On Wednesday, Around the Horn chronicled the successes of Arizona 5A-I newcomers Desert Ridge. However, if the Jags hope to take home the 5A-I crown this spring, they will have to go through last year’s runner-up, the Hamilton Huskies.

The Huskies are 18-2 on the season and recently cracked Max Prep’s National Top 20 and won the Big League Dugout Invitational last Thursday. Hamilton defeated Colorado’s number one team, the Rocky Mountain Lobos, to claim the title.

Hamilton has been riding the hot bat of slick-fielding shortstop Jorge Flores. The 5'6" senior is batting .507 with two homeruns, 11 doubles and 17 RBI. He has stolen 17 bases, too.

Flores also hit a homer against Rocky Mountain in the Big League Dugout Invitational and claimed the tournament’s MVP honors.

Ryan Casillas is also providing pop for the Huskies. The senior first baseman is batting .429 with seven homers and 26 RBI.

Junior Jake Andrews leads Hamilton on the mound. The hefty righty is 7-1 with a 1.71 ERA.

ATH for Wednesday:

A year after winning the 5A-II state championship, the Desert Ridge Jaguar baseball team seems poised to make a similar impact at the 5A-I level.

The Jaguars (16-4, 4-0) haven't missed a stride since moving up a division this season, scoring almost nine runs a game while allowing fewer than four.

“If we pitch well, we will always give ourselves a chance to be in the game at the end,” said Desert Ridge head coach Pat Herrera.

One key to Desert Ridge's success in 5A-II is the return of some key veterans from last year’s squad. Third baseman Travis Flores, last year's championship-game hero, is swinging a hot bat again this year. He is currently batting over .400 with nine homeruns.

Arizona State fans can look forward to seeing Flores in the future. The young power hitter is set to suit up for the Devils next year.

Two more key players for the Jaguars are pitchers Scott Hoffman and Taylor Kaczmarek. Both players have posted ERAs under two.

Kaczmarek can also get it done from the batter's box. The senior has smacked ten homers so far this year.

In addition to Flores, two other Jaguars have signed on to play ball at the college level. DW Warner will be attending Western Kentucky. Russell Vaugahn will be going to Wheaton College.

ATH for Tuesday:

The AZ Storm softball club is preparing its players for the future on the field and in the classroom. So far this year, 12 current and former players have signed national letters of intent to play ball at the next level after high school.

Fans in Arizona will become extremely familiar with Casa Grande senior Bailey Wigness and Cienega senior Ashlee Brawley. Both players have forgone out-of-state offers to stay in Arizona. The two Storm studs will fine themselves on opposite ends of the diamond, however, with Wigness signing on with Arizona State and Brawley signing with the Wildcats.

Both players are incredible all-around athletes, said Storm coach Brian Tyler. Wigness also excels at volleyball. Brawley was a four-year starter at Cienega, a perennial high school softball powerhouse.

Another Storm player staying in Arizona is Claire Zampini. The Deer Valley High School senior is a multi-faceted athlete and has signed on with Grand Canyon University. Last season, Zampini gave up a chance to compete at state in the quarter mile for Deer Valley in order to play in the state championship softball game for the school.

“Even though all of our girls are good individually, they are even better as a group,” said Tyler. “They are strong as a unit.”

Two more Storm players and Cienega seniors will be staying fairly close to home by attending the University of Colorado. Catcher Emily Pohl and outfielder Morghan Doughty both made first team all-southern Arizona and will be heading north to showcase their skills.

Pohl is a smart catcher and called her own games for the Storm. Doughty is a rare left-handed power hitter.

“I wouldn't be surprised if both of them [Pohl and Doughty] are four year starters up there,” said Tyler.

Deer Valley senior Jenny Tyler gets it done in the circle and in the textbooks. The hard-throwing pitcher has an opportunity to gain some immediate playing time when she heads to Northwestern in the fall. Teammate and Centennial senior Paige Tonz will join Tyler at Northwestern.

Rae Ball received a full scholarship to Fairfield University, while 2009 graduate and former Storm star Chrissy Tyler was given a full scholarship to South Dakota University.

Outfielders Jen Schellenberg and Codi Kelly and catcher Kelsey Rodriguez also signed letters. Schellenberg signed with Colorado State, Kelly signed with Newberry College and Rodriguez signed with University of Pacific.

Even the younger Storm players are getting into the mix. Cactus Shadows junior Gracie Goulder has all the intangibles a coach could want, said Tyler. Apparently the scouts agree. She has signed with the University of Georgia.

All of the players owe their scholarship opportunities to coach Rick Beach, said Tyler. Beach has a long history in the softball community and works hard to put his players on college coaches’ radar.

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