Palisade dominates all-WSL baseball picks; Moore, Del Moral voted coach, player of the year

By Phil Sandoval
Grand Junction CO Colorado
May 7, 2008

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    A strong showing during the recently completed league season translated into numerous honors for members of the Palisade High School baseball team.

    Steve Moore, the Bulldogs second-year skipper, was voted by the Class 4A Western Slope League coaches as the WSL’s Coach of the Year. Senior Travis Del Moral received the nod as the league’s Player of the Year.

    Three additional Palisade players — seniors Jesse Kirstatter and Ryan Girardi along with Jake Appling, a junior — earned a spot on the WSL’s first team. Mike Seriani, David Casetta and Nate Davis earned honorable mention.

    It was a fitting tribute for the Bulldogs, who finished the Class 4A, Western Slope League in a first-place tie with Moffat County with identical 11-3 records.

    Moffat County had five players make the first team. Delta earned three spots followed by Eagle Valley with two. Glenwood Springs and Steamboat Springs had one first-team choice each.

    In his two seasons at the helm Moore has fashioned a 29-12 record while directing Palisade to back-to-back league pennants with two 4A state playoff appearances.

    Del Moral led the Bulldogs offense hitting .568 with a team-best 25 hits. On the mound, the senior allowed just six earned runs in 32 innings pitcher.

    Pitcher/outfielder Kirstatter’s 2008 stats include 48 strikeouts in 46 innings, a .339 batting average with 17 RBIs. Girardi, the Bulldogs catcher, hit a robust .388 while leading the team in RBIs (18), doubles (4) and home runs (2). Appling batted .475 with 13 RBIs.