CLEVELAND STORM BASEBALL ON TOP OF THE POLLS
Sue Cleveland High School has established itself as one of the top baseball teams in the state this year. “A team that brings intensity every single day,” said pitcher Treven Polanco. “We grind out games and grind at practices. We’re just a really fun team that loves being here and loves the game.”
“I thought we’d be good, I didn’t know how good,” said head coach Shane Shallenberger. “We do have talent and some pitching and some good sticks, but when they play together, that’s what makes them really special.”
Senior shortstop Anthony Del Angel is one of the top players in New Mexico. He committed to play at Oklahoma in the fall. “First of all, he’s a phenomenal talent,” explained his head coach. “But he works to get there. He works seven days a week, he doesn’t take days off.”
“I’d say that I’m very confident at the plate,” said Del Angel. “I know the zone and what to swing at, and I’m always playing hard.”
“I’m just trying to get loose on deck and then my approach up there is to get a good pitch, be on time, and get a good barrel on it. If I can do all those things, even if it’s caught, then I won the at-bat, that’s kind of how I get after it.”
The Storm also has one of the deepest pitching staffs in New Mexico with a pair of pitchers who threw back-to-back no hitters earlier this season. “We’ve got a pretty good pitching staff, a lot of arms, and a lot of depth,” said Polanco.
“They’ve really been locked in, our pitching staff has been really close,” said Shallenberger. “They always talk to each other, they work hard in the bullpens. That’s a really good group.”
Cleveland hopes to carry that momentum into the postseason. “We’re just going to keep trying to get after it,” said Del Angel. “We’ve been doing pretty well, but we have to keep that tempo and keep that momentum going into the playoffs.”
Cleveland has been to the state final three times, but they’ve never been able to win it all. Is this the year they get to lift the blue trophy? “I hope so, but they don’t hand them out,” joked Shallenberger. “I’d love to say yes, but at the end of the day, everybody wants to beat everybody, so who knows. If we can stay the course, and bring the energy and do what we do, we’ll let the chips fall where they may.”
