After another deep run in the Class 1A State Playoffs, the Dove Creek baseball team has been recognized for its outstanding play with a heap of postseason awards.
Dove Creek finished the season 9-14, falling in the state semifinals in an attempt to repeat as champions after winning the 2015 state title.
And following the season, it nearly had its full team selected to San Juan Basin League all-conference teams, with eight different Bulldogs getting a nod.
Jordan Ernst highlighted the group by being named as the league’s Co-Player of the Year, along with Ignacio’s Anthony Manzanarez.
Ernst, a 2016 graduate, was also named to the SJBL first team as a pitcher. He started nine games on the mound for Dove Creek, finishing with a 4-3 record with a 4.13 ERA and 74 strikeouts. Offensively, he hit .410 on the season with two home runs and a team-leading 33 RBIs.
Teammates Derek Kibel (catcher), Colin Hobbs (infield), Kyle Schultz (utility) and Case Baughman (outfield) joined Ernst on the all-conference first team.
In his sophomore season at catcher, Kibel was tied with Hobbs for the team’s highest batting average (.463), led the team in doubles (12) and finished with 12 RBIs on the season.
Graduating seniors Hobbs and Schultz were selected to the conference team as infield and utility players, but they were also valuable pieces of the Bulldogs pitching rotation.
Hobbs was 1-6 in eight starts, pitching 36.1 innings and striking out 34. He also hit .463 on the season to lead the team with Kibel and mashed a team-high four home runs while driving in 25.
Schultz started six games on the bump for the Bulldogs and finished with a 3-4 record, while striking out 34 on the season. He hit .152 on the year with 15 runs and five RBIs.
Baughman, also a 2016 grad, spent most of his time in the outfield. And then offensively, he hit .392 with 15 RBIs and two home runs.
As if the Dove Creek-heavy first team didn’t showcase the Bulldogs’ talent enough, they also had three members named to the league’s second team.
Graduating senior Beau Hemphill was chosen as a designated hitter, junior Scott Gatlin was selected as an infielder and freshman Ryan Martinez was slotted as an outfielder.
Hemphill hit .316 with 23 RBIs, and struck out just eight times in 89 plate appearances on the year, Gatlin hit .353 with two home runs and Martinez finished as a .226 hitter with nine RBIs.