Prep baseball heating up, especially in Class 3A

What used to be a distant outpost far off in the distance is now just a stones throw away.

Within a month, nearly all of the 2024-25 high school sports calendar that seemed to stretch on forever will be behind us.

District tournaments for tennis are just a week away, and early May brings a flurry of state championship events ranging from golf in the Four Corners area to track and field in Albuquerque.

When it comes to baseball, much of the Norths attention will again be on Class 3A as all four teams in District 2-3A will be in the state tournament and each is expected to make a push for at least a state semifinal appearance.

West Las Vegas can take a huge step in that direction Monday when the Dons, ranked No.

1 in the coaches poll and No.

2 by MaxPreps, visit St.

Michaels in a much-anticipated afternoon doubleheader.

The double-dip was supposed to be held last weekend in Santa Fe but Mother Nature had other plans.

West Las Vegas (13-3 overall, 1-2 in district) desperately needs at least a split.

The Dons have already lost to Santa Fe Indian School and Robertson (both by one run) and could be cast out of the 2-3A race by weeks end.

They follow Mondays twinbill with a home game Thursday against nondistrict rival Tucumcari, then host Robertson for two games Saturday.

Conversely, Robertson and St.

Michaels could (all together now) make it a two-team race by weeks end.

Those schools have battled it out for years in multiple sports, namely football and basketball.

By simply taking care of business over the next couple of days the Horsemen (13-7, 2-1) can emerge as the team to beat.

They host the Cardinals (11-5-1, 3-1) on Tuesday and then get a visit from Santa Fe Indian School (12-5, 1-3) for two games Saturday.

If coach Augie Ruiz can get enough quality pitching to survive five games in six days, the Horsemens postseason positioning will be at or near the top of the 3A bracket.

For now, all eyes are on the Christian Brothers Athletic Complex for the next two days.

With both Vegas teams in town for three huge district showdowns, things are about to get pretty dicey on the prep diamond.

u u u Speaking of high school baseball, props to the Espanola Valley Sundevils for a heartwarming moment last week.

Arcenio Martinez made an appearance as the starting right fielder for the Espanola Valley junior varsity in a doubleheader against visiting Moriarty on Thursday.

Martinez, a junior who is autistic, has been with the Sundevils program since his freshman year.

April is National Autism Acceptance Month, making it the perfect time for an act of inclusion like this.

u u u He may be gone, but he is not forgotten.

Nelly Junior Joseph was a star for the University of New Mexico mens basketball team the last two years, leading the Lobos to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and a Mountain West regular season title this season.

Hes now angling for a professional career in the U.S.

or overseas.

Joseph made waves over the weekend when he was named the most valuable player of the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, a prestigious offseason league for the countrys top available draft-ready talent.

Joseph played for tournament champions Jani-King and was part of a roster that included Steven Ashworth from Creighton, Curtis Jones from Iowa State, Chris Youngblood from Alabama and Igor Milicic Jr.

from Tennessee.

Joseph scored 24 points and grabbed nine rebounds while hitting 11 of his 13 shot attempts in Sundays championship game win against K&D Rounds.

His only missed shots were from 3-point range, a shot he rarely took while in college at UNM and Iona.

Boise States Tyson Degenhart was the only other Mountain West veteran to play in the tournament, although Ashworth did begin his college career at Utah State before transferring to Creighton.

The PIT, as the tournament is often referred to, has a long and celebrated history.

Legendary players like Scottie Pippen, John Stockton, Dennis Rodman and Jimmy Butler all made appearances before heading off to the NBA.

A total of 29 current NBA players once took part in the PIT.

u u u What was it Neil Armstrong said about one small step? For the New Mexico Highlands baseball team, that small step doesnt have the global impact of, say, walking on the moon, but its something.

The Cowboys need just one more win to surpass last seasons total, and theyve got eight more chances to do it.

At 10-30 overall and 2-22 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, NMHU has already equaled the winning output from last seasons team that finished 10-40, 6-26.

The year before, the Cowboys had arguably the worst season in school history by going 3-47, 2-30.

NMHU has made slow but steady progress this spring and, after visiting RMAC power Regis (27-13, 17-5) for four games in Denver later this week, the Cowboys have a chance to climb out of the conference cellar for the first time in over two years when they close the season at home May 2-3 against Colorado Christian (6-35, 3-21).

Highlands has won just eight home games over the last three seasons.

The vast majority of their games have been on the road; theyve had only 24 of their 90 games since the start of 2024 held at Brandt Field in Las Vegas, N.M.

Much of that is due to the weather, something that routinely forces last-minute changes like a late-February doubleheader against Eastern New Mexico that was moved to Portales due to poor conditions up north..

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