Brotherhood of the bat

Bobby Reyes

Times Staff Writer

GHS Baseball — Brennan Smith cracked a smile when he talked about the magical blue bat that he shared with his teammates nearly a decade a ago. While they didn’t know it at the time, the bond Colby Archuleta, Brevin Book, Ty Percival, Brady Wilson and Smith shared then would last into their senior baseball season at Gunnison High School (GHS).

“We thought it was the best bat ever made,” Smith shared with a laugh. “We still didn’t hit the ball very far, but we loved it.”

Regardless of the outcome, the bat was something they gravitated to.

“It was our lucky bat, we felt like we couldn’t miss when we used it,” Book explained. “It was a sad day when we outgrew it.”

While the significance of the bat eventually faded, the bonds woven through the bat lived on. The five youngsters moved through Gunnison’s baseball leagues — not always on the same team, but always on the field, together.

Crafting their skills from the very beginning was GHS head coach Tom Percival, Ty’s uncle.

“He’s been coaching us since tee-ball, back when we were 6 years old,” Ty explained. “Every time we moved up into a new age group he’d move up with us. He’s led us the whole way.”
 

Together from an early age

It’s been nearly 12 years, but Smith can still remember their very first days on the diamond together.

“We learned how to slide by sliding on a slip-n-slide,” Smith shared. “They had one on the field and we’d dive and slide.”

Those memories re-emerge when Smith rounds the bases at GHS.

“That’s how we learned how to slide,” Smith said with a laugh. “I still think of that today.”

Archuleta’s first memories were of being struck out by Book —  repeatedly.

“He would strike me out over and over again,” Archuleta explained with a laugh. “That was in the little leagues.”

Book remembers when the squad took their skills from recreational baseball to the competitive level — in their first Triple Crown tournament when they were 9 years old.

“We thought we were so good,” Book recounted. “Then we got the crap kicked of out us. We learned then that we’d have to step up a lot more if we wanted to be competitive.”

Despite the humbling experience, it was one that all five share as a turning point.

“We really started to click as a crew,” Wilson said. “We took that into high school and it’s showing up now.”

While the legacy of the blue bat has faded into memory, it was replaced with a white bat once the quintet became Cowboys.

“We had this white bat that we all got our first hit with at the varsity level,” Wilson explained. “(Tom) Percival has been wanting us to throw it away for a while now, but it’s our prized possession. It’s what we started high school with.”

As the crew moved their way from junior varsity to varsity over the past four years, they found themselves back on the field — together.

“It’s awesome having that brotherhood on the field at the same time,” Smith said. “There’s an extra level of comfort out there because of that.”

Book agreed.

“I trust them all,” he acknowledged. “I know Ty will get it when I throw to first. We just know where each other are all the time.”

Paths bound to diverge

While they’ve shared the field this spring, they know it will be the last time.

“We’re really savoring every game we have left,” Ty Percival said. “We’ve only got one more home game, so we’re just trying to make the best of every moment we have together.”

And the moments are adding up to an epic finale.

“This has been a very special season,” Wilson acknowledged. “We’ve come together even more as teammates, friends and family, it’s really bittersweet.”

While the excitement of the post-season awaits them, so does their collegiate future. For the first time in more than a decade, they’ll be on the baseball diamond next year without each other.

“It’ll be sad when it’s all over,” Archuleta said. “It’s in the back of our minds, but we’re just trying to focus on right now.”

Wilson is headed to Lakeland College in Wisconsin in the fall, while Book will head to Western Nebraska Community College. Archuleta’s headed to Colorado State University to play club baseball, while Percival and Smith will be at Colorado Mesa University where they’re planning to play club ball.

“It’s exciting to have this many people from GHS go play at the next level,” Wilson said. “It’s really because our coaches gave us the confidence that we could do it.”

While the nostalgia of their long road together is gradually creeping in as their high school careers wind down, they acknowledge the inevitable change that awaits them. But they know they’ve got business to take care of first.

“I know I’ll look back at some point when I’m older and really miss this,” Book shared. “It’s been a great ride, now we have to end it in a big way.”

(Bobby Reyes can be reached at 970.641.1414 or bobbyreyes@gunnisontimes.com.)