Pueblo Aztecas look to finish the job this year at the 'Nuch'
The 43rd annual Tony Andenucio Memorial baseball tournament will be back in action starting Thursday, June 15. This year’s event will be a bit different from last year's because the tournament will be split between two different locations.
Half the games will be played at Runyon Sports Complex, and the other half will be played at Colorado State University Pueblo's Rawlings Field.
Last year, the Pueblo Azteca were one win away from claiming the tournament title after losing to Victus Recruits 17-4 in the finals. The Azteca returned a solid lineup this year, including veteran pitchers Andrew Plutt from Pueblo West and Braxton Vail from Pueblo County. Both athletes will be playing at the collegiate level come the fall.
More: Azteca's miracle run in the 42nd 'Nuch tournament ends in championship game
The list of teams participating in the tournament this year is familiar: All but two teams from last year’s event will return with the exception of Cherry Creek and Gene Taylor’s. They will be replaced by Grand Junction and CO Baseball Academy.
The tournament kicks off with games starting as early as 9 a.m. Thursday, and the finals will be held at Andenucio Field at Runyon at 7 p.m. June 18. One downside to two locations is that the team playing at CSU Pueblo Rawlings Field will have to win their game on Sunday afternoon and then make the 10-minute bus ride to Runyon.
The reason for the split locations is the ongoing renovations happening at Runyon Sports Complex. Historic Hobbs Field is being renovated to help maintain the integrity of the facility. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, the renovations are taking longer than anticipated to complete.
It is the hoped that the repairs and upgrades will all be completed before the start of the next baseball season.
The Azteca team will have their work cut out for them as they open their tournament play against Woodward at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Their next game will be a Friday doubleheader against Burkburnett at 5 p.m. and Rio Grande at 7:30 p.m. After that, they return to Runyon on Saturday for another doubleheader, this time against CO Rockies Scouts at 5 p.m. and then Grand Junction at 7:30 p.m.
The final day of the tournament will be decided based on the records and results of the games leading up to the last day. Last year, the Azteca team made it to the finals by having a 5-0 record in the round-robin portion of the tournament. Then they defeated the defending champions from the previous year, 4C Prime, in the semifinals before eventually losing to Victus Recruits 17-4.
It was the best result a team from Pueblo has had in many years at the tournament, and this year's squad is returning the majority of its players. The ‘Nuch will definitely be an interesting tournament to watch this year.
The first game kicks off at 9 a.m. Thursday at Andenucio Field at Runyon Sports Complex with Woodard taking on Burkburnett and Parker Lighting taking on Greeley at Rawlings Field at CSU Pueblo.
For more information on the tournament, including past results, please visit runyonfieldsportscomplex.org.
More: Runyon to host fall baseball program run by Azteca baseball club
Christopher Abdelmalek is a sports reporter for the Pueblo Chieftain and can be reached at cabdelmalek@gannett.com or on Twitter: @chowebacca.
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: At Tony Andenucio baseball tournament, Pueblo Aztecas hope to win it all
