Former players names on street signs around the campus tell the strength of Mountain Pointe Baseball.

The Pride won one state championship in 2011, boast 13 All-Americans, have three different players numbers retired, and countless athletes moving on to Division 1 programs.

The 2019 Pride team is ready to carry on the tradition.

The goal is simple: Hoist the trophy at the end of the year.

“State championship is the goal every year, some hide that and go with small goals but not us. We have come short the last two years but that is always the goal,” said coach Matt Denny.

At 21-7 the Pride look to take their No. 9 seed deep into the playoffs. The last Pride team to go deep into the playoffs was in 2013.

“We lost three of our first four, I think some people counted us out but we just needed to stay on board and weather the storm,” said Denny. “Going into the post season I really love where we are mentally and physically. We battled through some bad calls and bad loses but they have done a great job staying together as we head to the post season.”

Denny took over the program from Brandon Buck in 2016 after being named a finalist for national coach of the year while taking his former team, the Greenway Demons, to their second state championship under him.

“Its such an honor to be here, but at the same time its a lot of work because of the history here, we always want have a chance to bring home that next state championship,” said Denny.

Junior Ethan Long is adding to the tradition and making a name for himself.

Long, who committed to the University of Arkansas who finished second in last year’s College World Series, knows the legacy he is a part of.

“It is provides a lot of pressure to live up to those names but that is something I really strive for and makes me want to add my name to the board,” said Long.

The board he speaks of is in left field. It lists all 13 All-American names and sports the 2011 state championship banner.

All 13 players on the board went on to be drafted. One of those players is Cole Tucker who is the latest Pride alum to make his MLB debut which he did on April 20th. He homered in his second at bat which was also his first career hit in the big leagues.

Tucker joins Scott Kingery, C.J. Cron, Kevin Cron, Joe Mather and many others who made a name for themselves in Major League Baseball.

As a senior, Cron hit 27 homeruns rewriting the record books not only at his school but in the state of Arizona. He also holds the record for most homeruns in a career at 60.

Kingery went on to the University of Arizona where he became an everyday starter and was drafted in the second round by the Phillies.

In 2018, Kingery inked a 6-year $24 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Cron and Kingery were on the 2011 team that brought home the only state championship and a No.1 national ranking by MaxPreps.

Since 2005, the Pride have only had one losing season - 2015. But since 1995 the Pride have brought in seven Region Championships, two final four appearances in 2008 and 2013 and two state runners-up in 1995 and 2010.  

Is this year’s Mountain Pointe Pride team the team to bring home number 2?