The Ceres Blaze 11-year-old travel baseball team had a respectable showing at the Pony Baseball West Zone Bronco Super Region Tournament this past month in Modesto.

The Blaze finished in the top four at the nine-team event, which was staged July 7-13 at Bel Passi Ballpark.

Bel Passi Select and San Francisco Youth Baseball League secured berths to the Zone Tournament.

Ceres fell two victories shy of advancing to the event.

“Coming up short is a little disappointing,” coach Jesus Guzman said. “But I’m proud of the team for competing the way it did. These tournaments aren’t easy. We battled all week.”

The Blaze lost 7-5 to San Francisco Youth Baseball League in the knockout round on July 12.

“It was a really competitive game,” Guzman said. “It was up for grabs. At one point, we had the lead.”

Ceres topped Vacaville 13-5 on July 12.

Salinas shut out Ceres 14-0 on July 11.

Ceres edged Oakland 9-8 on July 9.

Ceres opened Super Regionals with a 10-9 win over Tri-City on July 7.

“Our team has been working hard in preparation for tournaments like these,” Guzman said. 

The Blaze have been a model of consistency this summer.

Ceres High has placed first once and second four times in tournament play.

The Blaze’s final three tournaments are in Tracy, Ceres and Fresno.

“We’ve been very competitive,” Guzman said. “We’ve placed in the top two in all but one tournament.”

Ceres has a 12-person roster consists of Ian Avila, Jackson Buetel, Mason Cardozo, David Guzman, MJ Guzman, Jayce Madrigal, Carson Merritt, Joseph Nicholas, Levi Oates, William Ochoa, Jayden Santana and Jayden Wright.

“I’m proud of the boys and the way they compete,” coach Guzman said. “This team has been together for a couple of years. They’ve grown a lot. We’re big on chemistry. The kids like being around each other. We got a good group of players and families.”

Ceres will compete as a 12-year-old team in 2026.

The Blaze are planning to travel to New York next summer for American Youth Baseball Hall of Fame Invitational Tournament play.

“We’re trying to get them ready for the Cooperstown tournament,” Jesus Guzman said. “It’s a week-long tournament. We’re currently fundraising. We expect to go out there and compete at a high level.”