a sophomore to win these awards and even more exciting and fun to see what he does moving forward,” Blackwell said. “He’s a great player, a great leader and I expect his leadership role to increase as we lose a good group of seniors.”
Joining Maloney on the first team are senior first baseman Miguel Rivera, junior catcher Luis C. Patron and sophomore outfielder Nicolas Barcenas.
Rivera, also a starting pitcher that posted six wins over nine starts, was a patient at the plate, drawing 18 walks (second on team), reaching on error nine times (first) and striking out just seven times (lowest on team among players with at least 70 at bats). Defensively, the long first baseman had 77 putouts and seven assists in 88 total chances with four errors, good for a .957 fielding score.
Rivera also competed in the annual North-South All-Star Game.
Patron posted the best batting average on the team at .477, scoring 36 times and driving in the second most runs with 37. He led the team with 41 total hits, including 14 doubles (first on team) and four homers (second). As part of the battery, Patron had 201 putouts and 17 assists.
Barcenas was the most reliable outfielder throughout the season, posting the best fielding percentage for any everyday player on the Colts at .970 with a single error over 33 chances. At the plate, the lanky lefty put up solid numbers, batting .378 with 31 hits, 28 runs scored and 25 driven in.
Senior second baseman Gentry Caplan earned second-team honors despite missing close to half of the season. His return immediately improved the defense and he posted a .319/.492/.489 slash line, even while leading the team in strikeouts.
All five players were first-team All-District selections.
Senior pitcher and infielder Bailey Mego, senior utility man Sergio Gonzales and sophomore utility Edmundo Briseno made the All-District second team.
“Really proud of all our guys, the awards are very deserved, and I think all the other coaches would agree,” said Blackwell. “I think we could’ve had a few more All-District players, but it’s a tough league.”
Blackwell said he enjoyed his first season as a head coach, despite falling in the quarterfinal round of the state playoffs.
“We finished 21-5, battled through the best district in New Mexico and came up short at state. Our seniors have won a title, but I really wanted to send them off with another,” he said. “But we have a great, experienced group coming back and I know I learned a lot. This program has set a standard for excellence and we plan to keep that rolling in 2024.”