The top high school baseball players from around New Mexico had one last chance to play while finishing their high school careers last weekend at the all-star series.
Among them was McCurdy Charter School senior Kordero Talachy, who was selected as a pitcher for the small-school (A-3A) state all-star baseball series and played for the ‘Red’ all-star team. The red team played against the green team in one game played on a Friday evening and two more the next day, and the green team swept all three games.
“It means a lot to me personally,” Talachy said. “I’ve been playing baseball since T-ball. And I felt that I had a good season this year. And to be picked, really is a good way to sum up my career as a high-school player, and finish it off with one of the best events in baseball that I could be invited to.”
Talachy led the Bobcats through the season with 33 innings pitched and 42 strikeouts as he finished the year with a 4.88 earned run average. Offensively, as the second hitter, he batted .422 and scored 23 runs while batting in 25.
“His ability just to go out there and no-nonsense, and have fun doing it at the same time,” said McCurdy coach Roberto DeVargas.
In the first game, played on June 3, Talachy’s first action came as a courtesy pinch runner after a double in the first inning and a triple in the third, though both times he had little running to do; no balls were put in play while he was on base.
Talachy was on deck to pinch hit when the inning ended in the sixth, and he subbed in to right field in the bottom of the inning. Then, he led off the seventh inning and grounded out to third base on a close play.
“This is the state’s best,” Talachy said. “Really cool to be here. And I feel like I can keep up with these guys just as much as anyone else could.”
Talachy said he was able to meet other players from around the state, and enjoyed being with them in the dugout.
Talachy’s teammate pitcher Andres Borrego was also selected as an all star, but was unable to play in the series after catching COVID-19. Borrego logged 31 innings with 39 strikeouts, and had been a top pitcher the last two seasons, and he batted .410 offensively.
“I think he would have been really proud,” Talachy said. “He’s been working on his craft a lot. He’s a really good pitcher.”
“He was honored, and he was very apologetic that he couldn’t make it,” DeVargas said. “He was very upbeat, he was very ready to come and play.”
Marcos Gasca, who batted .587 and led the state — across all divisions — with 45 stolen bases, likely would have been picked as an all-star but had a conflict with his graduation celebration and thus was not nominated.
Peñasco’s Juan Arellano was also selected as an all star playing for the red team. In the first game, he struck out twice in two at bats as the starting leftfielder.
Statistics were not available from the two games played on Saturday, though the green team swept the red team in all three games.
“This experience is something I’ll never forget,” Talachy said. “I’ll always have the jersey, I’ll always have the medal. And it’s cool to compete with the best of the best.”
“I talked to him, and he was just saying, ‘Wow, coach, these are some good players here,’” DeVargas said of Talachy. “And I go, ‘Just like you.’”