Keeping score for the Apache Junction High School baseball team was a bit like working an abacus. The old scoreboard frequently malfunctioned so parents and staff would move rocks in the dirt from one side to the other behind the backstop to keep count of strikes and balls and the score.

That dirty work ended recently with the erection of a new $50,000 electronic scoreboard. Apache Junction Unified School District purchased the scoreboard because of Title IX regulations — we had one for softball but have not had a working one for years for baseball, so AJUSD purchased it to be equitable.

Head Baseball Coach Jason Hutchens credits Superintendent Heather Wallace and the AJUSD Governing Board for finding the money for the project and getting it approved.

“I am forever grateful for her support and leadership,” said Hutchens, who has taught and coached at AJHS for three years and has recently been named athletic director for the 2022-23 school year. “The scoreboard wasn’t working long before I got here and the kids really deserved a new one.”

The Prospector’s baseball season began Feb. 6 and the first AIA game was Feb. 28. The season continues through April 24 and playoffs begin the following week. Fans are welcome to come out for home games and root for the Prospectors.

“We are very young but getting better,” said Hutchens about his team. “Most days my lineup includes at least four to five sophomores and we even started a freshman last weekend. It is a very tough thing for freshmen/sophomores to compete at the varsity level but this group works hard and has talent. I think the next few years the program will see results of that hard work and extended experience.”

AJHS emphasizes a well-rounded education where academics, sports and extracurricular activities allow students to grow scholastically, physically and emotionally. AJHS graduates have access to more scholarships per student than in most communities in the Valley and qualifying students have access to Promise for the Future to earn a tuition-free education at Central Arizona College.

Registration for all new students who wish to enroll in Apache Junction Unified School District schools is being accepted at all school locations. For more information about AJUSD or its schools or departments visit ajusd.org.