2023 Alpine Cowboys Season Recap - A Strong Second Half Carries Alpine Back to the Playoffs
The 2023 Alpine Cowboys season was a summer of two very different halves. Alpine struggled to establish consistency during June, endured several losing streaks and at times looked like a team that might have difficulty emerging from a competitive Mountain Division. Everything changed in July. The Cowboys became one of the hottest teams in the Pecos League, piled up victories throughout the final month of the regular season and finished 35-16. Alpine returned to the postseason with a dangerous lineup and plenty of momentum, but after winning the opening playoff game 3-2, the Cowboys lost the next two games 10-8 and 3-1 to bring another promising season to an abrupt end.
The season began on May 31 with a 7-5 loss, and the uneven beginning continued into June. Alpine lost 4-0 on June 2 before responding later that day with a 2-0 victory. The Cowboys followed with convincing wins of 10-1 and 15-0, briefly showing the type of team they were capable of becoming. Consecutive losses of 10-2 and 8-7 followed, however, and Alpine spent much of the first month alternating between impressive victories and frustrating defeats.
The Cowboys showed tremendous offensive potential early in the season. Alpine won 16-12 on June 9, lost 9-5 the following night and then exploded for a 24-7 victory. Wins of 12-6, 8-4 and 10-8 followed, giving Alpine a four-game winning streak and providing the first extended glimpse of how dangerous the club could become.
The momentum did not last. Alpine lost consecutive games 8-4 and 6-5 before surviving a 13-12 game. After a 7-5 victory, the Cowboys entered their most difficult stretch of the season. Alpine lost 17-3, 14-5, 11-9, 11-9 and 7-6 in five consecutive games. What had looked like a potentially dominant team suddenly found itself searching for answers.
The Cowboys finally stopped the losing streak with a 16-4 victory, but another 10-9 loss followed. Alpine then won 6-2 and erupted for a 29-5 victory before losing 9-6. The Cowboys closed June with a 23-8 victory. It had been an inconsistent month filled with enormous offensive performances, close losses and one prolonged losing streak, but Alpine was still very much alive entering July.
July changed the entire season.
Alpine opened the month with a 4-1 victory and followed with an 8-2 win. After a 7-5 loss in the first game of a July 4 doubleheader, the Cowboys won the second game 6-3. That victory became the beginning of the stretch that transformed the 2023 Alpine Cowboys.
Alpine went on the road and won 17-15, 30-10 and 18-8. The Cowboys followed with a 27-12 victory and then survived a 5-4 game. A 14-7 victory followed. The offense that had flashed tremendous potential during June was now producing night after night, and the Cowboys began climbing rapidly through the standings.
A loss on July 13 briefly interrupted the run, but Alpine immediately returned to winning baseball with a 25-6 victory. The Cowboys then won 18-11, 10-2, 9-5 and 14-2. Alpine followed with a 13-11 victory and continued its late-season run with wins of 5-3, 8-6 and 5-4.
By the final week of July, Alpine had become one of the hottest teams in the Pecos League. The Cowboys finished the regular season with an extraordinary offensive display, winning 22-0 on July 28 and then sweeping a July 29 doubleheader with victories of 21-2 and 9-8. The team that had struggled through portions of June had completely changed its season.
Alpine finished the regular season 35-16 and entered the playoffs with tremendous momentum.
James Prockish was at the center of the Cowboys offense. Prockish appeared in 48 games and produced one of the biggest offensive seasons of his Alpine career. He collected 79 hits in 174 at-bats, scored 74 runs, hit 13 doubles and blasted a team-high 14 home runs. He drove in a team-high 75 runs while drawing 45 walks and striking out only 20 times. Prockish finished the season with a .454 batting average and established himself as the centerpiece of the Alpine lineup.
Josh Rego was even more difficult to retire during his 28 games with the Cowboys. Rego hit .483, collecting 57 hits in 118 at-bats. He scored 31 runs, hit 13 doubles and seven home runs and drove in 40. His combination of batting average and power made him another major threat in an Alpine lineup filled with productive hitters.
Manny Garcia continued to provide outstanding production for Alpine. Garcia appeared in 44 games and hit .403 with 60 hits in 149 at-bats. He scored 52 runs, hit seven doubles, two triples and three home runs and drove in 34. Garcia also drew 31 walks and struck out only 13 times.
Alex Canty was another major contributor, hitting .415 with 61 hits in 147 at-bats. Canty scored 52 runs, hit 10 doubles, a triple and four home runs and drove in 43. He also stole 12 bases, giving Alpine another player who could contribute in several different ways.
Drake Angeron became one of the team's most important speed threats. Angeron appeared in 46 games and hit .380 with 63 hits. He scored 59 runs, hit six doubles, two triples and six home runs and drove in 39. Angeron stole 27 bases, the highest total on the club, and would become an even more important part of the Alpine offense in the years ahead.
Jake Sisto provided significant power, hitting .387 with eight home runs and 39 RBIs in 34 games. Jeff Disla hit seven home runs, drove in 38 and stole 19 bases. Andrew Capone returned and hit .385 in 30 games, while Cade Biddle hit .357, scored 45 runs and stole 24 bases. Mark Traylor continued his long association with the Cowboys by hitting .368 in 26 games with seven doubles, three triples and 24 RBIs.
Aldo Buendia contributed in multiple ways, appearing in 26 games as a hitter and batting .325 with 35 RBIs. Drew Bayard appeared in 43 games and scored 27 runs, while Kam Holland hit .352 with four home runs in 22 games. The depth of the offense helped explain why Alpine was capable of scoring 20 or more runs on so many occasions during the season.
The pitching staff was led by Matthew Hess, who produced a perfect 7-0 record in nine starts. Hess worked 54 innings, posted a 3.83 ERA and struck out 67 while walking only 15. He became Alpine's most dependable winner in the starting rotation and gave the Cowboys stability during a season in which several other pitchers moved through the staff.
Cameron Mulvihill also provided important starting pitching, going 6-1 in nine starts. He worked 49.2 innings and struck out 40. Dom Spinoso was one of the most heavily used pitchers on the roster and finished 6-1 in 24 appearances. Spinoso struck out 65 in 37.1 innings, giving Alpine a pitcher capable of missing bats in both starting and relief situations.
Bryson Spagnuolo became the primary late-inning weapon. Spagnuolo appeared in 22 games and finished 3-1 with a 2.64 ERA and seven saves. He worked 34 innings and struck out an impressive 58 hitters. His ability to close games became particularly important during Alpine's long July winning run.
Connor Kelly was excellent in relief, posting a 1.47 ERA in 14 appearances. Kelly worked 18.1 innings, allowed only three earned runs and struck out 27 while recording two saves. Luis Florentino posted a 2.34 ERA in six appearances, and Jared Strait had a 3.60 ERA during his limited work.
Brayde Hirai made seven starts and worked 35 innings, while Danny Sullivan made four starts and earned three victories. Jesse Garcia appeared in 21 games and won three, and Michael Castillo worked out of the bullpen in 21 appearances. The staff did not have the overall dominance Alpine would display in 2024, but there were enough quality arms to complement one of the league's strongest offenses.
The contrast between June and July became the defining story of the season. During June, Alpine had endured a five-game losing streak and repeatedly struggled to maintain momentum. In July, the Cowboys became extremely difficult to beat. Beginning with the second game of the July 4 doubleheader, Alpine won game after game and produced some extraordinary offensive totals along the way.
The Cowboys scored 30 runs in one game, 27 in another and 25 in another. They finished the regular season by scoring 22 runs and 21 runs in consecutive games. At the same time, the pitching staff produced shutouts of 22-0 and other dominant performances that demonstrated Alpine was becoming a much more complete team.
The late-season surge carried Alpine into August with legitimate championship expectations. The Cowboys had survived the difficult portion of the schedule, finished the regular season with a tremendous winning stretch and possessed a lineup capable of overwhelming virtually any opponent.
The postseason opened on August 2 with exactly the type of game Alpine needed to win. The Cowboys survived a close contest and earned a 3-2 victory. After the offensive explosions that had defined much of July, Alpine demonstrated that it could also win a low-scoring playoff game.
The following night was completely different. Alpine found itself in another offensive battle but lost 10-8. The defeat evened the series and forced the Cowboys into a deciding game on August 4.
Alpine's offense, which had carried the club throughout the summer, was unable to break through in the deciding game. The Cowboys lost 3-1, and the 2023 season came to an abrupt end.
The ending was particularly disappointing because of the way Alpine had played during the second half of the season. The Cowboys had transformed themselves from an inconsistent June team into one of the strongest clubs in the Pecos League. By the end of July, Alpine looked capable of making a deep championship run, but postseason baseball ended that run in three games.
The loss also created additional motivation for what would follow. Many of the names that had become important to the 2023 Cowboys would remain significant pieces of Alpine baseball. Prockish had established himself as one of the franchise's most productive hitters. Angeron had demonstrated the combination of hitting and speed that could change games. Hirai gained experience in the starting rotation, while other pieces of the roster continued developing.
The 2023 season therefore became an important bridge in Alpine Cowboys history. The Cowboys were already a successful club, but the season demonstrated both how dominant Alpine could become and how quickly a postseason series could erase the accomplishments of a great regular season.
Prockish's numbers stood among the highlights of the year. A .454 batting average, 14 home runs, 75 RBIs and 74 runs represented a remarkable offensive season. Rego hit .483. Canty hit .415. Garcia hit .403. Angeron hit .380 and stole 27 bases. Sisto hit eight home runs. Alpine had no shortage of offense.
On the mound, Hess finished a perfect 7-0. Mulvihill and Spinoso each won six games. Spagnuolo recorded seven saves with a 2.64 ERA and 58 strikeouts, while Kelly posted a 1.47 ERA. There were plenty of pieces in place for Alpine to continue building.
The final result, however, remained disappointing. The Cowboys had finished 35-16, stormed through July and entered the postseason playing some of their best baseball. They won the playoff opener 3-2 but could not close the series, losing 10-8 and 3-1 in the final two games.
For Alpine, the disappointment of 2023 would become part of the foundation for what came next. The following summer, the Cowboys would take dominance to another level, finish the 2024 regular season 45-4 and complete the journey by winning the Pecos League Championship.
In that sense, the 2023 season became the final lesson before a championship run. Alpine learned how dangerous it could be, learned how quickly a playoff series could turn and entered the next season with unfinished business at Kokernot Field.
The 2023 Alpine Cowboys did not finish with a championship, but their 35-16 regular season, extraordinary second-half run and roster filled with productive players helped set the stage for the championship season that would follow in 2024.
