MEEKER | The Meeker Cowboys baseball team hit the road last week, traveling to Parachute to take on the Grand Valley Cardinals. The last time the two teams faced off in April, Meeker lost 5-4 at home. This time around, the Cowboys flipped the script and earned a 4-0 win.
Senior pitcher Carson Klinzmann carried the team on the mound, giving up only two hits and striking out 10 to keep the Cardinals scoreless. Meeker is now 2-1 in games where Klinzmann records at least eight strikeouts. In all other games, the team is 4-12.
At the plate, junior Joseph Halstead led the offense, going 2-for-3 with two RBIs. The win snapped a three-game losing streak and improved Meeker’s overall record to 6-13. As a team, the Cowboys finished the game with a .240 batting average, a .296 on-base percentage and no home runs.
A few days later, the Cowboys traveled to Olathe to face the Pirates, a team Meeker has historically performed well against. Since April 2019, the Cowboys were 9-1 versus Olathe—and they improved that record to 10-1 with a narrow 1-0 victory. It was Meeker’s closest win over the Pirates since a one-run game on May 22, 2021.
Head coach James Romansky credited the team’s defense for the win.
“Pitching with Klinzmann on the mound kept them down with 10 strikeouts, and our outfield, consisting of some freshman athletes in Selby and Allen, tracked everything down that day,” Romansky said. “Everyone came to play defense, and we held a good hitting team down.”
Klinzmann gave up just three hits and added another 10 strikeouts. He hasn’t allowed more than two walks in his last three starts.
At the plate, freshman Hoyt Garcia stepped up, going 1-for-3 with the game’s only RBI. Meeker finished the game with a .130 batting average, a .286 on-base percentage, and no home runs. The win brought their record to 7-13.
The Cowboys returned home the next day for their final home game of the season, hosting the North Fork Miners. Between the varsity and JV games, the program honored six seniors: Carson Klinzmann, Skylar Browning, Alan Rivera, Cooper Arnold, Finley Deming and Wil Schwartz, all of whom will graduate on May 24.
“Our seniors have meant a great deal to this program,” Romansky said. “Klinzmann, Browning and Schwartz have been a strong core of our upperclassmen pitching rotation. Rivera has been a huge part of our offense and running game. Deming has played a great second base all year, and Cooper has excelled as a designated hitter and utility player. They’ve all led the team in the right direction, and I’m thankful to have coached them in their last year.”
Despite the emotion of Senior Day, the Cowboys fell short in a 7-4 loss.
Senior pitcher Wil Schwartz had a strong outing, throwing three innings without allowing a hit or an earned run. He also recorded a personal best with zero walks.
Offensively, six Cowboys recorded hits. Sophomore Said Rodriguez stood out, going 1-for-4 with three RBIs, a triple and one run scored.
The loss dropped Meeker’s record to 7-14 overall and 5-5 in league play, good for third place in the standings. Romansky stressed the importance of maintaining focus through the final games.
“We need to stay focused and know that every game matters,” he said. “Whether it’s a state championship or the last game of the season, we show up to play and make Meeker proud. There’s no reason to step on the field and give anything short of our very best.”
The Cowboys hit the road again Monday to face the 9-12 Basalt Longhorns. Romansky noted the team’s approach against a strong offensive opponent.
“They are an offensive team,” he said. “In order for us to compete, we need to string base hits together and put up runs.”
On Tuesday, Meeker wrapped up the regular season with a road game against the 11-11 Steamboat Springs Sailors. The Cowboys had previously lost a close 5-4 contest to Steamboat and were looking for redemption.
As the regular season winds down, Romansky reflected on the team’s resilience and progress.
“This team has been hungry for opportunity and incredibly resilient to losses that might have spiraled other teams,” he said. “They’ve come together and supported one another. It hasn’t been an easy season, but it’s been a fun one. This group of athletes are competitors—they’re headstrong and happy, and they want to work to become great. I’ll never forget that they did not quit on each other, the coaching staff, or this season. Meeker’s got greatness in this team as we look to the future.”
Good luck to the Cowboys as they close out the regular season with back-to-back road games, and as always go Cowboys!
Seniors Carson Klinzmann, Skyler Browning, Alan Rivera, Cooper Arnold, Finley Deming and Wil Schwartz. (We apologize for the incorrect names in the print edition.)
