Two Rattlers earn all district in baseball

As a possible signal of a brighter future for its program, Tucumcari High School baseball saw two eighth-graders earn all-district honors this season.

Rattlers coach George Montano said centerfielder Nick Romero and second baseman Luis Archuleta made the all-district team in rugged District 4/5, which saw two teams advance to the Class 3A title game.

Romero led the Rattlers in runs scored (15), hit the team’s only home run and didn’t commit an error in the outfield.

Archuleta was third on the team in batting average (.286) and second in on-base percentage (.394) and hits (16).

Tucumcari compiled a 1-19 record during the season. But the Rattlers broke a 42-game losing streak that dated back three years and showed advancement in virtually all areas as the season progressed, Montano said.

“We thought there was improvement everywhere,” he said. “You look at the stats from last year … the improvement was there. Right when district was ending, we went to Sandia Prep and we played great. We were hitting our stride at the end.”

The Rattlers lost just three seniors from this year’s club and had just one junior. The majority of the team consisted of sophomores, freshmen and eighth-graders.

“It’s not going to be an overnight change, and that’s been the hard part of it all. It’s going to take us a year or two to get everything buckled down. Next year, we’re going to compete in a lot more games and win a lot more games. I wouldn’t be surprised if we’re in the tournament next year,” Montano said.