Top 10 Colorado baseball games to watch in April

With spring break over and the weather beginning to cooperate after a rocky start, the baseball season is now officially revved up. It took some time to get into the flow, but things will be intense this month with slew of rescheduled contests adding to an already heavy slate of regularly scheduled games.

With that in mind, it's time to take a peek at 10 games to watch for the remainder of April. It is difficult to choose only 10, but here are some big ones spanning all five classifications. Of note, doubleheaders listed will count as only one game on the list of 10.

Class 5A
Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village) vs. Grandview (Aurora), 4:15 p.m., April 12 and 14
It's always a classic between these two powerhouses, and the state's eyes will be firmly focused on this two-game set next week. No. 2 Cherry Creek (5-2) and venerable coach Marc Johnson have gotten a stellar start from Nate Sweeney (.458 average, two home runs, 11 RBI) and several others in their dangerous lineup. Grandview pitcher Grant Schroeder is 2-0 and hasn't been scored upon in 11 innings, and it's likely that he'll be on the mound for the No. 4 Wolves in one of these.

Ralston Valley (Arvada) at Chatfield (Littleton), 4:15 p.m., April 19
Since taking the postseason by storm last season, Chatfield (8-1) has proven it was no fluke. If you recall, the Chargers began the season 1-8 last spring and soon switched to coach Matt Johnson. Less than two months later, they had advanced to the 5A championship game. Now ranked No. 3 and the team to beat in the Jeffco League behind pitcher Mike Lucero, the Chargers will take on a No. 6 Ralston Valley squad eager to knock them from their perch. Mustangs shortstop Peter Carlson has collected 17 hits in his first 27 at-bats.



Regis Jesuit (Aurora) at Rock Canyon (Highlands Ranch, Colo.), 4 p.m., April 22
Much has been made of the vaunted Regis Jesuit pitching staff and rightfully so. But the early-season theme for the top-ranked Raiders (6-3) is how well they are swinging the bats. Most notably, Travis Marr, Quin Cotton and Brodie Marino have combined to go 37-for-74 with 35 RBIs in the opening nine games. The Raiders will take on the reigning 5A champs in this one, as the No. 7 Jaguars (4-5) aim to put a handful of quality wins together with a much younger squad. Junior pitcher Matt Givin has started 3-0 with a 1.62 ERA for the Jags.

Class 4A
Silver Creek (Longmont) at Longmont, 4 p.m., April 11
Senior Austin Wood and sophomore Cole Winn are off to tremendous starts for Silver Creek, both on the mound and with the bats, and the Raptors (7-1) have climbed to No. 1. This nearby rivalry will be heated, particularly considering A) No. 10 Longmont has been the town's marquee baseball team much of the past several years and B) the Raptors defeated Longmont 10-9 in the first meeting on March 21. Sophomore Austin Hassler has already driven in 12 runs for the Trojans (3-1).

Pueblo East at Pueblo West (Pueblo West, Colo.), 10 a.m., April 16
This one not only will be gigantic for South Central League purposes, but on the state landscape as a whole. The teams entered the week ranked Nos. 4 and 5, although fourth-ranked Pueblo East (6-3) might fall a bit after dropping two this week. Isiah Torres and Jeremiah Arellano each are hitting .517 for the Eagles, who will be plenty prepared for this crosstown matchup. Pueblo West pitcher Zach Maize is already 4-0 while Dauson Tate and Josh Drury have combined to drive in 24 for the Cyclones.

D'Evelyn (Denver) at Wheat Ridge, 4 p.m., April 25
The Jeffco League rivals are well aware that two-defending 4A champ Green Mountain resides in the league, as well as No. 7 Valor Christian, but these two have had the most impressive opening month of the season. D'Evelyn (5-1) has climbed to No. 2 in the poll thanks to a 1.84 team ERA from a pitching staff led by Mitch Menard (2-0, 1.56). No. 6 Wheat Ridge (5-2) is led by senior dual threat Sylas Anderson, who is batting .400 with a homer and seven RBI and has compiled a 2-1 record on the mound.

Class 3A
Eaton vs. Valley (Gilcrest, Colo.), 4 p.m., April 26 and 28
Eaton has kept trucking behind new coach Bob Ervin, who has the Reds 5-0 entering the weekend and with a staff ERA of 1.91 behind ace Dalton Lind. It remains to be seen as to whether the top-ranked Reds will remain unscathed entering this two-game set, but No. 10 Valley will be ready for this Patriot League challenge. Sophomore Jose Mercado already has driven in 13 for the Vikings (5-2).

Lamar (Lamar, Colo.) vs. La Junta (La Junta, Colo.), 6:30 p.m., April 28 and 29
Those who follow 3A baseball on a yearly basis know that these two are regulars at the state tournament. They seem to be following that path again, as No. 3 Lamar has started 7-1 and boasts several stellar hitters, including junior Nick Navarette (.469 average). No. 6 La Junta (7-1) has had an equally dominant start, with Cole Bryant (.500 average) among the standouts.



Class 2A
Hotchkiss at Paonia, 4 p.m., April 19
This one will be gigantic, as the teams have combined to go 18-0 and could still be collectively unblemished by the time this one arrives. Top-ranked Paonia (8-0) has already gotten five homers from sophomore Kayden Seriani and three more from junior Trevor Smith, who has 14 extra-base hits. Hotchkiss pitchers Jonathan Gonzalez, Cesar Gonzalez and Eli Kirk have combined to go 10-0 with a 1.07 ERA. These teams meet again on May 6.

Class 1A
Granada at Holly, 3 p.m., April 15
This doubleheader pits the Nos. 1 and 2 teams in the state. Top-ranked Holly (5-1) is off to a fast start behind pitcher Ricardo Juarez, who is 4-0 and has not yielded a run in 16 innings. He has struck out 36 in that span. The Wildcats are batting .459 as a team. No. 2 Granada (2-2) is coming off a runner-up finish at state last season and has gotten a few splendid early-season outings from Ryan Koeller (2-0, 0.00 ERA).