The Pecos League is still in its
infant stages of existence, but in its short two
year history one team has begun to stand out above the rest.
The Alpine Cowboys are quickly becoming the powerhouse organization in a league that is earning a reputation for sending players to higher levels of professional baseball. Led by manager Ryan Stevens, the Cowboys have reached the playoffs in both years of the league's existence, and took home the 2012 Pecos League Championship, this August - not to mention, they won the Continental League Championship the year before joining the Pecos League.
Most players that participate in the Pecos
League are looking to use it as a springboard to a higher level of play, which
causes high turnover. This past season's championship team returned only 10 players from the successful 2011 team. To have
consistent success year after year, when the majority of the players from any
team change more often then the average person changes their clothes, requires
phenomenal coaching, scouting, player development, and management.
“Its difficult to go through so
many players,” said Stevens. “You have
to keep a set foundation with a style of play and the type of players that you
bring in and out of here to be successful.”
Under the direction of Stevens, who
also scouts for the Washington Nationals, the Cowboys have continued to help players
reach their goal of moving up the ranks, while still succeeding on the field.
The Cowboys are coming off a season
in which they were 45-24, the best record in the league. Alpine went 4-1 in the playoffs to win the
Pecos League Championship over the Las Cruces Vaqueros in an exciting and
action packed series. The only thing
more impressive than Alpine’s regular season and playoff record is the fact
that they only lost six total games at home all year.
If you ask any of the Cowboys
players or coaches why they had such success at home they will immediately
point to the city of Alpine and its great fans.
“Alpine is a great baseball town,”
said Cowboys All Star closer Alfredo Caballero.
“The Cowboys are the best team to play for in the Pecos league. We have the best field, the players are paid
the best, and we have by far the best fan support in the league. The people in
the city treat you great; why wouldn’t you want to play for the Cowboys?”
Said Stevens: “It’s special because
the community is very involved in everything we do. Alpine is the smallest pro-ball market in the
country and it’s special when you can hold an organization together with such a
strong tradition. The expectations are
to win every year.”
Part of that rich tradition comes
in the form of the team’s stadium, Kokernot Field. The General Manger of the team, Kristen Cavness,
is a descendent of the original Cowboys owner, Herbert Kokernot, and is very
involved in the day-to-day activity of the team.
“Kristen did a great job all year
as the GM and holding everything together for us,” said Stevens. “She did a great job with the game day operations
and everything. She really made it a community effort and got a lot of people
to volunteer.”
During spring training the team
spent some time training at the Kokernot o6 Ranch and were able to take away
positive things from the environment.
“When all the players got here they
all got put up together at the o6 ranch and they stayed there with no internet,
television, or cell phone service and they had nothing to do but spend time
with each other,” said Stevens. “They
learned a lot about themselves and relied on each other. I’d like to think doing that helped them form
the bond and traditions that allowed us to be successful.”
There is no question that chemistry
played one of the biggest roles in the Cowboys success this past season. Just by watching a game it was evident that
it was a special group of guys playing for each other in a Cowboys uniform.
“I think us winning the
championship meant a lot to the city of Alpine,” said Caballero. “We showed all year long we were a good team
and took care of business in the playoffs.
The guys on the team will always continue to be my friends, I still keep
in touch with all of them.”
It didn’t take long for the success on the
field to draw attention not only from the city of Alpine and the rest of the
Pecos League, but also from the higher ranks of independent league baseball and
affiliated organizations.
Just this last year the Cowboys had
a player signed by the Washington Nationals and sent around 10 total players to
higher levels of professional baseball.
In total, Stevens and the Cowboys have now sent over 25 players to a
higher league and had three signed to affiliated organizations in the last
three seasons.
As the winning continued for the
Cowboys, Pecos League accolades began to trickle in for the team as well. Ten Cowboys players were named to the Pecos
League All Star Team, which happened to be coached by Stevens who was thrilled
to receive the offer to coach the team.
“It’s always nice to win personal
accolades but that is not what it’s about,” said Stevens. “I kept talking to the team about how all
stars and personal awards don’t matter unless you win the championship at the
end of the year. The goal is to always
win a championship.”
Some end of the season awards were
handed out to people in the Cowboys organization as well, including Brett
Kennedy, who won Pitcher of the Year and Stevens who was named Manager of the
Year. Stevens eclipsed the century mark
in career wins this past season and now has an overall record of 114-67. Most people would be happy with personal
accomplishments and attention, but Stevens refuses to let anything he does
overshadow the players on the field.
“I don’t think about the personal
success, I just think about doing things the right way and helping these kids out
and winning championships,” said Stevens.
“Our reputation and consistency has allowed many of our players to gain
recognition and coaches of other teams want the guys we have.”
With all of that being said,
Stevens couldn’t be happier with the way this past season and the director of
the Alpine Cowboys organization is going.
“Its definitely up there,” said
Stevens. “You have a vision of how you
want things to go and where you want to bring an organization, and this was the
direction I wanted to take them.”
“The tradition, community, stadium,
and the entire atmosphere are what make the organization so special. If you
want to be a part of winning organization, you want to be a Cowboy.”
