-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla Dalton Rosalez of Fort Dodge makes a diving catch against Des Moines North on Monday

Blake Utley believes that the future of Fort Dodge baseball is as bright as it has been in recent years.

Of the nine Dodger players honored with all-Iowa Alliance North status, seven of them are set to return after helping FDSH post 20 wins for the first time since 2016.

Senior Dalton Rosalez and sophomore Jase Nekvinda were selected to the first team with junior Grant Williams, sophomore Royce Pederson and freshman Jaxson Dencklau making the second.

Earning honorable mention status were senior Nathan Beekman, juniors Drew Mortiz and Karch Smith, and sophomore Rylan Kingrey.

Rosalez had a breakout final year, hitting .353 with 42 hits, 36 RBI, 19 runs scored seven steals and seven doubles while recording a fielding percentage of .880 at third base. He also put together a 4-2 record on the mound with 31 strikeouts.

“Dalton had an outstanding senior season,” Utley said. “He was a leader on the team and led by example. He never got discouraged and continued to stick it out and get better each season and each year.

“Dalton was a huge, huge reason we finished over .500 and got that first postseason win.”

Nekvinda was also one of the main starting pitchers, winning four games with 23 strikeouts on the mound. He hit leadoff for much of the season, batting .311 with a .380 on-base percentage, 29 runs, 13 RBI, 10 stolen bases and nine doubles.

“Jase was a guy we didn’t know what we were going to get out of day in and day out, but I thought his biggest growth was his consistency,” Utley said. “We put him at leadoff not expecting him to stay there and he never moved. He had an outstanding sophomore season and I’m looking forward to big time growth out of him going forward.”

Williams handled the catching duties for the pitching staff while also hitting .313 with 13 runs scored and 12 RBI. He had an on-base of .441 thanks to 14 walks and five hit-by-pitch, stealing nine bases.

“Grant was the best defensive catcher in our league,” Utley said. “He had the numbers to be a first team selection and was just outstanding at the plate. He called the games with (assistant coach) Connor McLeod and our pitching staff had complete trust in him.”

Pederson had a 5-4 record on the mound, striking out a team-high 38 batters in 46-plus innings. He added 10 RBI at the plate, while Dencklau hit .358 after entering the varsity lineup with 18 runs scored, seven RBI and five steals.

“Royce had an incredible opener and suffered a hamstring injury in game two that really bothered him the rest of the way. I know the season didn’t end how he wanted it to end, but I feel like that will motivate him because he just loves the game of baseball,” Utley said. “Jaxson was as pesky of a No. 9 hitter as there was in our league. His name got brought up and there was no hesitation by the other coaches to vote him on. I’m super proud of the year he had and excited for his future.”

Beekman claimed a pair of victories in 34 innings on the mound, Mortiz recorded 19 hits with 17 runs scored and 13 RBI, Smith had 20 RBI on 28 hits with seven doubles and Kingrey had 15 runs scored, 12 RBI, six steals and did not commit an error.

“Nathan was our glue guy who constantly was putting other people first,” Utley said. “If my son grew up to be like him, I would be very proud. He knew his role and stuck it out.

“Drew and Karch are two kids we are expecting big things from as seniors next year, and I thought that Rylan was the best defensive outfielder in our conference. Opposing teams did not try to run on him and he was so valuable for us in center.”

Along with reaching 20 wins and securing a winning record for the first time since that 2016 campaign, Fort Dodge captured a postseason victory. The Dodgers were knocked out of substate by eventual Class 4A runner-up Ames.