ALPINE — Last Sunday, the Alpine Cowboys made history by claiming their 13th baseball championship title in franchise history with a 12-10 win over the San Rafael Pacifics. It’s the third championship the Cowboys have won in the Pecos League.
The last time the Cowboys secured a title was 2019. That season just so happened to be Manager Sean Persky’s first season at the helm. It would ultimately be a familiar face from that 2019 team that helped the Cowboys secure their 13th championship. Former Cowboys third baseman, and Roswell Invaders manager Lance Myers was brought in as an assistant manager over the offseason. Myers won a Pecos League championship as a player/manager with the Roswell Invaders in 2022. Persky and Myers worked together to lead the Cowboys to a historic 2024 season.
The team started off by winning their first 12 games of the season. This was just one game short of tying a franchise record for the longest winning streak during their time in the Pecos League. The Cowboys would ultimately break that record later that same month with 18 wins in a row. The Cowboys finished the regular season with a 45-4 record; this broke a Pecos League record for the best winning percentage in league history.
The Cowboys had 11 All Stars on their roster this season. This includes: Taylor Darden (SS), Drake Angeron (RF), Josh Rego (1B), James Prockish (3B), AJ Folds (CF), Humberto Vela (SP), Brayde Hirai (SP), Jonathan Fleckenstein (RP), Dominic Spinoso (RP), Alec Cruz (RP), and Catcher Peyten Kennard. Sean Persky and Lance Myers also managed the Mountain South All Star team consisting of 11 Cowboys.
The team’s postseason run started off slow against their mountain south rivals, the Tucson Saguaros. They lost game one 4-1, and were down 11-3 in the bottom of the sixth inning in game two. The Cowboys proceeded to score nine runs in that sixth inning to take the lead and ultimately win the game. The deciding game three went into extra innings. This was due to Mountain Division MVP Taylor Darden who gave the Cowboys new life with a game tying single in the ninth inning. Cowboy veteran Matteo Avallone stepped into the box in the 10th inning and sent the Cowboys to the Mountain Division finals for the first time since 2019 with a walkoff single.
Alpine then took on the team that handed them their first loss of the season; the Garden City Wind. Game one was a magnificent 11-0 victory for the Cowboys, led by rookies: Tyler Reistetter, and Hunter Reid who pitched a combined shutout. Game two, however, would come down to the wire. The game went into the 11th inning. This is where Drake Angeron walked it off with a single to give the Cowboys their fifth Mountain Division title, and a chance to compete for the Pecos League championship.
The Cowboys took on the San Rafael Pacifics in the championship series. After a commanding 24-4 win in game one, the Cowboys were just one win away from capturing another title. Game two would be a much closer battle for the Cowboys though. Alec Cruz came in to get a save as the Cowboys led 12-9 in the ninth inning. After allowing a run, Cruz ended it with a strikeout and the Cowboys won the 2024 Pecos League Championship.
Manager Sean Persky had this to say following his team’s historic season: “I am very proud of this group for striving for greatness all season long and never falling short,” he said. “Fighting through adversity and playing championship caliber baseball all season long. These guys broke the all time win percentage for professional baseball and finished with the best record in Pecos League history. It is an incredible feeling to be a part of bringing another championship to the city of Alpine. I can’t thank the front office staff and all the fans enough for all of their support during the season, without them none of this would be possible. I would also like to say that this year was special for winning a championship following the passing of Cowboys pitcher Jared Strait last season. This one was for Jared. Go Cowboys!”
The Cowboys hosted all of their postseason opponents at Kokernot field, and the Cowboys hoisted their 13th title at Kokernot Field. A historic season ended with the ultimate triumph, and the Alpine Cowboys climbed the top of the mountain yet again.