Baseball | 10/27/2022 11:01:00 PM

        The 2022 Trailblazer Baseball Navy/Red World Series Draft is in the books and it was a doozy.  The Navy Team Captains:  Jake Dahle, Tyson Fisher, and Zach Thomas were victorious in the Trailblazer Trivia Challenge, but deferred the first pick in the draft. With that move the Red Captains:  Benton Hart, Mathew Ivancich, and Sean Keating selected first and chose Hank Dodson (Junior from North Carolina).  Hank is a clubhouse favorite and not a huge surprise as the top pick.  

        Dodson also become the first player to be selected first overall twice in his career.  Navy then countered with their first two selections of catcher Morgan Albrecht and infielder Shane Taylor.  It marks the first time in Navy/Red World Series history that three juniors were taken with the first three selections.  When asked about their first picks, Red Co-Captain Benton Hart said, "Dodson is a winner…that's all you need to know". While Navy Co-Captain Jake Dahle was asked about Albrecht and Taylor and stated "Defense is our priority, which we proved with these picks". 
 
        With the first round completed, the Captains had a chance to reflect on their first round picks.  "We came into the draft with a good plan and executed it well. There were some surprises from the other side that we had to adjust to, but overall we got the guys we wanted." said the Red Captains.  While last year, the phrase "little guy, big heart" continued coming up in the war room, this year the talk was all about pitching and how many "Dudes" were on the board.  "Each team clearly had a plan and executed that plan.  It is obvious how much each team values pitching and match-ups." Stated World Series commissioner Chris Pfatenhauer.
         
        Red had the chance to pick two players in the second round and cashed in with two solid picks:  sophomore infielder Ethan He, the 2021 World Series MVP and junior pitcher Ryan Hardman.  He had a solid freshman campaign in 2022, boasting a .271 average.  Hardman has been a staple in the Trailblazer pitching. staff over his first two seasons, but has ramped it up this fall and is pushing to be the guy in '23.  "We took what we thought was the best available players and thin overall we won day one." – Red Staff.  The Navy squad countered by adding two very good players from the state of Utah, Brett Porthan and Levi Randall.  Pfatenhauer on the Navy picks -- "Porthan and Randall bring a ton of dimension to this squad; they are both mature guys that bring a lot to the table…Great Picks!"  Porthan has had a solid career thus far, posting a 9-4 record through his first two seasons.  While Levi Randall has been no stranger to success either.  Levi is hitting .407 in his young Trailblazer career and can lock down all three outfield positions.  When Randall was asked about being the first freshman taken in this year's draft, he said "I will let my calves do the talking".
         
        As the captains built their rosters through night one of the draft, it was clear that defense was of great value.  Red added fellow Las Vegans, Chase Rodriguez and Garrett Cutting while Navy added two Californians; Ben Clark and Blake Borgogno.  Rodriguez has been a steady contributor during his first two seasons in the navy and red, smacking two homers and hitting .279 in 2022.  Cutting was a highly touted prospect coming out of Arbor View High School and is destined to live up to those expectations.  After a red shirt year at Oregon, Cutting's found a home at The Hurst. Ben Clark hasn't pitched meaningful innings since 2019, prior to a two-year church mission and a red-shirt year, but it is obvious that he is back and ready to roll based on his draft spot.  Borgogno was an everyday contributor to the Mt. Sac Conference Championship team in 2022 (.311 with 20 extra base hits and 37 RBI) and hasn't missed a beat offensively since joining the Trailblazer Family, but the glove has left a little to be desired and needs to tighten it up for the Navy team to have a chance.  

        In the fourth round, Red countered with an arm and a defender in junior right hander Taye Newman and outfielder Cayden Clark.  At this time last year, Newman was projecting as the Trailblazer's closer, so the stuff is there.  And Clark looks to be the real deal this fall hitting .346 and posting a .469 OBP. "I really like what these guys have done, adding defense up the middle and high leverage arms." – Pfatenhauer stated. Navy turned their attention to youth with their next couple picks, selecting two freshmen from the state of Utah, right hander Jace Carroll and outfielder Karson Irvin.  These guys were teammates this summer with the Utah Marshalls and should add good chemistry to a Navy squad that boasts of their team.  "We are a high energy group and we can definitely feed off that from each other.  This game is all about momentum and I believe we can maintain that momentum easily with this squad," said Co-Captain Zach Thomas.  

        The Navy squad drafted four left-handed bats on night one and Red attempted to counter that with their eighth overall pick in lefty specialist Evan Vasiliou. Evan came out of the gates hot this fall, but has come back down to earth a bit. Red's final pick of night one was freshman sensation Bryker Hurdsman.  Bryker is a legit power bat and the fastest pure runner in the program, not to mention his 88-90 mile per hour fastball…he could be a sleeper pick at nine.  The final choices of the night were made by Navy, when they selected Jacob Taggart and Justin Woodbury with their final picks.  Taggart logged a lot of big innings in 2022 and lit up the wire with his nine-strikeout performance at Arizona.  Woodbury has the stuff to be a true stopper.

        A 94 MPH fastball and a hammer to go with it makes him very formidable, but command has been his Achilles Heel. Navy Co-Captains Dahle and Fisher stated "We believe the draft went exactly how we wanted, and we love this group of guys, they all compete day in and day out. Picking up Woody with our final pick of the day was a steal. We have depth already and day two will only make us better."
 
         "Locking down the arms that Navy did, is big.  You would have to say they have the advantage right now, but there is a long way to go still.  Depth and competitiveness will be the biggest and final determining factor," stated Pfatenhauer.  The draft will resume Friday and rosters will be finalized Saturday night. Game one of the World Series is Wednesday, November 2 at 4:07pm at Hurst Field. With game two on Thursday, November 3 at 4:07pm. And the Series wraps up on Saturday, November 5 at 1:07pm.