Murphy back in the swing of things with Rio Rancho Cages

RIO RANCHO — The “clang” of the bat — you don’t hear the “crack” anymore — is unmistakable, and so is the like-new smell, both evident when you walk into Rio Rancho Cages.

Some young baseball players are getting their hacks in and improve their chances of getting on base in their next games, wherever they are, and swinging away at Rio Rancho Cages (2003 Southern Blvd. Suite 130), a brand-new facility with six baseball/softball batting cages and one pitching cage.

The totally refabricated building, planned and overseen by Kalvin Shrader, once housed a church, and Shrader’s hoping for some good karma.

“I didn’t kick them out before Jesus’ birthday,” he quipped, admitting during a recent interview that he never played baseball while attending Moriarty High School.

Nonetheless, he’s had success with Duke City Cages and surmised a West Side/Rio Rancho facility would negate folks crossing the river for fun. It seems to be working: Although it opened on April 9, the place has been packed several times.

“I’ve never seen so many happy and thankful people; everyone hates crossing the river,” he said, noting that former Metro stars and MLB players Jordan Pacheco and Blake Swihart are investors in his businesses, which will soon include a place for pickleball.

The first guy you see upon entering is an iconic figure in the City of Vision: former Rio Rancho High School baseball coach Ron Murphy, ejected from that post after the 2023 season, when he led the Rams to their fourth state championship.

You just can’t keep Murphy out of the game he loves for long, it seems.

“I love it,” Murphy said. “Sitting at home for the last year and a half has been pretty depressing, pretty frustrating.

“I’m a guy who likes to do stuff, and, obviously, be around baseball,” he added, and after only a couple days of seeing kids come into Rio Rancho Cages, “have been probably been two of the best days I’ve had in years.”

He’s seen Rams alumni, community members — “I would say 95% of the people who have walked in here I know.”

Sure, he misses coaching; that’s what he’s done for more than half his life.

“I had plenty of offers (to coach),” he said. “I have had head coaching offers both in and out of state, and so I did think about doing that, but once this opportunity came on board, I wanted to stay in Rio Rancho and I thought I could make a lot more of a difference here.”

He got a kick out of being asked for advice from a ballplayer at Cleveland High School, long the Rams’ rival.

“It was kinda cool that a Cleveland kid knew who I was, came up, asked me for advice; I showed him a drill,” Murphy recalled. “He came back later and said, ‘Coach, that helped me a lot.’ … I feel I can do a lot for the community of Rio Rancho that I couldn’t do as a head coach; I’ll meet a lot more people this way — more age groups, more kids.”

Murphy said at least two former MLB players he’d coached will visit and meet with the kids, offer advice and sign autographs. Those would be former Angels and Red Sox reliever Brendan Donnelly and Blake Swihart, a standout at CHS and RRHS before spending time in “The Show.”

“We’re going to do a lot of clinics where we can bring small groups in here,” he added.

In addition to a refrigerator with cold drinks for purchase, there are bats, batting gloves and other equipment available for sale. Cage times are booked for half-hour and full-hour sessions and can be reserved online.

Shrader said having a job at Rio Rancho Cages was a no-brainer, although it took more than a year to find the site.

Once he did, and knowing Murphy’s resume and job status, “I knew this place was gonna be successful when I got Murphy — he’s the face of the business.”

Although Rams fans may not recall Griego, Cleveland fans may: Then a junior, he was on the mound last for Volcano Vista (Class of 2020) when the Hawks beat the Storm in the 2019 state championship game at Isotopes Park.

Later, in 2020, he joined Shrader to work at Duke City Cages and was the second employee.

He’s happy to be at the new cages, though: “I love this location — Rio Rancho is a good baseball city, (with) good players. You really feel a sense Rio Rancho supports their own.”

One thing Murphy and Griego made sure to point out is that Rio Rancho Cages won’t have its “own” club team, as other cage sites in the area do.

“We’re not the home for any teams,” Griego said. “We don’t prioritize any teams.”

And, he added, “I think the biggest thing is it’s really, really family oriented. … We’re not here to create our own teams, (rather to) have the most up-to-date place, where a college kid can come in or a 5-year-old can come in and just have fun.”

For now, Rio Rancho Cages, happy to host birthday parties, is open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. For more information, visit rioranchocages.com.