This year marks David Soveranez’s second leading Pojoaque baseball.
And now, he is finding out some of the challenges of being a coach.
“As easy as everything went last year,” Soveranez said, “it’s a little bit tougher this year.”
The Elks (0-14) with a young team are still looking for their first win of the season, after going 0-3 at the Moriarty Tournament on Wednesday and Thursday.
“We talk to the boys about controlling what we can control,” Soveranez said. “We can control how good we play. Hopefully we’ll be playing better.”
A year ago, Pojoaque made the tournament for the first time since 2016, and had their first winning season since 2012. They also graduated six seniors from that team, including their five best hitters and two leading pitchers.
This year’s team is largely led by sophomores.
“Such a young team, we don’t use it as an excuse,” Soveranez said. “But can’t avoid that we’ve got lack of experience. They still have a positive attitude.”
Soveranez mentioned hitting as an area with room for improvement — the Elks average less than four runs per game.
“We have a young team, a lot to develop,” said senior Ernesto Cardenas. “It’s coming together, slowly. It’s hard, but it’s pretty good. We’ll get better slowly, with time.”
Making matters more difficult, they were missing eight players for the Moriarty Tournament for Holy Week celebrations and tribal obligations, and were down to 10. Dominic Apodaca was often alone in the dugout with coaches.
Pojoaque lost their first game 9-0 to Bernalillo (10-3) after giving up six runs in the second inning. Their offense recorded three hits and no walks with one hit by pitch. Bernalillo would go on to win the tournament championship.
In the next round, they lost 10-0 to Portales (3-3), allowing five runs in the fourth inning. The team recorded five hits, including two from Ezekiel Atencio.
That put them in the final game against Gallup (4-9), which they lost 10-4. Pojoaque quickly fell behind as the first inning spiraled on Gallup’s two-out rally with three straight hits ultimately leading to five runs scoring.
Pojoaque ultimately fell down 10-0 in the sixth inning. But then they started to rally.
Atencio and Cardenas led off with walks, and Raudel Rivera doubled in a run. Cardenas scored on a balk, and Apodaca pinch hit for another double. Ultimately they scored three runs in the inning, ensuring they would not leave the week scoreless. In the seventh inning, they kept the fight alive as Noah Torres scored on an error, but they ultimately lost 10-4.
“Thank goodness we had some glimmer of hope,” Soveranez said. “I think that will make the bus drive a lot quicker. Just thankful we scored some runs in this tournament.”
Pojoaque begins their district season at home against Moriarty on April 3, hoping that a new season will bring increased success.
“We’re thinking of it as a new season,” Soveranez said.