Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com

The future of baseball in Southern Humboldt appears to be in good hands.

On Monday night, the SoHum Hawks capped a good few days on the baseball field with a 9-3 win over the Klamath Trinity Bulls in the District Junior League Tournament of Champions final.

Playing at the Arcata Ball Park, the young Hawks delivered in one of the biggest games of their season, following a 13-3 win over the Eel River Giants in five innings in their semifinal on Saturday.

And they won with some good pitching and stellar defense, holding their two tournament opponents to just six runs combined.

“They had the best defense hands down in league all year long, and they showed it (on Monday),” Hawks head coach Armand Moore said. “Defense is really what set them apart.”

And that was the case all year long.

In their opening game of the season, the Hawks turned a rare triple play and they continued to set the tone on that side of the ball all spring with double plays in several games.

They also enjoyed some strong pitching and made the stellar defense count with timely hitting.

Byren Spear had a huge night in Monday’s win, and he did so in multiple ways.

The young standout finished 3-for-3 with four runs and also helped set the tone on defense with a good game at shortstop, before taking the mound late in the game and getting the final out on four pitches to help seal the victory.

John-Henry Terrell also had a good night at the plate and finished 2-for-3 with three RBIs, a walk and a run, while  Jayden Sawboh added a double and Kalyn Puno and Davyan Moore each also had a base hit.

Kaden Haskell got the start on the hill and pitched well, coming within one batter of a complete game before being pulled because of his pitch count.

Submitted photo – The SoHum players and coaches celebrate their championship win at the Arcata Ball Park on Monday.

Haskell also walked three times, stole two bases and scored two runs, while Puno and Spear each also had a pair of stolen bases.

Moore helped set the tone in the semifinal win over the Giants, hitting a momentum-building bases-clearing triple in the fourth inning.

On the mound, Logan Czuprynski closed out the semifinal win with a four-pitch inning to help see his team over the finish line.

Overall, the Southern Humboldt players came ready to play.

“They really put it all together,” Armand Moore said. “You’ve got to have it all if you want to win these games, and that’s kind of what we preach to them. And in both games they came ready to play.”

This year’s talented roster also included Ozzy Lorenzo, Johnny-Rae Pogue, David Hernandez, Gage Mitchell, Uriel Arellano, Braylon Toner, Louie Wendt and Hawkins Bullock, and all of the players contributed in the championship season.

But it was their willingness to learn and their approach to the games that really impressed the coaches.

“They all listen, and they won the little battles throughout the whole game,” the head coach said. “That was definitely one of the best attributes. They all have great attitudes. Even when they are making mistakes, which is rare, they’re never negative and they’re always taking to each other about what they can do better next time.”

The pitching, as is usually the case, also played a huge role on the path to success.

“Our pitching rotation was really good,” the coach added. “We had a lot of good arms.

“The good thing is I really had no problem throwing whoever was available that day and knowing the defense would be behind them.”

Tim Toner and Matt Czuprynski were assistant coaches on the team.