Pueblo players set to showcase their skills in annual Andenucio baseball tournament
BY CHRIS ABDELMALEK | The Pueblo Chieftain | JUN. 15, 2022
The 42nd annual Tony Andenucio Memorial Baseball Tournament is set to take place June 16-19 at Runyon Field Sports Complex in a showcase of some of the best young talent from across Colorado and beyond.
The ‘Nuch has long been known as a proving ground for young athletes with aspirations to play at the next level.
This year's tournament features teams from New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Wyoming, and Colorado, one of which is the local team, the Pueblo Aztecas.
Tournament teams are split up into two divisions, the American and National, each of which has six teams. This year, the Aztecas will compete in the American division while defending tournament champions 4C (4 Corners) will be in the National division.
More on the annual 'Nuch:Heading to Pueblo for the 'Nuch? Here are some of the top places to go and things to do
Former 'Nuch player returns to tournament as a coach
The Aztecas are coached this year by Dylan Gavin, who also coaches baseball at Pueblo County High School.
In his first year as the team's coach, he’s said he's looking forward to his first ‘Nuch as a skipper after competing in the tournament as a player.
“I was fortunate enough to play the ‘Nuch twice,” Gavin said. “My junior year of high school and then after my senior year of high school and … not only is it just a great experience, it's great to build memories with your teammates and coaches and get that experience of playing at the highest level.”
The ‘Nuch is a rare opportunity for young players to be seen.
There are typically college scouts at the tournament and it’s the perfect place for a player to showcase their skills. Players such as Jace Barger and Michael Casillas of the Azteca team said it’s not an opportunity to be taken lightly.
“This is my first time playing in this tournament,” Casillas said. “So this is a good opportunity if you want to go to the next level because there's going to be college coaches that are going to come down here and see what you're made of and see what you can do.”
This year will be Barger’s second playing in the tournament.
"I think it's a great program for kids to get an extra opportunity to go to the next level,” Barger said. “Especially with these coaches, because they know what it takes to get to the next level."
Michael Casillas gets ready to toss a strike to the first basemen after fielding the ball during practice ahead of the Tony Andenucio Tournament which will begin on Jun 16, 2022.
'Just play baseball'
While Casillas knows the ‘Nuch will offer him a chance to get noticed by scouts and coaches, it’s also a high-pressure environment where mistakes can have a negative impact on a player’s recruitment.
“I'm looking to just do my thing, just be fluent,” Casillas said. “Don't get overstressed because there are scouts there. Just be yourself. Just play ball. That's all you can do, pretty much. Keep it calm. Don't try to exaggerate everything ... just play baseball.”
Gavin said that because the tournament only happens once each year and team rosters constantly change from one tournament to the next, it's hard to gauge how this year’s games might go.
“That is one difficult thing about travel in summer baseball,” Gavin said. “Each year, you get a new group of kids and you are expected in a short amount of time to get them to mesh, to get them to really play together, to get them to learn from one another how they play on the baseball field.”
Playing and coaching six games in four straight days will be difficult, but the Aztecas' players are up for the challenge.
This year with Gavin at the helm, the team’s players seem to have built a favorable rapport with each other and their coach.
“I like coach Gavin,” Casillas said. “He's a really good coach. He knows a lot from his background from going to the next level and stuff, I just like playing with this team.”
While Gavin’s coaching is helping to bring out the best in his players, he said that growth is a two-way street.
"Just having that impact on the kids, being able to be around them, they don't understand how much I learn from them on the daily and I hope they learn things from me as well that they can carry on," Gavin said.
"We're very thankful that a lot of these coaches that do an outstanding job with these kids at their high schools, they trust us enough to develop in the summer and send them back to their high schools with further skills, more knowledge of the game, more mature skills and different things like that."
What to expect at this year's 'Nuch
Local baseball fans should be excited to see some fast-paced, high-level competition over the course of this year’s tournament. If the Aztecas hope to make it to the finals, they will have to play their best baseball.
“There's a huge difference between trying and competing,” Gavin said. “That's what you'll see in this tournament. You'll see teams with a lot of pride that are competing for their programs that are competing for bragging rights, and it's something that you always look forward to.
“You know you're going to get the other team's best arms. You know you're going to get some tough at-bats. Four straight days and six games for each team. Teams (will be) getting after it and competing at a high level.”
The Aztecas will play their first game on Thursday, followed by doubleheaders on Friday and Saturday. All of the team's games will take place at either 5 or 7:30 p.m.
For the entire schedule of the tournament, including all teams and matchups, visit runyonfieldsportscomplex.org.
Christopher Abdelmalek is a sports reporter for the Pueblo Chieftain and can be reached at
