Manager Chris Roybal is proud of his 10-and-under Pojoaque Elks baseball team, as well he should be.

The Elks, playing in an Española AABC League, stormed through their season with a 16-0 record, scoring 221 runs while giving up just 40. Not only were they perfect, they devastated their opponents. Just look at a few of their statistics.

The Elks had a team batting average of .630; led by Isaac Roybal, 8, — the youngest player on the team — with a .730 average.

Their opponents averaged a meager .137 at the plate.

AABC games are six-inning affairs, with the 10-run rule in effect. If a team leads by 10 runs or more at the end of four innings, the game is ended. The Elks never had to play more than four innings.

And the Elks pitchers threw six no-hitters. Dominic Roybal and James Garcia each notched two, while Andres Romero and Nathan Aguilar had one apiece.

AABC runners, unlike Little League, can take leads off the bases and — thanks to Roybal's constant drilling of base-running techniques — the Elks swiped 209 bases, to their opponents' zero.

Roybal, a former assistant baseball coach at Pojoaque High, said he had his team on the practice field since February.

They practiced five times a week and the level of commitment from the players and parents was a big reason for the team's success in the five-team Española league, Roybal said.

"We only had one kid who didn't give me advance notice about missing practice," Roybal said. "That's how enthused the kids are about playing baseball."

Despite the Elks' success in Española and the players' enthusiasm, there's another side to the Elks' season. A side that's somewhat shocking.

On weekends, the Elks played in six tournaments this summer. They traveled to Farmington, El Paso, Durango and Albuquerque, compiling a 3-18 tournament record.

Asked about the discrepancy between their AABC record and tournament record, Roybal offered no excuses.

"We weren't prepared to play at the level of competition we faced in tournament play," Roybal said. "Our tournament record is a combination of the AABC League being a little weak and our lack of confidence playing teams from larger communities."

Losing 18 games is not a negative for Roybal because he said he saw his team improve as they progressed through tournament play.

"I knew we wouldn't be competitive but the only way to get better is by playing the better teams," Roybal said. "If you want to be the best, you have to play the best."

Looking at the big picture, Roybal said he's preparing his players to compete for state championships when they reach high school.

Although it's early in the summer, the Elks will end their season with their final tournament scheduled for July 20-26 in Steamboat Springs, Colo.

So what are the youngsters going to do with the rest of their summer? This is Pojoaque folks, where basketball rules. Starting in August, the young Elks will ditch their bats, lace up their sneakers and play basketball in a Santa Fe league with Roybal at the helm.