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American Fork's CJ Mascaro (center) celebrates with teammates Bode Gaggero (2) and Cooper Jones after hitting a home run against Farmington in a 6A baseball Super Regional game on Wednesday, May 14, 2025.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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American Fork's Harry Gardner slides into home plate against Farmington in a 6A baseball Super Regional game on Wednesday, May 14, 2025.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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American Fork's CJ Mascaro hits a home run against Farmington in a 6A baseball Super Regional game on Wednesday, May 14, 2025.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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American Fork's Kenny Johnson throws a pitch against Farmington in a 61 baseball Super Regional game on Wednesday, May 14, 2025.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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American Fork shortstop Cooper Jones throws to first base against Farmington in a 6A baseball Super Regional game on Wednesday, May 14, 2025.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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American Fork's Bode Gaggero (2) slides safely into second base against Farmington in a 6A baseball Super Regional game on Wednesday, May 14, 2025.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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American Fork's Cooper Jones (8) and Jens Price (21) signal "safe" as teammate Harry Gardner slides into home plate against Farmington in a 6A baseball Super Regional game on Wednesday, May 14, 2025.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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With last season’s disappointment working as a motivating factor, American Fork baseball is putting all its focus on the present in pursuit of a bright future.

And that future is legitimately bright, which is a common byline for just about any Caveman baseball team under the direction of Coach Jarod Ingersoll.

True to form, the No. 1-seeded Cavemen (22-4) made quick work of No. 17 Farmington (7-22) in their state championship debut on Wednesday, taking an 11-1 win in just five innings. The game was delayed about an hour due to rain, although Ingersoll’s team didn’t delay putting crooked numbers on the board, scoring multiple runs in the second, third and fifth innings in order to go home a bit early and rest up for tomorrow.

“The kids did a good job of not being selfish offensively,” Ingersoll said. “Our pitchers threw for strikes and we played good defense. I was proud of the effort today.”

Ten of the 12 Caveman hits came in the form of singles, as players opted to not swing for the fences, but made certain to get on base, confident that those behind them in the lineup could get them home. And it worked, with American Fork scoring three runs in both the second and third innings before ending the game early with four runs scored in the bottom half of the fifth.

Of course it wasn’t all singles being hit on Wednesday, with senior leader CJ Mascaro sending one over the fence for his 6A-leading ninth home run of the season, and fellow senior Max Miller adding a triple.

“We just trusted each other, knowing we have a really good team this year,” Mascaro said. “It makes it fun to have everyone contribute like they did today and it’s been that way for most of the year.”

What wasn’t fun for Mascaro, and his teammates, was last year’s premature exit from the state tournament relative to expectations. Despite holding the No. 1 seed in last season’s state playoffs, American Fork lost consecutive games to eventual champion Lehi and Riverton during bracket play held at BYU prior to the semifinal round.

“It was really rough having that happen and it’s really motivated us this year,” Mascaro said. “But it’s a new team and we’re not focused on last year’s disappointment. It motivated us to prepare for this year, but the focus, like it always is, is one game at a time.”

“We’ve definitely moved past how last year ended,” Ingersoll added. “We’re focused on the guys we have now, what they’ve done and what they’re doing. The focus is on what’s in front of us and what we can be.”

Perhaps no one in the state understands the process better than Ingersoll with his coaching record at American Fork speaking largely for itself. This year he’s administering a team that has some good senior leadership, headed by Mascaro, mixed with some capable underclassmen.

“CJ has been a great leader for us and it’s great to have him throwing for us on the mound again and he really sets the tone for us from the plate,” Ingersoll said. “Our senior group, in general, all have a bad taste in their mouths from last year and they’ve used that to really provide some great leadership for our younger guys. I like this team and what we’re doing.”

As for Mascaro, he’s embraced his role as a leader.

“We made sure everyone got after it in the offseason and made each other accountable and that’s continued into the season,” Mascaro said. “So we’re excited to see how far we can go this year. We believe in each other and we believe in the next guy behind us. It’s a fun team to be a part of.”