VIDEO: 2019 Softball Catch of the Year?
Laurin Krings had one of those seasons in 2018 that won't soon be forgotten.
But
Loveland's bid for its first Class 5A state championship since 2012 came up short, so the Indians' ace and reigning 5A Player of the Year will look to do it all over again for her senior year.
The Indians open the 2019 season ranked fourth in the CHSAANow.com preseason poll. Loveland lost to top-seeded
Cherokee Trail (Aurora) in the state semifinals last October, with the Cougars then falling to
Legend (Parker) 8-4 in the title game.
Laurin Krings, Loveland
File photo by Derek Regensburger
Krings, who was 22-5 with a 0.65 ERA and 392 strikeouts in 193 innings pitched, is ready to toe the rubber again this fall.
"There's a little bit of pressure," Krings told reporters at the CHSAA and Denver Broncos Fall Sports Media Day earlier this month. "But I'm just going to go out and do the best I can for my team again and give it all for my last year."
Krings also led Loveland's offense with a .500 average, belting 15 home runs and driving in 48. Loveland, which finished the season 23-5-1, graduated only two seniors.
Elana Gerhard was a second-team all-state selection after hitting .418 and sharing the team lead with Krings with 41 hits.
Legend, which has gone back-to-back in 5A, graduated five seniors. But the Titans had some talented sophomores a year ago and return some key pieces from its championship squad.
Cherokee Trail's offense was a monster a year ago, and even with the departure of some of the team's top hitters, the Cougars should be formidable once again.
Jenna Medhus batted .420 as a freshman and led the team with 14 wins.
Rock Canyon (Highlands Ranch) was young a year ago with only three seniors, but the Jaguars won 20 games. Audrey Burt was 11-1 with a 2.40 ERA and 105 strikeouts, and four players batted above .400.
Fossil Ridge (Fort Collins) went 21-5 and was the No. 2 seed in the state tournament before getting upset by
Regis Jesuit (Aurora) in nine innings in the first round. Jayden Mercado led the team with 53 hits and 48 runs scored as a junior, and Nikki McGaffin was 14-1 with a 1.78 ERA as a freshman and had 122 strikeouts.
Legacy (Broomfield) graduated Lauren Strathearn, who batted .626 with 62 hits, but returns a number of players from a team that won 22 games, including ace Hannah Farley.
Defending state champion: Legend
State championship: Oct. 26 at Aurora Sports Park
Returning all-state players: Katie Dack-Howell, Jr., Rock Canyon (2nd team); Elana Gerhard, Sr., Loveland (2nd team);
Hunter Gilbreath, Sr., Cherokee Trail (2nd team); Laurin Krings, Sr., Loveland (1st team); Korbe Otis, Jr.,
Columbine (Littleton) (2nd team);
Yasmine Ybarra, Sr.,
Smoky Hill (Aurora) (2nd team).
Class 4AOf the 16 teams to reach the 4A state tournament a year ago, 14 of them came from four leagues. Five of the state qualifiers came from the South Central League, including top-seeded
Pueblo County. But after the first day of state, two teams each from the Tri-Valley and Northern Leagues were left standing in the semifinals.
The Tigers' attempt to repeat this fall will come without Player of the Year Erin Caviness, who graduated last spring. Caviness earned 21 of the team's 27 victories, though Cassidy Chvatal was 6-1 for Holy Family. Anna Martinez and Noelle Gardon were second-team all-state picks as juniors, with Martinez leading the team with 48 runs scored and Gardon second in RBI with 36.
Silver Creek (Longmont) and Mountain View combined for 45 wins out of the Northern League, The Raptors won 25 games before falling to Holy Family in the semifinals, and while the team graduated leading hitter and pitcher Jetta Nannen (.648, 72 RBI, 17 home runs on offense), Maddie Kuehl hit just below .500 as a sophomore with 38 RBI and 32 runs scored. Mountain View also lost two of its top hitters, but
Nya Chacon batted .516 as a junior, and
Bailey Carlson was 17-7 with a 2.97 ERA.
Erie enters the season ranked third. Kat Sackett batted .427 as a junior with 34 RBI and nine home runs, but the Tigers graduated their ace in Maddie Leach.
Berthoud's Ashlynn Balliet led the Spartans with eight home runs and was tied for the team lead with 36 runs scored. Berthoud upset Pueblo County on its way to the semifinals.
Defending state champion: Holy Family
State championship: Oct. 26 at Aurora Sports Park
Returning all-state players: Ashlynn Balliet, Sr., Berthoud (2nd team); Noelle Gardon, Sr., Holy Family (2nd team);
Brooklyn Horn, Jr.,
Kennedy (Denver) (2nd team); Anna Martinez, Sr., Holy Family (2nd team); Makenzie Middleton, Sr., Golden (1st team); Katelyn Ralston, Sr.,
Cheyenne Mountain (Colorado Springs) (2nd team); Kat Sackett, Sr., Erie (1st team).
Class 3AStrasburg has had a tight grip in 3A in recent years, winning five of the past seven state championships – including the previous two.
The Indians were relatively young a year ago and return a number of key pieces, but Strasburg will have to aim for the three-peat this fall without Player of the Year Alexis Rayburn. The standout was 12-2 with a 1.77 ERA and 193 strikeouts in a little more than 102 innings pitched in 2018.
Remington Ross, Eaton
File photo by Geoffrey Sager
Eaton made it to the title game before coming up short against its Patriot League rival. But the Reds return two of their biggest weapons on offense: Remington Ross set the table for Eaton with a .578 average, scoring 61 runs and stealing 50 bases. Jennifer Jarnigan batted above .500 as well, and led the team with nine home runs and 65 RBI.
Yet another Patriot League squad is in the mix as well.
University (Greeley) won 20 games a year ago, and returns two all-state talents in
Kyra McFarland (.571, team-high 48 runs, 42 stolen bases) and
Delaney Wieneke (.626, eight home runs, 45 RBI). The Bulldogs graduated only one senior.
Delta won 22 games and reached the semifinals. Keely Porter batted .581 as a sophomore with 45 RBI, and Hailee Ruble was 16-1 as a sophomore with a 1.32 ERA and 117 strikeouts.
Two other Patriot League teams enter the season ranked in the top 10 in No. 5
Sterling and No. 7
Brush. Allie Christensen was a first-team all-state selection for Brush as a junior after batting .462, and Sterling's Rylyn Nelson hit .667 with 15 home runs and scored 48 runs.
Defending state champion: Strasburg
State championship: Oct. 26 at Aurora Sports Park
Returning all-state players: Allie Christensen, Sr., Brush (1st team); Kyra McFarland, Sr., University (2nd team); Rylyn Nelson, Sr., Sterling (2nd team); Darian Riggs, Sr., Strasburg (2nd team); Remington Ross, Sr., Eaton (1st team); Delaney Wieneke, Jr., University (2nd team).
