With another year of impressive strides, the Montezuma-Cortez High School footprint on the statewide baseball scene continues to grow.
After another .500 season and regional tournament appearance, the Panthers picked up a number of postseason accolades to honor a strong season.
Four Panthers landed on the All-Intermountain League team, while a fifth earned a selection for the Top 50 Underclassmen showcase. Senior Trinidad McDonell joined juniors Jake Blackmer and Evan LaMunyon on the All-IML first team, while sophomore Miles Frost landed a second-team nod.
Meanwhile, junior Braden Hallman made his way to Denver’s Allstar Park to participate in the Top 50 showcase after selection by the state’s coaches association and Prep Baseball Report.
McDonell capped off his career as the ace of the Panthers pitching staff, posting a 3.09 ERA and 4-1 record in his senior year. The hard-throwing McDonell struck out better than a batter per inning, while also serving as a steady bat in the lineup, hitting at a .362 clip.
Blackmer’s offense paced the way for a hard-hitting Panthers lineup, as the junior led the team in batting average (.487), hits (37), and RBIs (27). Much of his offensive pop produced an eye-popping 19 extra-base hits, including a school record nine triples.
Blackmer often sent LaMunyon around the base paths, as his classmate served as a constant threat to reach base from his lead-off spot. LaMunyon scored 32 runs – a team-high – while showing a lethal power and speed combination, with three home runs and 13 stolen bases – both best on the team.
Batting cleanup, Frost pounded opposition pitching, with nearly half his base hits going for extra bases, including 11 doubles. His 23 RBIs finished only behind Blackmer on the team, and the right-hander also appeared nine times on the mound for head coach Tim Passell’s rotation.
Junior catcher Braden Hallman produced another steady year, both offensively and behind the dish. His talent caught the eye of the state’s voting committee, which tabbed Hallman to take part in the Top 50 showcase at Allstar Park in Denver to join some of the other top underclassmen from across the state.
Hallman’s season included a .391 batting average and a team-best .541 on-base percentage. His defense catching McDonell, Frost, LaMunyon, Blackmer and the rest of the Panthers pitching staff earned him a reputation as one of the best receivers in the state.
On Wednesday, June 8, Hallman took part in the showcase contest in Denver to represent the M-CHS program. A number of Panthers look toward a summer full of baseball before the 2022-23 athletic calendar gets underway, and the Panthers set their sights on a league title push next spring.
