Monticello baseball team closes out season with 11 wins for best season in eight years

by Rhett Sifford
Sports Editor
The Monticello High School baseball team’s season came to a close with a tough 6-5 loss at Parowan in the 2A Utah State one-loss second round on Tuesday, May 5.
The #8 Buckaroos led 5-2 going into the final inning of the game, but the #7 Rams plated four base runners in the top of the seventh and Monticello was unable to answer in the bottom of the inning.
Despite the heartbreaking loss, there were numerous high points in the game for Monticello, as there were all season. Arturo Gutierrez was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate with one run batted in and one run scored.
Kord Young was 3-for-4 with a triple, a double, two RBIs, and a run scored. And Jackson Keyes was 1-for-3 with a home run, two RBIs, and a run scored.
Jaeden Camacho got two hits in the loss and Triston Felix got one. On the mound Felix was within sight of a two-run complete game before Parowan got to him in the seventh. Still, he allowed just seven hits and struck out six batters.
Felix ended the season with 169 strikeouts, which is a new Utah State record for most strikeouts in a season for all classifications.
He broke the previous record in the week leading up to the state tournament when he struck out his 157th batter of the season, toppling Mark Pawelek’s 2003 and 2004 marks of 156 strikeouts.
Felix also broke the state record for most consecutive strikeouts with 20 against Dolores, which he accomplished twice this season. And he’s on pace to set a new mark for most career strikeouts next season as well.
And, to top all that off, Felix also led the Buckaroo offense this season with a .508 batting average. He hit safely in 33 of his 65 at-bats, driving in a team-high 26 runs and scoring 38. He hit two home runs, two triples, and ten doubles this season.
Jackson Keyes was tightly behind his teammate with a .493 average. He was 33-for-67 on the season with 20 RBIs and a team-high 32 runs scored. He hit four home runs and ten doubles.
Cache Young batted .418 this year for Monticello with 28 hits, 25 RBIs, and 24 runs scored. He hit one homer, one triple, and seven doubles. Jaeden Camacho hit .365 with 23 hits, six doubles, 20 RBIs, and 11 runs scored.
Kord Young sported a .362 batting average for the Buckaroos with 21 hits, 12 RBIs, and six runs scored. He collected two triples and four doubles.
And Arturo Gutierrez was a steady rock for the team this season with a .343 average, 23 hits, four RBIs, and 30 runs scored. He had one triple and six doubles.
Several younger Buckaroos contributed throughout the season and with only two seniors graduating this year (Keyes and Camacho), they’ll see more action as early as next season.
Felix and Cache Young co-led the team with 17 stolen bases apiece this year. Kord Young swiped 13 bags, Gutierrez nine, Camacho seven, and Keyes three.
From the catcher’s spot Gutierrez led the team with a .971 fielding percentage. He collected a very impressive 215 putouts, which ranks seventh in the state.
Triston Felix truly owned the mound again this season for Monticello. He produced a minuscule 2.23 earned-run average and collected eight wins.
He struck out almost half of the batters he faced and allowed just 61 hits and 26 earned runs in 81.2 innings of work.
Jackson Keyes was a very capable reliever for the team in his senior campaign. He allowed 53 hits and 34 earned runs while striking out 44 batters in 37 innings pitched.
Cache Young also saw some action on the mound for the Bucks, allowing 11 earned runs on 16 hits while striking out six in 9.1 innings.
Monticello ends the season with 11 wins and 11 losses. It was their most wins in a season since 2018 when they won 13 games.
Following the conclusion of the season Buckaroo Head Coach Josh Keyes expressed his feelings on his team and what they accomplished this season.
“This team was very special in the fact that Coach Ryan Young, Coach Nick Felix, and I had spent so many years with this group through city rec and travel baseball,” Keyes began. “We have watched this group grow and learn to love the sport of baseball.
“Cache Young had a fantastic year at the plate and anchored short for us while Jaeden Camacho came up clutch time and time again at the plate.
“The unsung hero on this team, the beating heart of this squad is Arturo Gutierrez. He caught every varsity inning and batted leadoff, securing big hit after big hit. He brought the energy we needed day after day to keep the team rolling.  
“It was a memorable season based on the accomplishments achieved by these boys,” said Keyes. “It was another strong power year at the plate for Jackson Keyes who finished with four home runs and concluded his career with 15 varsity dingers.
“Triston Felix’s record-breaking season with a UHSAA-record 169 strikeouts and one big monster upset win on the road at Gunnison cemented the effort and sacrifice of this team.  
“As the season concluded, I waited patiently for my emotions to hit as the melancholy of change set in, but I can honestly say I feel at ease with the finality of this season.
“When we look back and reflect, this group will remember 12 boys who showed up every day, represented a 1A school playing 2A baseball, faced down overwhelming odds, and found a way to earn the respect of their opponents.”