MEEKER | The Meeker High School baseball team opened the 2026 season on the road last week, traveling to Battle Mountain for a matchup with the Huskies.
The Cowboys showed significant improvement from their previous meeting in 2025, when they dropped a doubleheader 11-0 and 15-0, keeping this year’s season opener within reach before falling 12-11 in eight innings.
Meeker finished with nine hits and scored 11 runs, posting a .265 team batting average while drawing eight walks.
Sophomore Jaxen Mills led the Cowboys at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored, finishing with a 1.800 OPS. Junior Wesley Thompson added two hits and an RBI, while sophomore Gavin Allen and sophomore Logan Selby each drove in a run. Freshman Bryant Turner recorded a hit and scored twice, and junior Said Rodriguez added two runs.
The Cowboys were aggressive on the basepaths, tallying 11 stolen bases. Thompson and Rodriguez each had two steals, while Cade Mills and Selby also added multiple steals.
On the mound, Jaxen Mills provided Meeker’s most effective outing, allowing two earned runs over 3 1/3 innings with three strikeouts. Senior Augie Halstead and junior Cade Mills also pitched as the Cowboys combined for seven strikeouts but issued 12 walks.
Defensively, Meeker recorded 22 putouts and 10 assists but committed five errors, contributing to Battle Mountain’s 12 runs.
Meeker continued its road trip over the weekend at a tournament in Gunnison, opening with a 13-13 tie against Battle Mountain.
The Cowboys scored 13 runs on eight hits and drew 10 walks, finishing with a .250 batting average and a .429 on-base percentage. Rodriguez led the offense, going 1-for-2 with a home run, two RBIs and two runs scored. Halstead added two doubles and two RBIs, while Thompson had a double and a team-high three RBIs. Cade Mills went 2-for-4 with a double and scored three runs.
Meeker added four stolen bases, with Rodriguez and Mills each recording two.
On the mound, junior Heriberto Lopez worked 5 2/3 innings, allowing two earned runs and striking out three. Logan Selby started, giving up four runs in 1 1/3 innings. The Cowboys committed four errors in the field.
Later in the tournament, Meeker faced host Gunnison and suffered a 17-0 loss.
The Cowboys managed one hit in 13 at-bats, with sophomore Gavin Allen recording the lone hit. Meeker finished with a .077 batting average and committed 11 errors in the field.
Cade Mills started on the mound, allowing nine runs over two innings while striking out four. Jaxen Mills pitched one inning in relief. Gunnison’s Ethan Pierce limited Meeker to one hit over four scoreless innings.
Meeker closed out the weekend with a 12-2 loss to Salida.
The Cowboys recorded six hits and posted a .300 batting average but were unable to generate sustained offense. Rodriguez went 2-for-2, while Halstead, Cade Mills, Jaxen Mills and Bryant Turner each added hits.
Defensively, Meeker showed improvement with a .909 fielding percentage, committing two errors. On the mound, Halstead allowed seven runs over two innings, and Allen gave up five runs in three innings of relief.
Salida’s Matthew Edgington earned the win, allowing two runs on five hits while striking out seven.
With the losses, Meeker opens the season 0-3-1 and will look to rebound as it continues regular season play. The Cowboys travel to Rangely on Tuesday before heading to Cedaredge on Saturday for an 11 a.m. matchup.
Head coach James Romansky was not available for comment before press time.
Jaxen Mills slides headfirst into third base during Meeker’s season opener against Battle Mountain, showcasing the aggressive base running that has made him an early standout this season. HAYDEN GARCIA PHOTO