SURPRISE, Ariz. – Nestled in the northwest part of the Valley is where you’ll find Willow Canyon High School and a revived baseball program that is ready to make its mark this season.

The school has never been known for having a stellar baseball program, but there is a different attitude surrounding the club in 2020.

“This year’s way different, we’ve set the bar really high, not only to get to playoffs, but our end result is we want a state championship,” said second baseman Matthew Carter.

The word “playoffs,” let alone “championship,” have rarely been associated with the baseball team. Their first playoff game took place just two years ago, 16 years after the school opened its doors.

But that mindset has changed, and it starts with head coach Orlando Rodriquez, who was brought on before the start of the 2018 season following stints with Liberty and Copper Canyon.

In his first season as head coach, the team finished with a 12-6 record and made the play-in game but lost to Williams Field. The Wildcats continued their success in 2019 by making the playoffs again, but they fell to Cactus Shadows in another one-and-done game.

The team culture has been the biggest difference for the Wildcats. Rodriquez has changed a fundamental part of the program that has been missing: Winning games.

Looking toward this season, the Wildcats have 11 seniors on the team, many of them aboard since Rodriquez came to the school.

“That’s 11 guys that I’m looking at that have playoff experience,” he said. “They’re just as eager and excited to show not just our underclassmen that are JV and freshmen, they’re eager to show the city of Surprise that we’re for real. To show our sister schools that we’re a team to beat and I’m excited about that, and they’re eager to get ready to go.”

Those with playoff experience will be key to the team’s success. One player in particular who could make a substantial impact is senior first baseman Alex Montoya.

Montoya only played half of last season before tearing his ACL, MCL and meniscus.

Now he’s motivated more than ever to play his senior year with the team he loves.

“It was very hard; I was coming out to cheer on my teammates,” Montoya said. “But I knew I had a goal and I knew what I had to get done for the next season. So I’ve been working hard, and I was out here within seven months, not quite there yet, but we’re almost there. I have a lot of unfinished work to do.”

Willow Canyon’s infield will also include sophomore Jared Schulte, who maintains an impressive 4.79 GPA when he’s not anchoring the hot corner.

The outfield features a two-sport athlete in senior Jason Hayes and Isaiah Rameriz holding down the fort.

“[I have] Isaiah Rameriz in center field, he likes the call it the ‘no fly zone,’” Rodriquez said. “He covers the ground. He’s my leader, he’s one of my leaders on this program.”

There will be three “pitchers only” players that make up the roster, including seniors Noah Fournier and Alejandro Flores.

For Rodriquez, playing great defensively will be a major factor in winning games this year.

“I’ve always preached defense,” he said. “My thing is, if we don’t make any error, then we don’t give opponents a chance to beat us. So, if we don’t make an error and play clean baseball, then all it gives us is an opportunity to win the game.”

Putting it all together will be the challenging part for the Wildcats.

Although many of its players aren’t being watched nationally by scouting websites, it’s the culture inside the team that fuels the desire to want to take the program to another level.

This type of winning culture has never been seen in this baseball program, which can feel more like a family at times.

“I spend more time with them than I do with my parents at home,” Charter said. “We’re all brothers here, sometimes we have little disagreements, but at the end of the day we get over it and just hug it out and play.”

If the Wildcats are going to win the 5A state championship, it will take the work ethic that their coach instilled in them since taking over as skipper.

The schedule features a tough start with four of the first five games on the road.

Willow Canyon played their first game of the season against North Canyon, which they won by a score of 18-1.

The team’s toughest competition in the 5A Desert West region will be Millennium, who finished with a 15-3 record and have won the region each of the last three seasons.

“I do have senior heavy this year, where I’m excited, because I have great leaders,” Rodriquez said. “I have depth at every position and my guys are hungry, they’re hungry to go show that hey, we’re not just a first-round team. We’re a team that can actually go all the way this year and we’re going to go out there and show it.”