Diamond doings: Mustangs set to play ball
Improvement the theme for Spring 2020 season.
(Third in a series of previews for Spring 2020.)
Play ball!
Mullen anticipates a move to rejoin Class 5A’s elite in 2020.
“We were (13-11) last year and hope to improve,” second-year Mustangs coach Nick Arcuri said.
The inner core of Mullen’s fate will determine its record. There’s talented sophomore Trevor Moore, a pitcher-shortstop. Arcuri said Moore’s fastball is reaching the low 90s in mph “and is one of the hardest-working kids I’ve seen.” There’s also Nick Perri, a senior first baseman-third baseman; A.J. Naha, senior catcher; Alec Elges, senior pitcher-second base; Stephan Loya, senior infielder; Matthew Tafoya, senior pitcher; and Wyatt Reynolds, senior pitcher.
Sophomores also will dot the pitching rotation, Arcuri said, and there’s a chance 10th-graders will start in all three outfield positions.
The Mustangs will open the regular season on Thursday, March 12, at Highlands Ranch, first pitch at 4 p.m.; have their home opener on March 17 against Dakota Ridge, 4:15 p.m.; and head to Phoenix on March 18 over spring break. Another nonleaguer, against parochial-rival and defending 5A Colorado champion Regis Jesuit, will be on March 26.
Mullen’s Centennial League opener will be on April 2 at home at Bill Swift Field against Cherry Creek and it’s a segment of the schedule in which it hopes to vastly improve. The Mustangs were 6-8 in league a year ago.
“It’s the toughest league around, they all know how to coach and come after us,” Arcuri said. “There are four-to-five teams that can just kick your butt, the toughest league to play in, but I think we’ll be fine.”
The regular season will run through May 19. The 5A regionals will be May 22-23 and the Championship Series is set for May 29-30 and June 5-6 at All-City Field.
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