Dallas Christian College Alum Alex Westman, a few weeks after the end of the DCC 2021 season, found his way from North Texas a few hundred miles west on I-20 and then even further south, to the West Texas town of Alpine. It’s a ranching area more famous for the cowboys who have worked on the ‘O6 Ranch than the cowboys who play baseball at Kokernot Field. Alex became just the latest player to sign a pro contract after playing for coach Denny Dickson (Dallas Christian College / Brookhaven College).
In the 2021 season for Dallas Christian, Alex Westman was not a regular starter for the first month of the season. He would occasionally get a start at 1B, pinch hit and then after a few hard hits, doubles and homeruns were his specialty, he began starting more regularly, if not at 1B, then as the designated hitter. He seemed to have come out of nowhere in his senior first season with DCC.
A great guy, but somewhat of a character, his teammates didn’t know what would become of Alex after he graduated. But just a few weeks later, he shared the news he had signed with the Alpine Cowboys. You may have never heard of the Alpine Cowboys, but they compete in the Mountain Division of the independent Pecos League. Other cities with teams in the Mountain Division of the league include Tuscon (AZ), Garden City (KS), Roswell (NM), Santa Fe (NM), Trinidad (CO), Colorado Springs (CO), and Salina (KS). Yes, there are mountains in Kansas, they’re called grain elevators.
Alex has had an eventful 2021 season with the Alpine Cowboys, hitting well, the ball and rumor has it, an opposing player in a big bench clearing brawl in late July. He started off extremely hot, hitting .588 after six games. His best games were a 5 for 6 game against Roswell on June 8th and his 3 for 4 game against the Santa Fe Fuego on August 3rd.
His .378 batting average for the season was similar to his DCC stats in 2021. Not bad for a rookie in the Pecos League. The Alpine Cowboys would do well to sign him up for 2022.