The Ponderosa Mustangs freshman baseball team captured the 2008 Continental League championship while also achieving an undefeated 16-0 record for their season which began on March 11 and concluded on April 30.
Their undefeated season represents only the second time in Ponderosa High School's 25 year history that a baseball team at any level had an undefeated season. The only previous undefeated Ponderosa baseball team was the 2000 freshman team which went 19-0.
Freshman head coach Gary McCusker and assistant coaches Tim Kilduff and Dave Griffin guided the Mustangs freshman team to their league championship and undefeated season. The team's formula for success combined strong pitching with an explosive offense and a steady defense.
Eleven different players pitched for the Mustang freshman team, who combined to hold their opponents to an average of 5 earned runs per 7 innings pitched. The Mustangs offense scored an average of 15 runs per game, and the team's defense did its part by achieving a .904 overall fielding percentage.
The closest this team came to having their undefeated season derailed came in the second to last game of their season on April 28 against the Douglas County Huskies. The Mustangs led 7-2 after four innings, but the Huskies scored 6 runs in the 5th inning to take an 8-7 lead.
Trailing late in a game for the first time all season, the Mustangs offense responded by scoring 4 runs in the 6th inning to retake the lead, and the PHS freshmen went on to win that game 13-9, which was their narrowest margin of the season.
According to coach McCusker, "Although we had strong athletic talent on the team, the key ingredient was the character and unity that made it a pleasure to coach this group of athletes every day of the season."
Coach McCusker also pointed out that with six freshmen playing on this season's sophomore team, the class of 2011 should be one of the best in PHS baseball history, and has the coaching staff looking forward to a strong future.
To learn more about the PonderosaHigh School baseball program, visit www.ponderosabaseball.org.