Juan Diego soars to second straight 3A baseball title

Photo courtesy of Juan Diego Catholic High School

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The Juan Diego Catholic High School 2010 baseball team took a 5-1 victory over Canyon View to win the state championship.

DRAPER — Troy Davis has squashed any qualms there might have been when he was named to replace Steve Cramblitt as coach of Juan Diego Catholic High School’s baseball team. The Soaring Eagle’s 2010 season showed losses only to non-3A teams and ended with a decisive 5-1 victory over Canyon View for the state 3A championship May 15.

Creating a championship team wasn’t Davis’ top priority, however. "Personally I felt more pressure on continuing a high standard of baseball that Coach Cramblitt has inspired to the JDCHS baseball program," Davis said. "Don’t get me wrong, these young men winning the state tournament made me extremely proud, but I am equally as proud of the accomplishments they made off the field."

Still, winning state was an amazing experience, he said. "I am so happy for our players. They are not only champions on the field, but off the field as well. They played so hard and competed every day, every pitch and every inning. That’s what it takes to be a state champion. I am sure they got tired of me saying this, but they truly bought in."

Davis fielded a team with a solid roster of seniors. Of the seven, Joey Hendricks and Jordan Thompson were the primary pitchers, combining with an 11-2 record. Left-fielder Mitch Moncur "gained tremendous respect from his team and his coaching staff," Davis said, and AJ Pizza, Luke West, AJ Begay and Frankie Sutera were team captains, along with junior Kody Davis.

"The senior class was the anchor of this championship team and I feel truly blessed to have the opportunity to be a part of their lives," Davis said.

The state tournament was filled with highlights, Davis said, such as the Soaring Eagle team stealing home twice in the game against Richfield – Kody Davis in the first inning scoring the first run and Corbyn Quintana in the seventh for the winning run. The pitchers also stood out: Joey Hendricks against Richfield in the semi final, Luke west shutting down Deseret Hills in the quarter final and Begay in the championship game.