SANDY — Surviving all the hype, and living up to preseason expectations while conquering some inner-team turmoil, the Jordan Beetdiggers baseball team won the 5A state championship and quelled all the critics.
"We know we have the best team out there," said 5A tournament MVP Tyler Anderson during the season. "If we all do our part, and we play together as a team, anything less than a state title will be a disappointment."
Loaded with a roster full of talented seniors, the 'Diggers came together at the right time. After two consecutive runners-up finishes, the same core of players didn't want to come up just short again. Each knew the pressure was on to perform.
And they did.
"We want to win a region title, and then go on and win state," said senior pitcher James Mahler early in the year. "We have all the players in place, and we have been there before, so if we don't win it all, it will be a disappointment."
Playing with the type of pressure put on the team with some lofty national rankings, not to mention the burden of being dubbed the team to beat, was not easy. In fact, the team lost its opener to Timpanogos, something that may have actually been a blessing in disguise.
"I think that maybe it helped us," said coach Ron Anderson a couple of games after the loss. "It brought us back to reality a little. We knew
that we were probably not the No. 9 team in the country and that every team was going to give us its best shot because of the publications putting us there. We realized that we needed to go out and play our best baseball as a team every day if we want to win."
Although loaded with individual talent, it was a complete team that got the job done for Jordan. A different player could step up at any time to get the big hit, or get the big out or make the defensive play.
Garrett Nash has been the anchor at shortstop for the Beetdiggers for four years. His defense and ability to get on base and wreak havoc was a big part of the team. Zach Jones has likewise been a staple behind the plate and has freakish ability. Those two got much of the publicity, but the team had so many more weapons.
Scott Manning was the leading hitter, posting impressive numbers with a .513 average and 38 RBIs. Tyler Anderson was 6-0 on the mound with two saves and hit .386. Troy Steele roamed center field and had an on-base percentage of .505. Mahler was as intimidating as any pitcher in the state with a penchant for the strikeout. He struck out 10 and seven batters in a row in two different games this season. Sean Taylor, Ben Gollaher and Zane Gray round out what was surely the best overall senior class in the state.
"We have all been playing together a long time, and we all love each other and hang out all the time," said Tyler Anderson. "We know it is up to us to get it done, and we count on one another to do the job."
With most of the team leaving high school baseball — many of the players will not be ending their respective baseball careers as colleges and perhaps the pros will be counting on many of these stars — the few underclassmen who got playing time with be counted on to uphold the tradition that has been set.
Derrick Amicone and Cody Raymond were the two position players who played significant roles, and Tyson Labrum is a pitcher returning who can step into a No. 1 spot and dominate opponents. With those three leading the way, it will be interesting to see what kind of players were waiting in the wings behind the best baseball team in Jordan's history.
And that was exactly what it was — a team.
"The thing about these guys is that they all want to win," said Ron Anderson. "They are willing to do whatever is asked of them. They don't care about the individual numbers. If a guy needs to lay down a bunt, he does it. It is all the little things they do that make them great and wins baseball games."
JORDAN BASEBALL
Record: 23-4
Region: 13-2
State: Won championship
RESULTS
March 12 Timpanogos 12, Jordan 6
March 16 Jordan 13, Kearns 2
March 27 Jordan 16, Skyline 3
March 29 Jordan 12, Skyline 1
March 30 Jordan 6, Skyline 4
April 5 Jordan 8, Marian, Calif. 0
April 5 Jordan 5, Cimarron, Nev. 3
April 6 Jordan 6, Braddock, Fla. 2
April 7 Bishop Gorman, Nev. 13, Jordan 2
April 13 Jordan 17, American Fork 3
April 17 Jordan 10, Alta 0
April 19 Jordan 15, Alta 3
April 20 Jordan 4, Alta 1
April 24 Jordan 20, Brighton 3
April 25 Jordan 9, Brighton 0
April 27 Jordan 12, Brighton 0
May 1 Taylorsville 7, Jordan 3
May 2 Jordan 6, Taylorsville 0
May 4 Taylorsville 7, Jordan 6
May 8 Jordan 8, Hillcrest 0
May 9 Jordan 11, Hillcrest 7
May 11 Jordan 10, Hillcrest 0
5A FIRST ROUND
May 15 Jordan 17, Davis 0
5A QUARTERFINAL
May 16 Jordan 10, Spanish Fork 8
5A SEMIFINAL
May 22 Jordan 13, Riverton 4
5A SEMIFINAL
May 24 Jordan 6, Fremont 1
5A CHAMPIONSHIP
May 25 Jordan 6, Taylorsville 4
E-mail: mblack@desnews.com