Blue Jackets season ends in first round of playoffs at Montrose

“I’ve been proud of them all season”

Despite the team’s early dismissal from the post-season, Blue Jackets coach Vann Taylor still feels his team fell shy of their true promise.
Essentially, the team was on a roll midway through the season, stringing together three wins before the wheels fell off.
The Blue Jackets were already pushing the limit with just 10 players on the roster, and when six left for prior commitments, the team underwent a two-week suspension of play.
Fortunately, they would return for the final week of the regular season and the playoffs, but the team was dealt another blow, losing their top pitcher, Aaron Blunck, to ski camp and their starting catcher, Peter Bright, to injury. Bright, at the time of his season-ending injury, was batting a staggering .611.
 Taylor rallied the team and pulled in a couple more players for their final game of the season and then had eight show up for practice the day before their playoff game against Montrose on Thursday, July 7.
But with all of the disruptions, the team was still missing a little mental intensity.
“I could tell that there was only a handful of players whose heads were in it,” says Taylor.
The Blue Jackets headed to Montrose for the start of the playoffs and came out swinging, knocking in two runs in the top of the first inning.
Dakota Wiggins walked and reached third to then score on a sacrifice hit by Liam Mortell. Montana Wiggins then stepped up to knock an RBI base hit over third. Things were looking good early for the Blue Jackets.
Montrose took their first at-bat to remedy the situation as soon as possible. Combining base hits with walks and the occasional passed ball, Montrose pulled ahead 3-2 after one.
Tylor Byers looked to spark a rally in the top of the second inning, driving the ball to the gap in right center for a stand up triple. A miscue on the toss into the infield then gave Byers the green light home and he jumped on it to score and tie the game 3-3.
Things turned dark for the Blue Jackets in the bottom of the second inning as the Montrose bats got red hot. Thirteen Montrose hitters got up to bat and when the dust cleared from the barrage of base hits they were sitting on an 11-3 lead.
But the Blue Jackets had been there before and battled back. Taylor kept the team on course looking to chip away at the lead over time.
“We just went into the third inning and continued to play our game,” says Taylor.
Unfortunately, an umpiring snafu in the top of the third inning sucked some of the spirit out of the Blue Jackets when an improper appeal on a tag-up quashed the first shot at a Blue Jackets comeback.
“They never did the proper appeal and that definitely hurt us,” says Taylor.
Sam Reaman took over pitching for Quinn Winter in the bottom of the third inning and after hitting the first batter, Reaman struck out the next two as the Blue Jackets defense held.
Montrose then brought in their fireballer, who retired the side in the top of the fourth inning. Montrose added a run in the bottom of the fourth to go up 12-3.
The Blue Jackets connected for a series of base hits in the top of the fifth but crushed themselves with some base running errors.
Mortell took over pitching and the Blue Jackets defense came through to hold Montrose scoreless, but controversy struck the Blue Jackets again in the top of the sixth inning.
Some improvisational base running by Montana had him heading home to score but the umpire called him out and then ejected him after some choice words and actions of frustration from Montana.
That left the Blue Jackets with just eight players to take the field in the bottom of the sixth and the 10-run rule in effect.
All Montrose had to do was score one run to finish the game and four batters later they did that for the 13-3 win, ending the Blue Jackets season.
“I don’t want to take anything from Montrose,” says Taylor. “They were solid.”
Despite the abrupt end to the Blue Jackets season, Taylor still saw a team that was on the cusp of something big, had they been able to play the season uninterrupted.
Winter led the team on the mound with the most innings pitched over the course of the season.
Dakota led the team in RBIs with 12, followed by Montana who knocked in 11. Reaman provided big defense at second base and fought off pitchers all season long.
“Sam was solid at second and never struck out,” says Taylor.
After a slow start, Dethloff finished the season leading the team in hitting with a .455 average and runs scored with 19.
“His late season was incredible,” says Taylor.
The same was true of Byers, who finished with a batting average of .324. Mortell never slowed down playing third base, pitching and hitting .355 on the season and driving in nine RBIs.
“There was so much potential there to be contenders had we kept the whole thing going,” says Taylor. “I’ve been proud of them all season.”