Mountain Vista baseball on 15-game winning streak

When your team has a Division I-bound pitcher, a leadoff batter who hits bombs and college-level skill up and down the lineup, it means you're talented. It doesn't mean you know how to win baseball games.

The Mountain Vista (Highlands Ranch) baseball team is indisputably laced with talent, but the Golden Eagles aren't one of those ball clubs that can't seem to translate talent into results. The Golden Eagles, ranked No. 5 in the AP Media Poll, win, win and win some more.

After an opening loss to perennial power Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village), Mountain Vista has pitched and bashed its way through the Class 5A circuit for 15 straight wins. That includes an 8-0 mark in the loaded Continental League.

"I think the biggest thing with this team is that we play for each other," said senior pitcher Nick Leonard, who is 6-1 with an 0.85 ERA. "There's not one guy in the lineup top to bottom, starter or not, who's playing for himself. You're always playing to get the next guy in the lineup up to bat or make a play in the field for the pitcher."

Leonard has committed to Washington State and has whiffed 53 batters while permitting only five walks in 41 innings. But he is far from a one-man show.

Leadoff hitter Dylan Formby entered the week with five of the Golden Eagles' seven home runs. The center fielder has signed with Crowder College. Second-place hitter Marc Mumper has matched Formby's .385 average and will play at Grand Canyon University. The staff as a whole entered the week with a 1.94 ERA.

"This group of kids enjoy being around each other, they enjoy the game and they love to compete," Mountain Vista coach Ron Quintana said. "That's been the biggest thing. It's not been one person carrying the team the whole year. It's been a different individual every game, so that makes it fun."

Quintana appreciates and condones the businesslike approach of his team, a Golden Eagles outfit that refuses to pat itself on the back after big wins or congratulate itself for its prolonged winning streak and glitzy record. The coaching staff hasn't let down its guard, either.

"For example, we beat ThunderRidge (Highlands Ranch) last week, and the next day was probably one of our hardest practices," he said. "It gets the boys refocused again."

After Formby and Mumper atop the order, gap-to-gap hitters Jack Strunc and Will Dixon follow. Fifth-place hitter Michael Dunnebecke, who will play at Arizona Christian University, has delivered several key hits, including a three-run triple that broke a scoreless tie against ThunderRidge in the sixth.

Leonard threw a complete-game shutout in that 3-0 victory against the defending state champs, racking up 13 strikeouts.

"ThunderRidge is one of the hardest games I've thrown in my life," said Leonard, referring to velocity. "I think I topped out at 93, but I typically sit in the 89 to 90 range."

In addition to a fastball and a power curve, Leonard has added a split-finger to his repertoire this season, and it has served as a primary out pitch. With the splitter, he's able to take 10 to 12 mph off his fastball and get some crisp, downward action. He says it's still a work in progress, though.

Catcher Brady Subart, who bats sixth, is personally unbeaten this year. He missed the Cherry Creek game because he was in the final four with the Mountain Vista basketball team.

Overall, it's been a banner season for the Golden Eagles – at least to this point. Heck, even ninth-place hitter Cale Sparks has signed, with the utility player bound for Aurora University in Illinois.

"This team, it's the closest team I've ever played on," said Leonard, who also considered Navy and Creighton before officially signing with Washington State in November. "We're all great friends with each other. We're practically a brotherhood."