For the first time in three years, the high school baseball players in Colorado get to play ball for a full set of games. This is the first normal season since 2019, and the athletes are thrilled to be on the diamond and showcasing their talents for their schools, communities and friends.
Last year's shortened season gave a big indication of what is in store for a lot of teams in 2022. As the season gets underway, here are a few teams to watch in each classification, along with some individual standouts who will play major roles in their teams' success.
Class 5AFairview (Boulder): A lot of roster turnover could impact the Knights' success this season, but if some of last year's returning contributors continue developing, this team could be back in the last weekend of the state tournament.
Gabe Springer hit .337 last year and was one of four players to blast at least five home runs. Sophomore
Anton Keith will pick up a lot of the pitching load after throwing 15 innings and surrendering just five earned runs.
Aaron Kidd, Legend
File photo by Paul Shepardson
The defending state champions have found sustained success in recent years, so the loss of several seniors shouldn't be that alarming.
Tyler Mejia returns after hitting .338 as a junior and blasting a pair of home runs and driving in 23, which led the team. Junior
Sean Marlow should help with offensive production after hitting .326 and scoring 18 runs. The Golden Eagles do have some inexperience from a pitching standpoint as
Anthony Urbani threw the most innings last year (9.2) of any player returning.
Pueblo West: A heavy dose of returning seniors give the Cyclones a good shot of reaching the state tournament once again.
Jeremiah Sanchez will try to build on a solid junior season where he hit .365 with two home runs and five triples.
Danny Spence maintained a batting average north of .500 and scored a team-high 21 runs in 2021. Pueblo West might have to pitch by committee at times, but
Andrew Plutt showed promise last year as a sophomore, striking out 13 batters in nine innings.
Individual players to watchAaron Kidd, Legend (Parker): The classification's home run champion is back after blasting 10 bombs in just 16 games. His power will be a crucial piece of Legend's success in 2021.
William Vasseur, Rocky Mountain (Fort Collins): The senior gives the Lobos a steady presence in the lineup after hitting .482 and driving in 19 runs as a junior.
Josh White, Rampart (Colorado Springs): Although the Rams struggled a bit last year, White was a top-notch player. He hit .500 with three home runs and scored 20 runs.
Class 4ACheyenne Mountain (Colorado Springs): Despite the loss of a few seniors, the Red-Tailed Hawks return a sizable chunk of their roster.
Denton Damgaard batted .420 and hit a team-high seven home runs and 29 RBIs. Junior
Jace Eslinger will add to the returning power as he hit two home runs and drove in 19 runs. Pitching depth might be an issue, as
Ben Myers leads all returners with 31 innings pitched (3.61 ERA).
Dylan Carey, Ponderosa
File photo by Paul Shepardson
A talented junior class should give Montrose a great shot at making the state tournament, and, potentially, making a deep run in that tournament.
David Dominguez was one of the top hitters on the team with a .458 average. He led the team in RBIs with 20, and that number should grow this season. Senior
Parker Davis will assume the role of the pitching staff ace after going 2-2 with a 3.41 ERA in 2021.
Ponderosa (Parker): The Mustangs lost several pieces from their state championship team, but they also have plenty coming back.
Derek Lukes showed effectiveness on the mound and discipline and power at the plate. Shortstop
Dylan Carey is also back. He provided defensive stability and also provided pop at the plate. Lukes and Carey combined to hit 11 home runs last season, and if they get back to that form, they should be right back in the title hunt.
Individual players to watchElijah Morales, Battle Mountain (Edwards): One of the top overall hitters in the state last year, he batted .633 and drove in 36 runs. He also legged out four triples through the course of the season.
Cannon Frost, Standley Lake (Westminster): As a sophomore he belted five home runs and will try to grow that number with a full slate of games this season.
Mason Hamlin, Falcon: Coming off a junior year that saw him bat .545 and score 21 runs, Hamlin is looking to make the Falcons a good playoff team in 2022.
Class 3AEaton: The return of
Walker Martin helps offset any graduation losses. He enters his junior season, and things are looking good for the defending state champions. Martin led the team in runs scored (30), RBIs (32), doubles (12) and home runs (4). It also helps that
Ryder True is also back after hitting four home runs and driving in 24 runs. With a solid core coming back, Eaton looks primed for another title run.
Dorian Pacheco, Lutheran
File photo by Geoffrey Sager
and
Coy Spitz enter their senior seasons ready to build on their momentum from last year. Carere led the team in total hits (35), 14 of which went for extra bases. Spitz hit three home runs, drove in 21 and scored another 23 runs. Lamar dropped their first two games of the state tournament last year and will look to utilize a veteran roster to advance to the second weekend.
Lutheran (Parker): Luke Byler and
Dorian Pacheco helped the Lions enter the 3A state tournament as the No. 1 seed in their junior seasons. This year, they look to match that feat and also make a true run at the state championship. They both blasted three home runs last season, and Pacheco emerged as an all-around hitting threat by batting .462 and driving in 25 runs.
Brayden Stork is also in line to take over as the No. 1 pitcher after going 4-1 with a 1.03 ERA last year.
Individual players to watchNoah Chamblee, Bayfield: As a sophomore, Chamblee hit .653 and had an OBP of .750. He drove in 25 runs and is a big reason that Bayfield is a 3A team people should be paying attention to this spring.
River Jackson, University (Greeley): As the Bulldogs try to get back into the championship picture, they will lean on Jackson. He hit .492 with three home runs and 32 RBIs. He also scored 17 runs in 2021.
Raymond McCaskey, Manitou Springs: The senior leads a Manitou Springs team that has high ambitions this season. He hit .419 with four home runs and also had a 0.39 ERA in 18 innings pitched for the Mustangs.
Class 2ABuena Vista: Some of the Demons most productive players will return for their junior or senior seasons.
Cole Reavis is the team's leading returning hitter. He racked up a .427 average and had a team-high seven doubles.
Zandon Mitchell is also back after hitting .411 and driving in a team-high 20 runs. The Demons advanced to the state semifinals last year before getting knocked out by Peyton.
Limon: The defending state champions get two of their top four hitters in
Jordan Rockwell and
Trey Smith back.
Ky Bandy also returns after leading the Badgers with three home runs. From a pitching standpoint they also look good as Brady Rockwell and
Trey Hines return after combining to go 11-0 with 113 strikeouts.
Peyton: There is a good chance that the 2A title game is a rematch of last year as the Panthers return key pieces of its runner-up team.
Chance Claman and
CJ Lashley each hit better than .400 and drove in at least 26 runs. The Panthers also get a good chunk of their pitching staff back, including
AJ Lashley and
Logan Nickell.
Individual players to watchEli Crosson, Trinidad: A balanced display of hitting for average, power and speed on the base paths makes Crosson one of the more exciting players to check out this season. The Miners have high expectations this season, and he is a big reason why.
Bryant Manchego, Fowler: After hitting .556 with a .615 OBP last season, Manchego could be in for a big senior season. He scored 14 runs and drove in another 14 for the Grizzlies in 2021.
TJ Ortiz, Las Animas: Ortiz went hitless in just one game last season and put together a very impressive season overall. He hit .600 and scored 17 runs, numbers that could improve as he heads into his sophomore season.
Class 1AHolly: The defending state champions take a big hit with graduation, but there is enough talent returning that the Wildcats should still very much find themselves in the state championship picture.
Dakota Eaton hit .492 last year and drove in 27 runs.
Julian Terrazas also returns after hitting .478, with more than half of hits going for extra-bases.
Nucla: Josh Flint will take on a major leadership role this spring after hitting .433 with a couple of home runs and 28 RBIs. He will get plenty of help from
Steele Arnold, who batted .441 and tied for a team-high 23 runs scored. Pitching will be the question mark for the Mustangs as Flint comes back with the most experience on the bump. He threw 10.1 innings and gave up 22 earned runs.
Individual players to watchBrandon Gonzales, Granada: Describing Gonzales as a "tough out" doesn't do him justice. He boasted a staggering .636 OBP in 2021. He was also a standout on the mound as he threw 16 innings and struck out 30 batters.
Race Lessar, La Veta: The junior catcher hit .481 and scored nine runs last season. He should see a major uptick in production this year and that should help the Redhawks win more games.
Cade Mitchek, Cheyenne Wells: The Tigers had three players hitting in the top 10 in 1A. Mitchek blasted two home runs and drove 13 total throughout the season and could be poised for a major breakout for his senior season.
