It is hard to think of any Arizona high school sports team that achieved such a comprehensive turnaround in the 2021-22 school year as Glendale Prep baseball.
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It is hard to think of any Arizona high school sports team that achieved such a comprehensive turnaround in the 2021-22 school year as Glendale Prep baseball.
The Griffins made the 2A playoffs for the second first time since it joined the Arizona Interscholastic Association in 2014. The team finished 12-5 in the regular season and beat St. Augustine in a play-in game for its first postseason win before falling to Morenci 9-6 in the first round May 6.
For context, the 2015 Griffins made the playoffs with an 11-7 record and lost in the first round. Other than that, the program's best AIA record before this year was 6-12 in 2014.
The season surprised everyone except the Griffins' most experienced player, senior pitcher Joseph Randall. The only club player in the program until this season.
"There was so much potential, especially knowing who we had coming up from middle school. The freshmen this year changed the entire plane of the program," Randall said. "There was a lot of seeds planted there. It was a matter of them figuring out how to play."
And after COVID-19 scuttled coach Rafael Sanchez's debut season in 2020, the Griffin's finished 2-12 in 2021.
Still the coach saw progresss in the program beyond the scoreboard.
"It was these guys, the junior class that year. They came to every workout, every open cage," Sanchez said. "I tried to change the environment around here. "We go the football and volleyball games."
While the class of 2025 contributed more game experience to the mix, many of the players that led the turnaround were like senior Silas McRoy
McRoy barely tried the sport before his junior season.
"Even the people that were brought in that didn't know how to play, the coaching staff and everybody were so easy to learn from that they learned very fast," senior Silas McRoy said.
Still it was hard to know if the extra knowledge of the game would translate until the March 10 season opener at Camp Verde.
The Griffins shocked its 3A opponents 13-2.
"They didn't pitch their best guy against us. We hung. We surprised them," Sanchez said. "We run-ruled them. That's when we as a staff looked at each other and said, 'We can be good this year.'"
Depth helped. Glendale Prep finished with 12 guys in 2020 and 14 guys 2014 last year. This year the roster grew to 17.
This team shot into the 2A top 10, starting 6-0, then went on a three-game losing streak.
Then the Griffins won the next five games and were 11-3.
"I couldn't believe it. It was so spectacular to see," McRoy said.
Sanchez's team finished 12-5 and claimed the #13 seed. Then it survived a slugfest for the program's first AIA postseason win.
The Griffins outlasted #20 Tucson St. Augustine 15-14 May 3. This did not touch off a wild celebration.
"We expected to win it,: Randall said. "It was definitely nice but nothing extra special."
Morenci knocked Glendale Prep out of the playoffs May 6 in Goodyear.
Other than Randall , Zach Randels and three-sport athlete Sam Terpstra, all of the Griffins top hitters return.
But Sanchez said all five seniors, inluding McRoy, were crucial to building something at Glendale Prep.
"It was awesome, especially with the senior class. These guys believed in me as much," said Sanchez. "Watching it from the infancy to where it is now is an amazing adventure."
Richard Smith Associate Editor | Surprise & West Valley Preps @rsmithYWV
Richard Smith has been with Independent Newsmedia since 2016, and worked at a Sun City-based news outfit covering the Northwest Valley for 22 consecutive years.
An NAU alum and lifelong Arizona resident, Richard began as a copy editor and page designer at Surprise Today and the Daily News-Sun, then rekindled his love of sports writing by taking the reins on West Valley Preps in 2008.
For most of the mid-2010s he was the Surprise editor and West Valley Preps reporter. Now he’s the West Valley Preps Editor and Surprise Associate Editor.
As COVID restrictions slowly lift, Richard is cautiously optimistic he will visit book stores, football fields and gyms again this fall.
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