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Red Mountain baseball tested as playoffs loom

BY ZACH ALVIRA

Tribune Sports Editor

Red Mountain’s goal for the 2022 baseball season was to test itself in non-region play.

It’s safe to say the Mountain Lions did just that.

They took part in several mid-season tournaments, at one time traveling out of state to California where they saw a new level of talent with Division I players scattered across the field on every team. They were tired at times from the gauntlet of a schedule. There were times where they didn’t play like themselves.

But head coach Rob Gorrell knew that would be the case and to this point, he’s proud of the way his players responded to the adversity.

“We didn’t get off to the greatest start, but we were able to see some really good competition and we figured it would get us rolling a little bit in the end,” Gorrell said. “It was frustrating at the start, but I think it’s paid off.”

Red Mountain has quickly become a power in the East Valley. Similar to conference foe Hamilton, one of the top-ranked teams in the state and country on a yearly basis, the Mountain Lions’ roster boasts a slew of next-level players.

There are currently six Division I recruits in Red Mountain’s baseball program. A handful more plan to go the junior college route. Many of them have watched each other grow up, playing alongside them on the same club team for many years.

The familiarity among the players, especially those in this year’s senior class, allowed them to come together mid-season when the team was struggling at the plate. TJ Adams, a senior outfielder and University of Arizona signee, said that was the turning point for the program. They flipped a metaphorical switch and since then have been raking at the plate.

“We had a meeting a couple weeks ago and we were figuring out what we needed to do better,” Adams said. “Our mantra is 1-0 on the day. Once we realized what Red Mountain baseball coach Rob Gorrell said his team’s early stretch of games, which included top teams in Arizona and from out of state, helped prepare his program for the rest of the season as they near the playoffs as one of the top four teams in 6A. (Dave Minton/Tribune Staff)

we needed to work on, we worked on it. We told ourselves to go 1-0 every day and that helped.”

The Mountain Lions opened the season with a win over Shadow Ridge before going eight innings against Hamilton in a one-run loss. They followed it up with a

win over Brophy before going to California for an invitational. It was there Red Mountain saw perhaps some of the best arms all season. The Mountain Lions played and lost to the likes of California power Mater Dei, Santa Margarita and Temecula Valley. They capped off the tournament with a win over Poudre, a team out of Fort Collins, Colorado. When Red Mountain returned to Arizona, it immediately began to play in the Boras Classic, which featured Hamilton and national powers Bishop Gorman and Reno, the latter of which won the tournament. The Mountain Lions struggled to find power at the plate in their two opening losses to Tucson and MounRed Mountain senior outfielder TJ Adams, a University of Arizona tain Ridge. But finally, signee, said the team had a meeting and realized they needed to refocus on their mantra of going 1-0 every day. Since then, the Mountain Lions have been dominant. (Dave Minton/Tribune Staff) against Arcadia, they began to play up to their own standards set earlier in the season.

“The fact that we were losing got under our skin a little bit and we were frustrated,” senior infielder Mitch Namie said. “We knew we had to turn it up. At the end of the day, I think those losses were good for us.

“We realized we had to come out and compete. It made us better.”

Since the loss to Mountain Ridge on March 17 in Boras, the Mountain Lions have gone 12-2. Their only two losses came against rival Mountain View in a series split and No. 5 O’Connor.

During that stretch of games Red Mountain outscored opponents 112-31. Finally, the run support for ace pitcher Mason Kelley and the rest of the pitching staff Gorrell had been searching for all season came along. Now the Mountain Lions hope to continue carrying that momentum with them through their final stretch of games before the postseason, where they will likely lock up a top four seed.

“We haven’t given him run support all year,” Gorrell said of Kelley. “To give him that, he’s been the backbone and has weathered the storm against some of those top teams. He has helped us get some of these other guys going offensively. With all of that, we can be a little dangerous.”

The mindset all year for Red Mountain has revolved around going 1-0 every day. The players and coaching staff don’t like to look too far ahead.

But they know they’re on the verge of a potentially special season. Especially for those who have played together since a young age, winning a state title has been a dream of theirs for as long as they can remember. Now, it’s all about execution and getting the right pieces healthy enough to put themselves in position to do just that.

“It would be nice if we had another pitcher healthy,” Gorrell said. “Pitching can carry you in (the postseason). Our offense has come on lately. If we can keep it going, we’ve got a shot if we keep swinging the bats like that.” ■

29 Golf event honoring Hall of Famer gearing up in Mesa

BY ZACH ALVIRA

Tribune Sports Editor

Marilynn Smith was a pioneer for women’s golf. She was one of the 13 founding members of the LPGA and consistently welcomed new women, both young and old, to the game by taking them under her wing and becoming a mentor. For a decade she held a Pro-Am in Arizona with the goal to raise money for a scholarship she created to benefit high school golfers looking to compete at the next level.

Her passing in 2019 was a loss for the entire golf community. But Debbie Waitkus and the rest of the Marilynn Smith & Founders’ Legacy Foundation, along with the Arizona Golf Foundation, are making sure her memory lives on through the event that is making its return for the first time since 2018 and a new event that will further grow women’s golf.

“Bringing her Pro-Am back was key to our community,” Waitkus said. “She was the lifeblood of the LPGA for so long. We got permission from Marilynn’s family to use her name for the Marilynn Smith Arizona Women’s Open and Senior Championship.

“Just having a week of these activities, those traditions are something we can build on.”

A Sunday Tea will be held Monday, May 1 at Papago Golf Club in Phoenix to kick off the festivities. Arizona Golf Hall of Famer Bill Huffman will interview players at the tea, including World Golf Hall of Famers Kathy Whitworth and Susie Berning and Texas State Golf Hall of Famer Sandra Palmer.

Before the event, Waitkus was part of a team that put together a memorabilia display at Papago for the Sunday Tea. A similar display will be placed at Longbow Golf Club in Mesa, where the celebrity Pro-Am will take place Monday, May 2 followed by the Inaugural Arizona Women’s Open – Senior Division tournament on May 3-4.

Whitworth and Berning, who is this year’s Participating Honoree, will be at the Pro-Am to mingle with guests and players. Fellow World Golf Hall of Famer Pat Bradley will take part in the event by joining one of the teams. In addition, 2011 Team USA Captain Rosie Jones, 2021 Team USA Captain Pat Hurst, 2015 Team USA Assistant Captain Wendy Ward and former Solheim Cup players Danielle Ammaccapane and Brandie Burton will also take part in the Pro-Am.

“We’ve had these Hall of Famers year after year to participate in Marilynn’s Pro-Am,” Waitkus said. “For this year, being the first one without Marilynn, we reached out to prior participating honorees and asked them if they would come.”

There are currently still spots available for teams in the Pro-Am. Waitkus said men are welcomed to participate.

Proceeds for the event will go toward the Marilynn Smith Scholarship Fund, which are awarded annually through The LPGA Foundation. Established in 1999, the fund aims to award scholarships to female high school golfers who aim to take their talents to the next level.

Golfers apply for the scholarship in the fall. Essays, letters of recommendation and a questionnaire are required to be considered for the scholarship. To date, more than $1 million has been awarded to over 200 young women. This year, Waitkus said the foundation hopes to award 15 scholarships for $5,000. “Marilynn’s vision was not necessarily that someone was going to go to college and play golf,” Waitkus said. “That happens. But the idea was to get an education. Let (the scholarship) take you to a school you wouldn’t ordinarily go to. What’s your dream? Leverage the golf. “It isn’t to become a Tour player but to go to school and let golf open doors for you.” The event as a whole helps further open doors for young female golfers not only across the state but the country. Due to a scheduling conflict with the US A Sunday Tea and Pro-Am honoring Marilynn Smith, one of the 13 founders of the LPGA, will be held May 1-2 at Papago Golf Club and Longbow Golf Club in Mesa, followed by the Arizona Women’s Open Championship – Senior Division on May 3-4. A display with memorabilia is currently set up at Papago and Open qualifying week, the inaugural Arizona Women’s Open Championship is limited to the will be at Longbow for the event. (Courtesy Debbie Waitkus) senior division this year. However, Waitkus said the tournament will kick off next year and carry on the vision of Smith and the rest of the founding members of the LPGA Tour. It will also open the door as another opportunity for women golfers to compete for the Founders Cup. “We’re considering this our soft opening,” Waitkus said. “We are in a community where we have a lot of Tour players living. This will be during a time where there aren’t any Tour commitments so we can leverage having some of those players in addition to the seniors. “I think this is going to continue to get bigger and bigger.” ■

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Contact Zach Alvira at zalvira@timespublications.com and follow him on Twitter @ZachAlvira.