OUAZ Baseball 2025 Season Preview With Head Coach Tim Montez

The 2025 Baseball Season is less than one week away!

We sat down with Head Coach Tim Montez to give you a preview of what the season has in store.

The team had a great year last year, earning their first trip to the National Tournament, along with your first win. Describe how last season felt and what you think can carry over from last year to this year. It was a solid year, our guys really came together down the stretch and that was one of the keys to the season. They really played for each other and that is always huge when navigating a 50 game schedule in one of the top conferences in the country. Our previous teams have built a "Kaizen" type culture and that is what we hope carries us into each season. We have added some high character guys and really think they have been a great addition to our "others first" culture.
What do you think will be the key for the team to not only return to the tournament, but also make a deeper run? To stay humble and play for one another. Do the right things on and off the field. It all comes down to pitching, defense, timely hitting and the ability to stay in the moment. Everyone needs to not only TRUST the process but more importantly TRUST each other.
Who are some of the guys that are returning for you this year that you feel will play a role in this team's success? We have several key returners that had a huge role in our success last year and we are counting on their experience to help with our success this year. Joey Winters, Nick Lustig, Christian Powell, Owen Pendegast, Dane Fraser, Nano Perez, Zach Hangus, and Joel Esparza are just SOME of our returners. It's going to take a "TEAM" effort by everyone!
Who are some of the new faces in the clubhouse that you are excited to see play for you this year? Dante Leach, Luke Hyzdu, Liam Padden, Austin Humphres, Micah Del Rio, Bojacob Garza, Sam Lochet, Hayden Schooler to name JUST a few... If each player on our roster has the "next man up" and "works while they wait" approach, then that's when special things can happen, and that is one of the things I am most excited about.
You also have a new voice sitting next to you in the dugout this season. What do you think that Coach Victor Rojas has brought to this team so far, and will bring to the table this spring? Replacing former Associate Head Coach Jeff Fallon is a tall task, but Coach Rojas's steady, firm presence and ability to also connect to our players will be a huge factor. Like all my assistant coaches, he is a teacher first. They all bring high energy, passion and a "others first" approach.
What are the series that you are most looking forward to this season? Looking forward to going to Georgia to play top 10 teams. Its always a pleasure to get to play against top level talent and as I have always said over the years, "you don't know how good you are going to be, until you play the best".
You will be playing opening day on January 23rd against Bethesda. What can you tell us about their team, and what do you feel your team needs to do in order to start the season 1-0? They are well coached and play with a lot of energy. We need to play our style of baseball don't let the game get to big and stay together. It is a process, and we need to take it one game at a time.
Anything you would like to say to the fans before the season gets going? We hope to see everyone out at the ballpark, we appreciate everyone who attends our games. It is a fun atmosphere and we are blessed to be able to play our games at the Surprise Spring Training Facility. We hope we represent not only OUAZ in a 1^st class manner, but more importantly we compete every pitch for the Glory of God. "See ya all at the ballpark!"

We can't wait to see how the 2025 OUAZ Baseball season will unfold, and you can too by checking our website and social media pages for updates, or just come out to all our home games this spring at the Surprise Spring Training Complex. ALL HOME GAMES ARE FREE TO ENTER!

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Players Mentioned

#28 Joel Esparza: C; 6' 0"; Junior; R/R

#37 Dane Fraser: OF; 6' 2"; Senior; R/R

#16 Nano Perez: C; 5' 9"; Senior; L/R

#6 Christian Powell: INF; 5' 9"; Senior; R/R

#26 Joey Winters: INF; 6' 7"; Graduate Student; L/R

#36 Micah Del Rio: RHP; 6' 0"; Junior; R/R

#24 Austin Humphres: LHP; 6' 4"; Junior; L/L

#49 Luke Hyzdu: INF; 6' 0"; Junior; R/R

#22 Dante Leach: INF; 5' 10"; Junior; R/R

#14 Liam Padden: OF; 5' 8"; Junior; R/R

Players Mentioned

#28 Joel Esparza
: 6' 0"; Junior; R/R
: C

#37 Dane Fraser
: 6' 2"; Senior; R/R
: OF

#16 Nano Perez
: 5' 9"; Senior; L/R
: C

#6 Christian Powell
: 5' 9"; Senior; R/R
: INF

#26 Joey Winters
: 6' 7"; Graduate Student; L/R
: INF

#36 Micah Del Rio
: 6' 0"; Junior; R/R
: RHP

#24 Austin Humphres
: 6' 4"; Junior; L/L
: LHP

#49 Luke Hyzdu
: 6' 0"; Junior; R/R
: INF

#22 Dante Leach
: 5' 10"; Junior; R/R
: INF

#14 Liam Padden
: 5' 8"; Junior; R/R
: OF