Baseball town: Top seed Spanish Fork opens title defense with win
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- Springville’s Mason Neal (12) slides in safely to avoid the tag of Spanish Fork catcher Trigg Cloward in a 5A baseball playoff game on Wednesday, May 13, 2026.
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- A sign at the Swenson Baseball Complex honors state and region championships won by the Spanish Fork baseball team over the years.
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- Spanish Fork’s Kayden Lambson throws a pitch against Springville in a 5A baseball state playoff game on Wednesday, May 13, 2026.
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- Spanish Fork’s Sammy Dart (right) tries to avoid the tag of Springville second baseman Kyler Hughes during a 5A baseball state playoff game on Wednesday, May 13, 2026.
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- Spanish Fork’s Sammy Dart (right) tries to avoid the tag of Springville second baseman Kyler Hughes during a 5A baseball state playoff game on Wednesday, May 13, 2026.
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- Springville’s Mason Neal (12) avoids the tag of Spanish Fork catcher Trigg Cloward in a 5A baseball playoff game on Wednesday, May 13, 2026.
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- Springville shortstop Kasen Torres (13) tries to flip the ball to second baseman Kyler Hughes in a 5A baseball state playoff game against Spanish Fork on Wednesday, May 13, 2026.
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- Spanish Fork’s Nixon Warren (right) starts his slide into second base against Springville in a 5A baseball playoff game on Wednesday, May 13, 2026.
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- Spanish Fork’s Kayden Lambson throws a pitch against Springville in a 5A baseball state playoff game on Wednesday, May 13, 2026.
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- Spanish Fork first baseman Sammy Dart waits for a throw against Springville in a 5A state playoff game on Wednesday, May 13, 2026.
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- Springville’s Jacob Mayo throws a pitch against Spanish Fork in a 5A baseball state playoff game on Wednesday, May 13, 2026.
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- Spanish Fork’s Cohen Nelson (right) tries to break up a double play against Springville in a 5A baseball state playoff game on Wednesday, May 13, 2026.
The sport of baseball runs deep in the Spanish Fork community, a steady heartbeat of players taking infield and the sound of an aluminum bat striking a ball.
The high school team is the No. 1 seed in the Class 5A tournament, one year after making one of the most remarkable runs in state history to a title as the No. 20 seed.
As the Dons were taking care of Springville 8-5 on Wednesday in front of a packed house, three Little League baseball games were being played on adjacent fields at the Russell Swenson Baseball Complex. The park was an intricate mixture of parents watching their youngsters compete or congratulating the varsity players on their win. The parking lot was filled to capacity. There were lines at the concession stand and children barely old enough to walk tossing a baseball back and forth.
In other words, just another May evening in Spanish Fork.
“Dons baseball to me is honestly just about being with my brothers and having fun,” Spanish Fork senior Matai Johnson said. “In my freshman and sophomore years, we kind of struggled. But I think this is a group that can make a big run.”
Johnson was part of last year’s team that stunned the state of Utah by making that historic run to the championship, the school’s ninth gold trophy.
While the Dons snuck up on teams in last year’s state tournament, they can’t do that this season after earning the top seed.
“Our mantra is kind of just ‘Stay where your feet are,'” Spanish Fork head coach Hadley Thorpe said. “Nothing’s guaranteed in the game of baseball. So we’re just playing each game, each pitch, every pitch, each time. Last year, it was easy for teams to overlook us as the 20 seed, but this year, coming in as the one seed, we’re gonna get everyone’s best shot.”
The Dons are 23-3 after Wednesday’s victory, Game 1 of the best-of-three Super Regional.
“Obviously there’s a target on our back being the one seed,” Johnson said. “We’ve lost three times this year. Everybody’s here to beat us. We lost Jackie (Sorensen), a senior from last year, so obviously losing him sucks, but the core group is still here. And honestly, 20 seed, one seed, we’re just here to win. We’re not scared of anybody, and we’re ready for anybody.”
Spanish Fork was ready for Springville on Wednesday, jumping out to a four-run lead. Junior Pratt Morley’s two-run triple helped the Dons score three times in the first inning and junior Sammy Dart’s RBI single made the score 4-0 after two.
Spanish Fork didn’t allow a run in the three-game Region 7 series against the Red Devils this season (winning 9-0, 12-0 and 2-0) but Springville (10-17) found some offense on Wednesday in the top of the third. Kyler Hughes drove in a run with a single and Preston Hansen plated two runs with a hit, trimming the deficit to 4-3.
The Dons got those three runs back in the bottom of the third with Dart driving in two for an 8-3 advantage and that lead would hold up.
“With a rivalry like Springville, we’ve played a bunch of times over the years and we always know they’re going to give us their best punch, especially this time of year,” Thorpe said. “They always seem to peak at the right time. So we we knew we were going to get their their best shot today.”
Dart finished 2-for-4 at the plate with three RBI and Nixon Warren was also 2-for-4 from his leadoff spot, scoring twice.
Kayden Lambson fanned five of the first six Springville batters he faced, totaling 12 strikeouts and allowing four hits in six innings of work.
“With Kayden on the mound, he gives us a really good chance every time,” Thorpe said. “Defensively, I think we left a little bit to be desired. But all in all, we came out and got a win. This time of year, all wins are hard to come by.
“I think we just keep getting better. We kind of hit a low spot midway through region but I feel like we’re peaking at the right time. We’re playing our best baseball at the right time.”
