Montoya, Quintana played in historic Series
Though not destined to parade spoils from the coveted championship through Ignacio, recent IHS graduates Phillip Quintana and Devante Montoya were at least part of a certain event-heralding parade through downtown Farmington, N.M.
“Yeah, that was fun,” Quintana recalled Monday evening, August 5. “I did not expect, like, that many people to come out and support us for making it to the Connie Mack World Series. It was just a whole different thing for me.”
“Seeing all those people there to, like, support the team and be there for you was pretty cool,” agreed Montoya, interviewed separately but also via phone less than 72 hours after a supreme champion was crowned at venerable Ricketts Park. “It was great … never really done anything like that.”
Nor played in a tournament as regarded as the 12-team CMWS, which first came to San Juan County (Springfield, Ill., had hosted from 1961-64 after St. Joseph, Mo., did so from ’59-60) back in 1965. Suiting up for the Farmington Frackers, both Bobcats helped their new crew finish regular-season play with a 21-6-1 record and clinch a spot in the Series – as well as the aforementioned introductory parade Friday morning, July 26 – by defeating the Farmington Scorpions in the city tournament finale.
“We lost in the very beginning of the Connie Mack qualifiers in an upset, and we ended up coming back to the semifinals,” Montoya said. “We were down 0-4, I think, in the seventh inning and we came back and won (5 to 4) to get to the championship. And then we did our job.”
“Oh yeah,” said Quintana, who pitched a no-hitter during the regular season. “It was really exciting; I’d always wanted to be in the Connie Mack World Series, let alone just play on that field!”
Playing for head coach Eli Wyatt, head coach at Aztec (N.M.) High, Montoya and Quintana first tasted Mack action later in the day on the 26th, though the Frackers fell 10-2 to the Tulsa, Okla., Sandlot. Pool ‘B’ play continued the next day, but Farmington lost to a pair of Texas teams in Gunter-based Dulin’s Dodgers (6-0) and Dallas-centered D-BAT United (7-4).
Subsequently re-seeded lower for the deciding double-elimination phase than hoped, Farmington then challenged frequent CMWS participant Midland (Cincinnati, Ohio) at Ricketts on Sunday, July 28, but fell 4-0. Unfortunately, the Frackers’ summer then ended two nights later with a 13-4 loss upon the same diamond to Texas Twelve (College Station, Tex.) Baseball.
Midland, meanwhile, would later advance to the Series’ ultimate showdown Friday night, August 2, by dodging Dulin’s 3-2 in that day’s first semifinal. Their opponent would be the SoCal Renegades, who clipped the North Texas Longhorns by the same slim score in the second semi. Having dealt Midland their first CMWS loss (by a 2-1 margin) during fourth-round play Thursday night, August 1, the Renegades were able to repeat the feat and posted a 6-0 shutout to become the 2024 Bronson Family McDonald’s/AABC Connie Mack World Series Champion.
“We definitely watched them before a game and stuff; they were a great team,” Montoya said.
A 7-0-1 CMWS record included, the Renegades improved to 46-6-1 overall; Midland dipped to 34-11, while the Frackers – this season comprised mostly of players from New Mexico and Colorado (including 2023 Bayfield grads Nic Twedt and Noah Chamblee) but also counting a couple from Nevada, one from Texas and even one from California – finished 21-11-1.
“All the kids there, I got along with them and we’re all on good terms, still talk,” Montoya said. “So, it was good meeting all of them. It was a good experience, and definitely … felt normal with (Quintana) around.”
“I liked going there knowing that I knew ONE person I’d get along with, you know?” Quintana said, now looking forward to traveling to the New Orleans, La., area to possibly accept an offered job in the automotive industry. “But that me and Devante both went through it, did it together just made it so much better. To know I had a friend right there by my side.”
“Because up there everyone was really good. Like, there wasn’t really a guy that wasn’t, sitting around doing nothing,” he continued. “Everyone up there wanted to be there, putting in extra time to play. In ten, 15, 20 years … I’m still going to think back on all the guys that I’m friends with now and keep in touch with. Even though I probably won’t see them again, I’ll still remember all the friendships and, yeah, that ‘I went to the Connie Mack World Series, and played in it!’”
FAMILY TIES
Amongst his four listed assistant coaches, Wyatt was aided by not only son Elijah (presently a catcher fresh off completing his sophomore year in Mesa, Ariz., at NAIA Benedictine University) plus father Marlyn Wyatt.