2A Baseball Recap 2026

The 2026 2A baseball season was one for the books! Something about small-town teams battling it out on the diamond year in and year out is truly special. This year was no different.

Regular Season

The regular season was absolutely dominated by the Beaver Beavers and the Kanab Cowboys. Both teams ended up sharing the 2A South Region title, finishing with a 9-1 record in region play, and splitting the two-game head-to-head series.

The Beavers were loaded with talent headlined by Junior stud Raider Blomquist. He hit .533 with 6 HRs and 38 RBIs while going 3-1 on the bump and leading the Beavers’ pitching rotation with 48 Ks. Junior Tyge Blomquist was incredible on the mound for Beaver, posting a 1.95 ERA, a 4-0 record and 42 Ks. Seniors Davin Orton, Sam Smith and Gabe Robinson all were big contributors each batting over .300 from the plate and combining for 83 RBIs. Junior Ki Anzalone was just as productive as any Beaver being a force at the plate (.452 Avg, 3 HRs, 34 RBIs) and on the bump (5-1 record, 2.31 ERA, 45 Ks) Needless to say, these guys were loaded, and to top it all off, the Beavers have a kid named Beckham Beaumont who hit .467 on the year and drove in 31 runs… as a FRESHMAN!?!?

The Cowboys like the Beavers were star studded up and down the roster. Junior Kanon Virostko’s bat was up in flames this year as he was SCORCHING HOT! 10 home runs gave him the 2A HR crown by a wide margin and he also took home the RBI crown with 46. Kanon was so feared that teams started to intentionally walk him in big-time playoff games. They were willing to give the free 90 knowing their other options. Kanon’s older brother Brogun was the leader of this Kanab team both vocally and with on-field play. A multi-year starter at the hot corner for the Cowboys, Brogun hit .409 at the plate, driving in 29 runs. Brogun graduated this year and while this team has the majority of starters returning, he is one that will not be easy to replace going forward. Speed demon Grady Anderson was getting on base all the time for the Cowboys (.578 OBP) and ran all over the place leading the team in doubles, (12, tied with Brogun) triples (7) and runs (41). The multi-sport star is only a sophomore and will be back for another 2 years for Cowboy Baseball. A fan-favorite player in the state, Latimer Glover (Jr.) is a stud of a baseball player at shortstop. He plays the game with confidence and swagger and added a major boost of energy to this team all year long making web gem plays and delivering in the clutch hitting at the top of the lineup. While the Kanab boys had a loaded batting order, their special season would not have been possible if it weren’t for great pitching. That pitching was led by ace Walker Baird whose numbers are absolutely ridiculous. A 0.95 ERA is absurd, on top of that Baird collected 8 wins on the year with 100 punch outs. It’s a scary scene as 2A will have to face Baird again next year as he is only a Junior…

The Gunnison Valley Bulldogs and American Leadership Eagles had little trouble earning their own region titles, helping them both secure a top-six seed in the playoff bracket.

The Bulldogs were a three headed monster this year with Braxton Pickett, Waylon Sorenson and Dax Knudsen. All 3 of these guys were forces at the plate and on the bump. Knudsen (Jr.) goes 6-0 on the bump while also leading the team with 34 RBIs. Pickett (Sr.) was throwing gas all year as well as running like his pants were on fire around the bases leading all of 2A with 31 stolen bases. Not to mention leading the team with a .388 batting average. Waylon (Sr.) was terrific at the plate this year for the Bulldogs leading the team with 5 home runs but that’s nothing compared to what he did on the rubber… Sorenson was playing on MLB The Show rookie mode pitching this year. He led not only 2A, but the entire state of Utah with a 0.88 ERA!! His 117 strikeouts are absolutely insane which was good for 2nd in the state of Utah. Sorenson’s breakout senior season is one of the best stories this year had to offer and will go down in Bulldog baseball history.

State Tournament

I would be remiss if I failed to mention the San Juan Broncos and their extremely impressive tournament run. Picking up a dominant win in Round 1 vs the Duchesne Eagles and then beating the defending champion South Sevier Rams 6-2 in the next round set them up with the 1 seeded Beaver Beavers. The bats were alive for the Broncos as they put up 13 runs on multiple Beaver stud pitchers to pull off a big time upset. The Broncos would later fall to the Cowboys twice to end their season, but had a very great season and take home a silver medal. The Broncos were led by standout FRESHMAN Kreed Herring who can’t legally drive, yet still led San Juan to a second place finish and ended the year with a 6-1 record, 2.52 ERA, and triple digit K’s. INSANE!

Spotlight back to the Cowboys… We saw a phenomenal pitchers’ duel in the winners-bracket semi’s between Kanab’s own Walker Baird and Gunnison Valley’s Waylon Sorenson (6IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 12 K) With another ace on the other team, Baird had extremely little room for error. He knew that and seized the moment… untouchable! Walker went all 7 innings, giving up JUST 1 hit and NO RUNS! Oh yeah… he also sent down 14 batters, making light work of the Bulldogs lineup.

Baird’s complete-game performance made him unavailable for the rest of the tournament due to pitch count rules, but it set the tone for the Cowboys the rest of the way. They were put in a prime position to take home their 3rd state title in 4 years and they did just that beating the San Juan Broncos once on Friday and once on championship Saturday to hoist another trophy and add it to a loaded collection. A good chunk of these boys already got one ring this past fall in football and will be adding to their high school resume with another one!

Season Standouts

Many players not mentioned still put together incredible seasons for their teams. Triston Felix out of Monticello had a rubber arm pitching 81.2 innings and recording 169 strikeouts, both of which led the entire state of Utah by a landslide and finished TOP 5 IN THE COUNTRY with strikeouts! WHAT. A. YEAR. Felix is also just a junior so good luck to the rest of 2A next year. Teammate of Felix, Jackson Keyes posted a .493 batting average and driving in 20 for the Buckaroos.

Nashden Goodliffe led all of 2A with a .549 batting average while also stealing 20 bags. His Duchesne teammate Rylann Butler also stole 23 bags and hit in 27 runs.

Travin Hales racked up 64 Ks through 48.2 IP while posting a 6-1 record for ALA.

Final Thoughts

2A baseball is as exciting as it gets! Players putting on for their towns, representing where they were raised. Lots of homegrown talent. Fans who travel across the state to watch their boys play. Communities are brought together and show out for the kids. Passion is everywhere, and rivalries are built. If you haven’t been out to some 2A ball of any sport, change that. It’s special! Congrats to the many seniors who wrapped up their high school careers in 2026. Good luck in your next chapter in life. And congrats to the Kanab Cowboys, the 2026 2A Baseball State Champions!