High school sports: Bulldogs pick up where they left off

A.J. Carman and Keenyn Walker have paid their dues in Judge Memorial's baseball program, and they each played integral roles in the Bulldogs' winning the 3A championship last season.

They certainly aren't slowing down as seniors.

Carman and Walker combined to strike out 12 batters in an 11-0 win over Cyprus, 4A's third-ranked team, on Friday afternoon. Each of them also contributed at the plate, as Carman went 3-for-3 with three doubles, and Walker went 3-for-4 with a triple.

Carman was named the 3A MVP last season for his excellent play on the mound and at the plate for the Bulldogs. He's signed with Washington State as a pitcher, but Judge coach Jeff Myaer said he could also contribute as a hitter. Myaer estimates that Carman has struck out approximately 20 times in 300 at-bats in his high school career.

"Opposing coaches will tell you he's a kid you got to watch out for," Myaer said. "He's probably our four hitter, but he hits third so he can get up every first inning. He's just awesome."

Walker, one of the state's top all-around athletes, earns similar descriptions for his play at the plate, on the mound and in center field. He has signed with Central Arizona, but he's certainly an early round Major League Baseball draft prospect.

"Having him out there is like having another coach on the field," Myaer said. "He's a fun kid to coach."

Judge, with six returning seniors, opened the season ranked No. 2 in 3A behind rival Juan Diego. The Bulldogs say they're OK with having someone else in the classification wear the target of being the team to beat. But the blowout victory over Cyprus was a statement win, showing Judge isn't going away anytime soon in baseball.

BATTLE OF THE LANCERS: Granger and Layton are starting an annual event on Friday. The two teams, both of which are nicknamed the Lancers, will participate in the "Battle of the Lancers."

The winner of the game will earn the right to keep a statue of a Lancer at its school until the following year. The first game in the series will be played at Granger at 3:30 p.m. on Friday. Granger is 3-1 this season, while Layton is 0-1.

"We are trying to make this as big as possible and create a tradition that both our students look forward to," said Granger coach Garrett Clark.

SAVING ARMS: The 2009 high school baseball season has been going for a week, and some of the state's top programs took similar approaches to starting the year.