By Glen Rosales
Special to the SUN

With a new coach comes a new attitude for the Pojoaque Valley High School baseball team.

Oliver Torres, who comes to the Elks after years of success with the Santa Fe Indian School softball team, is looking to craft Pojoaque into a powerhouse though the program has reached the state tournament just once since 2012.

“They’re learning a lot,” he said. “We’re trying to develop a culture here of learning how to win and develop that winning mentality.”

Creating that winning attitude might take a bit, but Torres likes what he’s been seeing so far.

“We’re right there, we’re competing,” he said. “We’re definitely putting up a fight and in the long run, that’s going to help in the future for district play. I’m really pleased with the way the kids are playing right now.”

Taking over an established program can be a challenge, especially if the team’s leaders don’t buy into the coaching change, but things have been progressing smoothly, Torres said.

“For a lot people, walking into a situation like this can mean you have to fix a bunch of bad habits,” he said. “But these guys, because they are seniors, they’re really mature kids. I told them I was going to address them and communicate with them as if they are young adults, which they are.”

And that has helped matters quite a bit, he said.

“I’m holding them responsible for being mature athletes,” Torres said. “And they understand that they have a lot to learn. Instead of walking in with bad habits already on board, I’m walking into a group of guys who like the fact that I treat them like young adults and who are willing to learn because of their maturity.”

The Elks are counting on those seniors to lead in production, as well, starting with centerfielder and lead-off hitter Noah Torres, who was among the batting leaders a year ago at .447 and a team-best 11 RBI.

Shortstop and staff ace Ezekiel Atencio locks it down on the mound, where he compiled 3.97 earned-run average across 12.1 innings with 13 strikeouts, but he will be counted on for quite a few more innings this season.

Andres Treviso will start out behind the plate and could see some time around the infield.

José Lujan will slot in on the mound behind Atencio and play outfield when he’s not pitching.

Josh Martinez is a fixture in right field, while Isaiah Martinez will play wherever needed.

Soccer goalkeeper Raudel Rivera will return to third base and continue to mash at the plate after hitting a team-leading .515 last season.

“Right now our strength is our leadership,” Oliver Torres said. “We have seven seniors and so we’re loaded. I think that’s one of our biggest attributes is our seniors are really good leaders. And their work ethic and wanting to get better is very evident in that they want to win.”

The seniors, however, are also looking to leave a legacy going forward.

“Our future looks great,” Oliver Torres said. “We have some great underclassmen who are learning from these seniors and learning how I run the program and that’s a lot different than it was last year. It’s a whole different discipline and a strategy. They’re learning from it and learning quick. Hopefully, they’ll get all those kinks out by district time.”

This could be a year where the Elks can sneak into the state tournament with a strong district run.

“Our expectations are to be very competitive,” Oliver Torres said. “I’m not worried about wins and losses right now. I’m more concerned about being competitive and being in games. Regardless of the score, we’re competing at a high level and starting to develop a winning culture. Every play of every inning is as important as the last one and the next one. So living in the present and playing every moment of the game to the best of our potential. Right now, we’re hoping we come in first or second in the district and make the state tournament. Just making the state tournament this year would be a big deal for our program.”