1 / 7

Maple Mountain players celebrate scoring a run against Fremont in a 5A baseball state playoff game at UCCU Ballpark on Monday, May 18, 2026.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

2 / 7

Maple Mountain pitcher Kavyn Carter throws a pitch against Fremont in a 5A baseball state playoff game on Monday, May 18, 2026.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

3 / 7

Maple Mountain's Brooks Pratt takes a swing against Fremont in a 5A baseball playoff game at UCCU Ballpark on Monday, May 18, 2026.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

4 / 7

Maple Mountain's Jeremiah Hall (22) slides in safely at home plate in a 5A baseball state playoff game against Fremont at UCCU Ballpark on Monday, May 18, 2026.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

5 / 7

Maple Mountain pitcher Kavyn Carter (10) greets teammates while coming off the field against Fremont in a 5A baseball state playoff game at UCCU Ballpark on Monday, May 18, 2026.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

6 / 7

Maple Mountain's Mick Winward (right) prepares to throw to first base in a 5A baseball state playoff game against Fremont at UCCU Ballpark on Monday, May 18, 2026.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

7 / 7

Maple Mountain's Nash Ferguson (7) gets back to first base safely against Fremont in a 5A baseball state playoff game at UCCU Ballpark on Monday, May 18, 2026.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

❮ ❯

First of all, the Maple Mountain baseball team is enormous.

Morning weight lifting sessions — and good genetics — have helped create one of the biggest, most physical rosters in the state that boasts eight players 200 pounds or more. At least 17 players are 6-feet tall or bigger.

The Golden Eagles are also pretty smart and skilled, too.

Monday’s Class 5A bracket play opener against No. 7 Fremont created an opportunity to show off their physical and mental approach, resulting in a run-rule 11-1 victory at Utah Valley’s UCCU Ballpark.

“They (Fremont) were playing a shift on defense, and our approach with that is to go to right field,” Maple Mountain head coach Jeremy Thomas said. “We did that one through nine today and it allowed us to generate some runs. Plus, we were able to take advantage of the wind a little big. There were a few pop ups and fly balls in the wind that were hard to judge, tough plays to make. But our guys were aggressive on the bases, we ran hard and were able to get some extra bases off of that.”

Senior outfielder Cayden Giles (6-1, 190) was 3 for 4 with a double, two RBI and two runs scored.

“In the weight room it’s two times a week at 5 a.m. and the coaches tell us to get our other two lifts in during the week,” he said. “I mean, it pays off, as you can tell. We were hitting the ball hard and pitchers are throwing gas up there. We’re an all-around solid team.”

The first four batters in the Golden Eagles’ lineup — leadoff Nash Ferguson, Giles, Jeremiah Hall and Mitch Walker — combined for 10 of the team’s 14 hits and 10 of the 11 runs scored.

“They thought we were going to go pull side, but we stuck with our oppo (opposite field) approach and if they gave us chances, we took them,” Giles said. “We’re a bunch of unselfish guys. We have guys that hit the long ball but they’ll settle for an infield single if that’s what it takes. We’re all hustling out ground balls and just trying to put the ball in the gap.”

Maple Mountain (23-6) went up 1-0 in the bottom of the first when Ferguson led off with a wind-aided triple and came home on Giles’ single. The Golden Eagles added four more runs in the third, taking advantage of two Fremont errors and getting RBI’s from Giles (with a double) and Brooks Pratt (a single) for a 5-0 lead.

Meanwhile, junior Kavyn Carter scattered seven singles and struck out six Silverwolves in six innings to run his record to 7-1.

“He’s pretty consistent,” Thomas said. “We know if we can get a four or five-run lead, we have a good chance to win. When you have a pitcher like that you know is going to throw strikes with multiple pitches, it give you a chance to win almost every game.”

Leading 8-1 in the bottom of the sixth, Maple Mountain added three runs to win by the 10-run rule, catcher Brooks Pratt knocking in the final run with a single.

Thomas said a competitive three-game series with Region 7 opponent Salem Hills in the Super Regionals helped his team to more fully focus on bracket play.

“We talked about it,” he said. “Last year (as the No. 1 seed) we didn’t have a lot of close games coming into this tournament. We knew we’d have close games here but our guys weren’t mentally prepared because we were scoring so many runs. But now we’ve played in close games and we know we can get it done. It’s a lot more nerve wracking but from a preparation standpoint, it’s right where we needed to be.”

PLEASANT GROVE 3, WEST JORDAN 0

Junior Ryder Huntsman was dominant for the Vikings, striking out 15 of the 18 batters he faced through six innings and not allowing a single base runner.

In the top of the seventh, Crew Anderson gave up an infield single in relief and also walked a batter, allowing West Jordan to get the tying run to get the plate. But a double play ended the game in Pleasant Grove’s favor, Anderson spinning a strikeout and catcher Tavake Wolfgramm throwing out the runner at second base.

The No. 3 seed Vikings (20-7) will take on No. 2 Maple Mountain in championship bracket play on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. The two teams split a pair of Region 7 games this season, with PG winning at home 7-4 and Maple Mountain taking a 3-2 victory in Spanish Fork.