With two days remaining in the regular season, slugger Rheanna Will and her Fossil Ridge teammates sit at No. 9 in the CHSAA RPI rankings. The top eight seeds in Class 5A earn a host seed. Fossil Ridge meets No. 6 Eaglecrest on Friday in a game that could determine host seeds.
File photo by Lance Wendt
The first October chill is always symbolic. It means the softball postseason is near.
Although it seems like the school year just started, the regular season ends Saturday for Colorado's three softball classifications. District play ensues the following Saturday (Oct. 15), then it's on to the state tournament the following weekend at Aurora Sports Park, where the top 16 from each classification will compete for their respective crown.
While we'll take a deeper look at the favorites as state draws near, here's a quick peek at which teams have the inside track to be host seeds for districts. With seeds now determined by
CHSAA's RPI, the picture is fairly clear entering the final two days of the regular season, although there are still a few spots to be decided.
In Class 5A, one spot of the eight spots remains up for grabs.
Eaglecrest (Centennial) (14-4) is currently sitting at No. 6 in the RPI, but the Raptors and sophomore slugger
Rachel Sabourin must travel to No. 9
Fossil Ridge (Fort Collins) on Friday. If the Sabercats and the hard-hitting
Rheanna Will win, it could push Fossil Ridge into the top eight. The question then would be whether Eaglecrest, No. 7
Legend (Parker) or No. 8
Loveland is the odd team out. The latter two close the season with winnable games against sub-.500 opponents.
One squad that won't have to sweat out a host seed is
Broomfield (17-2). The Eagles, who have received 10 home runs from senior
Lindsey Malkin, have completed their schedule and currently sit atop the RPI at .672.
Grand Junction Central (14-2-1) sits .005 behind, but it remains to be seen whether the Warriors will make up any ground in a season-closing doubleheader against
Durango (3-11).
Melissa Gellerman has been beastly at the plate and in the pitching circle for GJC.
Cherokee Trail (Aurora) (16-3) and Douglas County (15-4) also have completed their schedules and appear entrenched in the Nos. 3 and 4 spots.
Arvada West (13-4-1) sits .001 ahead of Eaglecrest at No. 5 and closes against
Dakota Ridge (Littleton) on Friday. It's conceivable Eaglecrest could jump ahead of the Wildcats if the Raptors can pull out a win at Fossil Ridge.
Of note, defending-champion
Mountain Range (Westminster) (10-9) sits at No. 24 and runner-up
Pomona (Arvada) will need help to crack the 32-team field. The Panthers (8-10) are No. 36 with one to play.
In 4A,
Erie (19-0) and
Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch) (18-0) have run the table and occupy the top two spots in the RPI. Many are penciling in pitchers
Rio Sanchez and
Alexandria Kilponen, who have struck out a combined 394, for a matchup in the finals. The teams have met in the semifinals each of the past two seasons with Valor narrowly winning both en route to repeat titles.
The drama, at least as it pertains to home seeds, includes a quartet of teams that are within .001 in the RPI standings.
Air Academy (US Air Force Academy) and
Elizabeth (each with a .588 RPI) currently occupy the No. 7 and 8 spots for the final two home seeds.
Discovery Canyon (Colorado Springs) and
Thomas Jefferson (Denver) (each .587) are lurking as close as can be at Nos. 9 and 10.
Air Academy (14-4), Elizabeth (16-3) and Thomas Jefferson (17-2) have finished their schedules, so their RPI numbers are fairly set. But they'll all have an anxious eye on Discovery Canyon (12-6) as the Thunder finishes its schedule at home Friday against
Pueblo Central (11-7). That result could shift the final standing of the other three.
Pueblo West (16-3) has settled in at No. 3, although there's a chance No. 4
Mullen (Denver) (12-3-1) could leapfrog the Cyclones if the Mustangs can pull off an upset against Valor Christian in the season finale. Perennial power and 2015 runner-up
Wheat Ridge (13-6) will be the No. 5 seed and
Mountain View (Loveland) (16-3), a semifinalist last season, is settled in at No. 6.
On a side note,
Arvada, which went 19-76 over the previous five seasons, finished 11-8 and will qualify for districts. Pitcher
Denae Howes has had a solid season for the Bulldogs.
In 3A, not much has changed at the top, as the four semifinalists from 2015 occupy the top four spots in the RPI.
Strasburg, which has won three of the past four titles, again is at the top. The Tigers (16-2) had won 78 of 79 games before losing 2-0 to 5A
Prairie View (Henderson) in September. They also lost a one-run decision to 4A Elizabeth this season.
Rocky Ford (17-1), Brush (14-5) and 2015 runner-up
Eaton (14-4) follow in the Nos. 2-4 spots, but two games remain that could have an impact on the final seeding. Rocky Ford and ace
Selena Medina were scheduled to square off against No. 5
Lamar in the regular-season finale Thursday, and Eaton was set to take on No. 8
Valley (Gilcrest). It is believed that both of those games have been moved to Friday due to weather.
Basalt (15-2) and
The Academy (Westminster) (14-4) currently are locking down the Nos. 6 and 7 spots, but each has games remaining. If any of the teams slip up, No. 9
Cedaredge would gladly accept a home seed. The Bruins (12-5) close Friday with a doubleheader against
Montezuma-Cortez.
Of note,
Delta's Lily Lockhart is listed as having 16 home runs and 59 RBI for the Panthers (11-8), currently stationed at No. 15. It will be compelling to track her progress in whichever district Delta ends up.
