DRAWING ALL-DISTRICT ACCOLADES

Leading Clifton Cubs to the brink of playoffs, freshman Ritz named to All-District 17-3A first team, New and Rodriguez draw second-team honors, two more honorable mentions

After more than doubling their win total from any of the previous four seasons, the Clifton Cub baseball squad were recognized for their efforts with selections to the All-District 17-3A team announced last week.

Freshman pitcher and slugger Jackson Ritz earned all-district first team honors after the Cubs came up just short of their goal of returning to the Class 3A state playoffs for the first time since 2019.

Sophomore Judd New and senior Ervin Rodriguez were selected to the all-district second team, while senior Clay Kennedy and junior Hunter Weir drew honorable mention recognition. And along the way, the Cubs went on a wild ride that took them to the brink of getting back where they belong.

“The main takeaway on the season is we got better and more competitive as a team,” Clifton baseball veteran head coach Brian Slater said. “And as a program, we improved from the previous few seasons and kept improving as the year progressed. With our returning players, we will be excited about their continued growth as players and look forward to improving on what we did this year.

Facing their final two-game, home-and-home series against the Grandview Zebras to wrap up the District 17-3A schedule, the Cubs controlled their own destiny needing to win one of the final two games of the regular season to clinch a trip to the postseason. Going into the final week of the regular season the 16th-ranked West Trojans, (9-1, 18-9), 17th-ranked Maypearl (8-2, 15-10) and the Whitney Wildcats (5-5, 12-15) had already clinch playoff spots, leaving Clifton and Grandview fighting head-to-head for the final berth.

Playing their best baseball of the season, the Zebras (4-6, 13-11-1) swept Cubs (4-6, 11-15), knocking off Clifton, 7-0 April 19 before Grandview eliminated the Cubs, 9-2, April 22. Although both clubs finished with identical 4-6 records in district, the Zebras advanced by virtue of the series sweep.

“Grandview, over the two games, just played better than us all around,” Slater said. “I believe their experience from being a perennial playoff team with the number of upperclassmen allowed them to handle the pressure moments better than us.”

Facing a do-or-die situation in Game 1, Grandview rose to the occasion as Zebra Owen Moore tossed a complete-game, two-hit shutout while striking out six and walking only one for a convincing 7-0 victory over the Cubs at home.

Then in Game 2 last Tuesday, the Cubs jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning as freshman Cash Carpenter delivered a run-scoring single. But Grandview responded with five runs in the top of the second to take a lead they never relinquished. Zebra Wesley Hanna tossed a complete game four-hitter, allowing only one earned run while striking out 12 and walking only one.

As Clifton’s only all-district, first-team selection, Ritz finished the season with a .369 batting average and an impressive 1.293 OPS while collecting 24 hits, three doubles, a team-high nine triples and a homer, scoring a team-high 29 runs, knocking in 21 more and stealing a team-high 14 bases. On the mound, Ritz tossed a team-high 53 innings, posting a 5-3 win-loss record with a 2.64 earned run average while striking out 60.

Making the all-district, second-team, New batted .315 on the season, collecting 23 hits, walking 14 times, and scoring 23 runs. On the mound, New posted a 4-4 win-loss record with a 3.96 earned run average while striking out 31 in 35.1 innings pitched. Also a second-team selection, Rodriguez hit .284, collecting 19 hits, six doubles, three triples with 14 runs batted in and 18 runs scored.

Drawing honorable mention notice, Kennedy posted a .342 batting average, collecting 25 hits and walking a team-high 20 times with three doubles, scoring 22 runs and knocking in nine more along with nine stolen bases. On the mound, Kennedy tossed 22.2 innings for a 4.09 earned run average while striking out 15. Weir knocked in 17 runs while playing catcher and first base.

Despite missing the postseason, the Cubs will only be losing three seniors to graduation and will have nine underclassmen with varsity experience returning to continue rebuilding the Clifton baseball program.

“But we had three seniors in Clay Kennedy, Ervin Rodriguez, and Bryan Ramirez who put everything into making this their best season,” Slater said. “With their leadership along with their play on the field, they helped change the narrative about Clifton Baseball. I am proud of what they and the team did this year and we hope that this is just the beginning.”