<\/p>\n
Just before the clock strikes 8 a.m. at Montezuma-Cortez High School, the sound of a bat smashing a ball echoes down the halls.<\/p>\n
The sounds, which come courtesy of senior Dylan Kibel, speak of hard work, never-ending drive, uncanny leadership and a young man\u2019s love of baseball in all its nuanced forms.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just like to work on baseball,\u201d said Kibel, when asked how he spends his time away from the diamond and away from the classroom. \u201cI have a tee at home. I bring my tee and mitt to school, and I hit off of the tee before school every day. That\u2019s how I know it\u2019s going to be a good day.\u201d<\/p>\n
While to passersby, Kibel\u2019s dedication to his sport might seem obsessive or even crazy, the senior\u2019s impressive work ethic has caught the attention of teammates, opponents and friends who appreciate excellence.<\/p>\n
It has also caught the attention of M-CHS manager Tim Passell, who does not mince words when talking about Kibel, whom he described as one of the best hitters he has ever coached.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a difference maker on and off the field,\u201d Passell said. \u201cHe makes the whole team go harder, and he\u2019s a good leader. How quick his hands are, you can see the difference. He\u2019s a tick above the rest.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although just how far Kibel might go in baseball remains to be seen, his vast potential began to become apparent during his sophomore year at M-CHS, which came after he and his family moved back to the area after spending two years in Arizona.<\/p>\n
Then, as a junior last season, Kibel came into his own while batting .333 and driving in 15 runs on the season. In addition, the M-CHS shortstop excelled in the field, thanks to his quick hands and an arm that ranks among the finest in the West Slope League.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn eighth grade, I moved to Arizona, and I played ball there for about a year and a half,\u201d Kibel said. \u201cIt was really competitive, and it opened my eyes to seeing better competition and faster pitching. I came back up here my sophomore year and lettered and ever since then, I\u2019ve tried to take the leadership skills that I learned in (Arizona) and apply them here.\u201d<\/p>\n
He remains hopeful that he will have the opportunity to play at the college level, where he believes that he could positively impact a college program on and off the field.<\/p>\n
Among the schools that Kibel is looking at is University of Colorado Colorado Springs, which boasts outstanding baseball facilities and a campus that Kibel said that he loves.<\/p>\n
\u201cI definitely want to take my talents to the next level,\u201d the shortstop staid. \u201cThat has been a goal for me since I started playing this game. My fielding needs work, and I need to get stronger, but I\u2019ve been working hard in the weight room, and I work hard with whatever I do.\u201d<\/p>\n
A solid student who enjoys math, excels in English and will likely be a captain for the M-CHS basketball team this winter, Kibel immediately mentioned his parents, Jane and Mark Kibel, when asked to describe individuals who have contributed to his success.<\/p>\n
Kibel also credited his teammates for standing by his side since grade school while helping him become the best player that he can be.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re inseparable, man,\u201d Kibel said. \u201cWe\u2019ve all known each other since we were small. We\u2019ve all practiced and practiced, and we\u2019ve all been out there two or three times a week putting in work.\u201d<\/p>\n
None have worked quite as hard as the talented senior shortstop, however, who figures to be pounding balls off the tee until he reaches his lofty goals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
M-CHS senior ranks among the finest hitters that veteran manager Tim Passell has coached<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":51303,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[21,60,29,346],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-51302","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-cortez","tag-montezuma-county","tag-newsletter","tag-sports"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51302","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51302"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51302\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":87937,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51302\/revisions\/87937"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51303"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51302"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51302"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51302"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=51302"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}