Loss in Milford brings Buckaroo baseball season to a premature close

by Rhett Sifford
Sports Editor
The Monticello Buckaroos suffered a tough 18-1 loss to local rival Grand County in the opening game of the 2A Utah State Baseball Tournament May 3 in Blanding.
The loss dropped the Bucks to the one-loss bracket where they would spend the remainder of the tournament as long as they could remain in the win column.
Their next game wasn’t an easy matchup. Eighth-seeded Monticello was forced to travel all the way over to Milford May 6 to take on the #7 Tigers in a game that would decide which team advanced to play at BYU and which was done for the season.
Unfortunately the Buckaroos were unable to get on the board despite collecting six hits in the game, which was the same amount of hits their opponent mustered.
The Tigers, on the other hand, scored one run in the first inning, three in the third, and one in the fifth to down Monticello 5-0.
The Buckaroos end their season with a 9-10 overall record. They were 4-8 in 2A East Region play. Junior Jackson Keyes led the way for the Monticello offense with a very impressive .534 batting average.
He was 31-for-58 this season with a team-leading six home runs, one triple, a team-high ten doubles, 22 runs batted in, and a team-leading 25 runs scored.
Triston Felix batted .517 for the Buckaroos, going 31-for-60 at the plate. He had three home runs, one triple, and seven doubles with 21 RBIs and 24 runs scored.
Cache Young hit .467 with two homers and seven doubles. He was 28-for-60 with a team-high 25 RBIs and 18 runs scored.
Jaeden Camacho was 18-for-55 at the plate for an average of .327. He hit five triples and five doubles while driving in 16 runs and scoring 14.
Kord Young batted .286 for Monticello with 16 hits, one double, ten RBIs, and eight runs scored. Arturo Gutierrez collected 16 hits, including one triple, two doubles, nine RBIs, and 23 runs scored.
And Camren Carpenter was 13-for-49 for a batting average of .265. He hit one home run and three doubles with 12 RBIs and eight runs scored.
Keyes maintained an excellent .609 on-base percentage, which was sixth among Utah players as of May 13. He also had an astounding 1.052 slugging percentage which was second in the state.
Cache Young stole 11 bases to lead Monticello this year, with Jaeden Camacho swiping nine and Triston Felix eight.
Felix was hands-down the leading pitcher once again this season for Monticello. He ended the year with a 6-2 record and a 2.82 earned-run average.
His 115 strikeouts is the most in the state and is currently tied for 42nd in the nation. The vast majority of the pitchers ranked above him have played in a number of additional games to his 19.
Felix struck out nearly half of the 246 batters he faced this season. He allowed just 24 earned runs on 48 hits in 59.2 impressive innings of work on the mound.
Despite the tough finish to the year, Monticello’s 9-10 record is the team’s best since they went 13-8 in the 2018 season.
Camren Carpenter and Kaden Pehrson are the only two players graduating this season, so the Monticello baseball team is looking to have a very exciting roster full of solid varsity experience in 2026.
“I had a lot of fun coaching these boys this year,” Buckaroo Head Coach Josh Keyes said after the conclusion of the season.
“Each kid brought a little something different to the team, but overall we never had a moment on the field or on the bus when we weren’t having a good time and enjoying each other’s company.
“Cache Young kept us laughing all season and fielded the ball as well as anyone at shortstop. He also hit for power and average finishing the season with a couple home runs and a bunch of key base hits.
“Arturo Gutierrez caught every single inning behind the plate and simply continued to get better with each pitch.
“Our most improved player on the season was our centerfielder, Jaeden Camacho. He came alive and turned into one of our most formidable hitters and just an amazing kid in the dugout. He led by example and his work ethic really paid off in the end.
“It’s hard to put into words what Triston and Jackson meant to this team. Both boys love baseball and put everything they have into getting better, and not just during the season.
“They are playing baseball year-round and it shows. Triston finished the season with a state-leading 115 strikeouts and a .517 batting average with three home runs.
“Jackson simply knocked the cover off the ball all season at the plate, finishing in the top three in batting average (.534), home runs (6), slugging percentage (1.052), and broken windows (1). I am very proud of what the boys accomplished this season.”