PICTURED: The 2025 Bulldog baseball team poses for a photo with its blue trophy, banner and bracket after winning the Class 4A state championship.
(Photo Courtesy Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)
The 2025 Bulldog baseball team undoubtedly had the athletes. Add in dedication, discipline and selflessness, and they also had the team. Some people think that makes circumstances magically fall into place, but that would be to undermine what it really takes to make a champion. Not destiny. Determination.
It started Wednesday, in the quarterfinal round of the Class 4A State Tournament. The top-ranked 'Dogs steadily built their lead over the No. 9 Hope Christian Huskies and battled to maintain it in the end, fending off a last-gasp offensive rally by the Huskies to leave the bases loaded and secure the 7-5 win.
Then came a situation that's all too familiar at state events: yet another showdown with a District 4-AAAA rival. Artesia vs. Goddard in the state semifinals. When two teams know one another like the backs of their hands, when two of the best pitchers in the state square off and scoring is at a premium, it comes down to coming through in the clutch. Junior catcher Brant Usherwood gave the Bulldogs that when, with two away in the bottom of the sixth, he launched a monster triple to the fence in right-center to score Frankie Galindo and Daelon Pacheco, both aboard with walks. Fellow junior Jack Byers then struck out the side in the top of the seventh to close out a stellar day on the mound, giving up just three hits and walking none while racking up 12 Ks.
And finally, it was Championship Saturday at the Jennifer Riordan Spark Kindness Sports Complex, and the 2024 runner-up Bulldogs were back in the state game.
Some people also think "meant to be" comes in the form of a blowout, a no-doubt, near-perfect gem of a performance. But it just as often means you had to fight for it with everything you had. So when Jett Whitmire tripled to drive in the game's first run in the bottom of the second and the 'Dogs added one for insurance in the third, it was a good start. When the sixth-ranked Bloomfield Bobcats battled back to tie the game in the top of the fourth, it was taken in stride. When Artesia rallied to reclaim its lead in the fifth, it was simply going back to work and getting the job done. And when Charlie Campbell fanned three straight in the top of the seventh to close out the win -- only then did it become destiny.
PICTURED: Jett Fuentes (2) and Kaden Beauregard embrace on the field following Artesia's quarterfinal win over Hope Christian.
(Photo Courtesy Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)
The Bulldogs were tested first defensively in Saturday's title tilt. Back-to-back singles from Bloomfield's Troy Jaramillo and Manuel Chavarria put runners on with one away, and a two-out walk loaded the bases. A pop fly to Byers at third ended the threat, but the 'Dogs were unable to get anything going in the home half, going down in order. Junior starting pitcher Diego Morales and his defense would seat the Bobcats in kind in the top of two, however, and the boys in orange would be first on the board in the bottom of the inning.
That ball got rolling when Usherwood reached as a hit batsman and advanced to third on a pair of balks by Bloomfield pitcher Cable Carruth. The free bases had the Bobcat fans up in arms, but it wound up not mattering, as left-fielder Whitmire stepped to the plate and launched a triple down the right-field line to make it 1-0 Artesia. Whitmire then crossed on an infield single by the speedy Derrick Warren, and after cutting the top of the third short with a 6-4-3 double play between Jett Fuentes, Kaden Beauregard and Daelon Pacheco, the 'Dogs added an insurance run on a sacrifice fly to left by Byers.
PICTURED: Jett Whitmire sends an RBI triple down the line in right in the bottom of the second.
(Photo Courtesy Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)
The 'Cats came out swinging in the top of the fourth, however, dropping four consecutive hits between center and left, the third of which -- a double by DH Johnny Yates -- plated two runs. A two-out double to right by Jaramillo then saw Yates home to tie the game at 3-all. Whitmire led off the bottom of the inning with a single to left-center but was caught stealing to give Bloomfield a 1-2-3 at-bat, but the Bulldogs got the same in the top of five on a running catch in left by Whitmire, a strike-out looking, and a fly ball to Campbell in right.
The Artesia boys then found an offensive groove of their own in the home half, with Galindo -- on with a ground-rule double to left-center -- scoring on a base hit to left by Fuentes, Fuentes coming home on a passed ball, and Pacheco -- on with a single -- scoring on a shot up the middle from Usherwood. After another quick trip to the plate by Bloomfield in the top of the sixth, the 'Dogs threatened again in their half on back-to-back base knocks by Warren and Campbell. Both were left standing, however, and the Bulldogs carried their 6-3 lead into the seventh.
There, Morales got a break as Campbell was brought in to close, and the junior didn't just shut the door -- he slammed it. As the volume steadily rose both in the Artesia dugout and the bleachers, Campbell struck out each Bobcat who stepped up to face him, and the 'Dogs exploded onto the field to celebrate the program's first state championship in 25 years.
PICTURED: Daelon Pacheco makes the catch at first on a throw over from Byers at third for the final out of the top of the fourth.
(Photo Courtesy Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)
The blue trophy marks the Diamond 'Dogs' seventh total, their most recent coming in 2000 when the school was still classified 3A, 9-4 over Aztec under head coach Dale Bohannon. Artesia won three other titles under Bohannon: 9-3 over St. Pius in 1996, 4-3 over Lovington in 1994, and 6-4 over Lovington in 1993. The remaining two championships came in 1987, 16-6 over Lovington under coach Karl Mahan, and 1976, 5-3 over Los Lunas under Mike Allen.
The newly minted state champs will return the bulk of their roster in 2026, graduating just four seniors in Galindo, Beauregard, Ayden Huffman and Izac Cazares. The Bulldogs will be welcomed back to the City of Champions around 11:30 p.m. this evening, and fans are encouraged to turn out and celebrate with the team.
STAT BOX
Bloomfield 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 3
Artesia 0 2 1 0 4 0 - 6
Artesia
Batting: Frankie Galindo 1-3 (1-2B), 1-HP; Jett Fuentes 1-4, 1-RBI; Jack Byers 0-2, 1-SAC, 1-RBI; Daelon Pacheco 2-3; Brant Usherwood 1-2, 1-HP, 1-RBI; Jett Whitmire 3-3 (1-3B), 1-RBI; Derrick Warren 2-3, 1-RBI; Charlie Campbell 2-3; Kaden Beauregard 0-3
Pitching: Diego Morales, jr.: 6-IP, 8-H, 3-R, 3-ER, 4-K, 3-BB; Campbell, jr.: 1-IP, 0-H, 0-R, 0-ER, 3-K, 0-BB
Team: 12-H, 0-E, 3-SB, 5-RBI, 5-LOB
Bloomfield
Batting: Gavin Pecotte 0-3, 1-BB; Troy Jaramillo 3-4 (1-2B), 1-RBI; Manuel Chavarria 1-4; Trae Woods 0-4; Blake Spencer 1-2, 1-BB; Cable Carruth 1-3 (1-2B); Johnny Yates 1-3 (1-2B), 2-RBI; McKell Colbert Jr. 1-2, 1-BB; Damien Jaramillo 0-3
Pitching: Carruth, fr.: 4 2/3-IP, 10-H, 6-R, 6-ER, 5-K, 0-BB; Elias Munoz, jr.: 1 1/3-IP, 2-H, 0-R, 0-ER, 3-K, 0-BB
Team: 8-H, 0-E, 0-SB, 3-RBI, 7-LOB
PICTURED: Charlie Campbell fights off the sun to look the third out of the top of the fifth into his glove.
(Photo Courtesy Artesia Bulldog Paw Prints)