ThunderRidge, Pueblo West and Eaton sitting pretty in Colorado baseball playoffs

Pardon members of the ThunderRidge (Highlands Ranch), Pueblo West and Eaton baseball teams this week if they don't react when their friends call "shotgun." Those teams are already in the driver's seat.

With the final weekend of the double-elimination Championship Series set to kick off for Class 5A, 4A and 3A, those teams have a distinct advantage entering the fray. Each made it through the opening three rounds unscathed and has an extra round to play with.

Not that ThunderRidge coach Joe White is already counting his chickens in a 5A field that includes heavyweights Rocky Mountain (Fort Collins), Grandview (Aurora) and defending champion Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village).

"Well, 3-0 gives us some wiggle room, but we respect all the teams still in it," White said. "When you are looking at Cherry Creek and Marc Johnson, Rocky Mountain and Scott Bullock and Grandview with Dean Adams it is a monumental task ahead of us.

"They are just great coaches who are in this year in and year out. I have the highest of respect for all of them as coaches and even more respect for them as people."

The sixth-seeded Grizzlies (19-5) rocketed through the opening rounds with wins against Legend (Parker), Mountain Vista (Highlands Ranch) and a 12-6 decision against Grandview in a contest that determined which team would escape unbeaten. Brody Westmoreland and Austin Jacobs hit home runs while Connor Lambert pitched a workmanlike six innings for the win.

Top-seeded Rocky Mountain (20-3) demolished foes in the regular season and entered as the favorite, but the Lobos fell to Grandview (19-4) in the second round before eking out a 5-4 win against Legend to remain afloat. Junior Carl Stajduhar has hit .467 with seven homers and 34 RBIs this season for the Lobos.

Rocky Mountain will play against Grandview and New Mexico-bound Reece Weber in an elimination game Friday at All City Field, while ThunderRidge and Cherry Creek also will clash. While Cherry Creek (21-3) and longtime standouts Griffin Jax, Derik Beauprez and Lane Milligan need a win to stay alive, ThunderRidge advances to Saturday's final either way.

"We know that we are going to have to earn this and we respect all the other teams greatly," White said. "We are trying to focus on our team and getting better every day. There is going to be some great players out there this weekend from all the teams, and I hope people come out to watch these kids."

Class 5A state brackets

On the 4A side, top-seeded Pueblo West hasn't ransacked its way through the bracket, but the Cyclones haven't cracked. Their 3-0 performance in the opening rounds included one-run victories against Northridge (Greeley) and Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch).

But as Pueblo West coach Dan Sanchez points out, the Cyclones season has prepared them well to deal with sticky circumstances.

"It may look like we rolled everyone, but I think in league we won five one-run games — one of them in 13 innings," Sanchez said. "We have faced a lot of adversity this year. One my best hitters was lost for the year with a knee injury in Arizona. In the winter I lost arguably one of the best pitchers in 4A to discipline actions. So, we just keep grinding and believing in each other."

The Cyclones (20-4) might be forced to adjust even further this weekend with the status of pitcher Korbin Williams undetermined. Williams (5-0 pitching, 30 RBIs as a hitter) injured his throwing arm in the second inning of a second-round win against Durango. While he should be available to hit and play the field, it is uncertain whether he'll be able to take the mound.

"Yes, it is a tough situation, especially with Williams being questionable for the weekend," Sanchez said "There are a lot of scenarios. Decisions will be made depending on his health."

Pueblo West will open against No. 6 Mountain View (Loveland) (16-8) while No. 7 Valor Christian and No. 6 Durango will square off in an elimination game (both Friday at All-Star Park).

Pueblo West was the only team in the top four to survive the opening weekend, as the No. 5-7 seeds crashed the party. Perhaps none is more surprising than Durango, which entered 11-10. A player to watch for the Demons is junior Blake Dunlap, who has a whopping 16 doubles and 10 triples this season.

Valor Christian (16-8) is led by pitcher Daniel Butler (5-1, 3.02 ERA) while Mountain View (16-8) sophomore Adam Baumann has been a beast on the mound and at the plate this season. The Mountain Lions will try to find a way to derail Sanchez's Cyclones.

Class 4A state brackets

In 3A, Eaton not only has dominated. The Reds have been perfect. Longtime, legendary coach Jim Danley's squad enters the final weekend 23-0. Eaton's closest game of the season was Saturday in the third round, when the Reds outlasted Faith Christian (Arvada) 12-10 to remain unscathed.

Now, they'll take on a hot Holy Family (Broomfield) team that has won 12 of 13 and is entering its fifth straight final four. After losing the opening round to La Junta, Holy Family (19-4) came back Saturday to defeat Kent Denver (Greenwood Village) and Bayfield.

"It shows the heart of this team because we could have folded," junior shortstop Devlin Granberg said. "We came out (Saturday) and I think we made a statement and showed that we're going to fight until the end."

Faith Christian and La Junta also will meet Friday (Butch Butler Field in Greeley) in a battle of potent offenses. La Junta scored 43 runs in the opening three rounds while Faith put up 29.

Faith Christian (20-3) is led by senior left-hander Tyler Tucker (6-1, .446 batting average) and La Junta (18-7) by a balanced cast that includes senior center fielder Troy Schreivogel.

Class 3A state brackets

The Class 2A semifinals take place Saturday at All-Star Park in Lakewood, and defending champion Rye is the heavy favorite to repeat behind ace left-hander Denton Keys. Keys has gone 6-1 with a 0.00 ERA - yes, 0.00 - with 97 strikeouts in 38 innings. Meanwhile, the Thunderbolts (20-1) outscored its two opponents 21-1 last week.

They meet fourth-seeded Lutheran (Parker) (16-7), while No. 2 Las Animas (20-2) takes on third-seeded Denver Christian (16-7) in the other semifinal. The winners meet at 3 p.m. Saturday for the title.



MaxPreps Colorado Class 2A state brackets