Upcoming Western Slope League games could determine Battle Mountain boys baseball playoff hopes

The Battle Mountain boys baseball team is fighting for a playoff spot as the 2026 spring winds down.

The Huskies fell to Coal Ridge 13-2 on Thursday in Edwards, but enters the final two weeks of the regular season with an 8-5-1 record. Sitting 40th in the current CHSAA Selection & Seeding Index, every game from here on out matters.

“We’ll see,” Uriah Morales answered when asked about postseason prospects. “As long as we win the rest of our league games, I think we’ll be able to make it. We just have to come out and want it as much as every other team does.”

Prior to April break, Morales allowed two hits in a five-inning shutout over Summit in the second game of a doubleheader.

“Our play wasn’t the best the first game,” he said. “We came back the next game and we just put it to them. It was mostly our mindsets during the game — but I feel like we’ve definitely kind of figured it out.”

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According to senior Jack Reed, the season has been somewhat characterized by back-and-forth performances.

“We’ve been a little bit up and down,” the senior explained. “We beat some teams we knew would be tough. We did a great job and then on the other hand, we played some games we should have won and had just a little bit of a snowball effect.”

In Thursday’s game, the Huskies trailed 2-1 after the first and had things sitting at a 6-2 deficit in the top of the sixth. But with the Titans backed up against their final out, a few fielding errors by the Huskies led to four quick runs before the side was retired. Reed said the story was similar when they faced the defending 3A state champions earlier this season.

“We just had one inning that spiraled out,” Reed said. “Outside of that, we could compete with them the entire game.”

Reed went 1-for-3 from the plate while Tony Damici collected two hits and two RBI to lead the Huskies offensively. Jameson Lott had zero earned runs in two innings on the mound, but the Huskies gave up seven scores in that time frame.

“We were excited to come out here and play — just to see if we could beat them, because we’re a good team,” Reed said. “We just need to put it together a little more sometimes.”

Thirty-two teams qualify for the 4A regional tournament based on the Selection & Seeding Index, with league champions earning an automatic spot. The Huskies are 3-1 in league play and ranked third in the Western Slope standings. They have two opportunities against second-ranked Rifle (6-2) on May 9 and league-leading Eagle Valley (4-0) before that. Plus, there’s an RPI-friendly opportunity in the May 12 season finale: Battle Mountain closes the year against Aspen, the No. 4-ranked squad in 3A.

Reed, who will continue his career next fall at Macalester College in Minneapolis, Minnesota, said he’s viewing the doubleheader with the Devils on May 6 in Gypsum as “just another conference game.”

“They’re a good team,” he added. “We’re not thinking about it like it’s any crazy rivalry. We just want to go out and win every conference game we can.”

Morales — who, like Reed, grew up playing alongside several Eagle Valley players in the Little League ranks — is well aware of the offensive power behind the No. 12-ranked Devils (11-3). But he plans to use intel gained from those younger years to his advantage.

“I do know what I’m going to give to them,” the pitcher said with a smile. “I have been playing with them for a long time, so I know they can hit. So, it’s definitely going to be a challenging game.”

Whether the Huskies punch their postseason tickets or not, though, Reed said the ride has been fun.

“As a team, I’m really happy with what we do,” he said of the positive culture in the clubhouse. “We get along really well, we have fun out here — it’s just a good time.”