The final weekend of the 2021-22 high school athletic season is set for some exciting baseball to be played.
State champions will be crown in
Class 5A,
4A,
3A and
2A with games scattered throughout the state. There is a new champion guaranteed to be crowned in 5A while last year's defending champs are still alive in every other classification.
By no means does that guarantee a repeat, however. The general rule at this team of the year is that every team taking the field is good enough to win a championship. After all, the games are played for a reason.
Here is an overview of each classification heading into the final weekend of the state baseball tournaments.
Class 5ABroomfield – The Eagles came into the 5A tournament understanding one simple rule: winning games means scoring more runs than the other team. In three games, the Eagles crossed home plate 45 times and as a result, have become the team to beat this weekend.
Camden Ross was a big reason for that offensive output as he went 8-for-12 in those three games. He hit one home run, drove in four and scored nine times.
Garrett Klein and
Noah Scott will be a formidable pitching duo as they each have over 40 strikeouts. The key for them is limiting the damage for opposing hitters while the Eagles continue to mash the baseball.
Chaparral (Parker) – The Wolverines had rattled off nine straight wins before running into the Broomfield buzzsaw. But overall, they've played baseball at a level worthy of winning their first state title in program history.
James Harbison leads the team with a .423 average. He also have five home runs and 23 RBIs.
Nathan Pitts has been their go-to pitcher and has a 9-1 record with a 1.84 ERA this season.
Cherokee Trail (Aurora) – The Centennial League champion took down No. 2 Legacy then No. 1 Regis Jesuit to earn a spot in the final weekend of the tournament.
Brett Barber has been the spark of the lineup with a .412 average. He's crossed home plate a team-high 31 times.
Thomas Munch leads the Cougars in RBIs with 28.
Tyler Wilcox has been a steady hand on the mound, striking out 51 hitters and maintaining a 2.81 ERA in 47.1 innings. The Cougars are looking to win their first baseball championship since 2016.
Legacy (Broomfield) – A setback in the first game of the tournament might've been exactly what the Lightning needed. They utilized that sense of urgency to rattle off two clutch wins to advance to the tournament's final weekend. Legacy hasn't played Chaparral yet this season, but does have a win over Cherokee Trail and a close loss to Broomfield and it knows it can compete with the remaining teams.
Brandon Sanchez paces the Legacy offense with a .531 average. He has hit three home runs and has a team-high 40 RBIs.
Landen Sehr and
Connor Antczak will try to continue giving solid outings on the mound. They have combined for a 13-2 record and each keep opposing hitters under a .220 average.
Class 4APonderosa (Parker) – Just like 2021, the Mustangs are playing their best baseball at the right time. They entered the tournament as the No. 5 seed but are playing very much like the team that battled its way to a state title.
Dylan Carey has been almost unstoppable at the plate, batting .524 with 11 home runs and 24 RBIs.
Gabe Jacobs has provided a steady presence on the mound, going 10-2 and striking out 62 hitters this year. The Mustangs beat Northfield, Cheyenne Mountain and Erie to enter the last weekend of the tournament undefeated.
Cheyenne Mountain (Colorado Springs) – The Red-Tailed Hawks are a deceptive No. 8 seed as seen in their win over No. 1 Palisade to kick off their state tournament. They have a few big sticks in the lineup as
Denton Damgaard and
Jace Eslinger are each batting north of .430 and have combined for 12 home runs.
Ben Myers will be crucial from a pitching standpoint. He threw 5.2 innings against Palisade and held the Bulldogs at bey while the Cheyenne Mountain hitters provided plenty of run support.
D'Evelyn (Denver) – The Jaguars edged Severance before falling to Erie in their second game on Friday. They responded in a big way, beating No. 1 Palisade 13-2 to advance to the final weekend of play.
Jack McMann had a monster game, going 3-for-3 with a home run and five RBIs. They have a couple of solid pitchers at their disposal for next week, including
Tate Aurich who has a 2.36 ERA and has struck out 74 hitters this season.
Erie – Despite a big loss to Ponderosa on Saturday, Erie should still be considered a threat to leave Colorado Springs with a state title. Heading into that game, they had won 11 of their last 12 games and have plenty of confidence heading into the weekend.
Sam Stem has earned his status as one of the most dangerous hitters in the state. He's batting .562 with six home runs, 11 doubles and 11 triples on the year. His name on the lineup card gives the Tigers a puncher's chance every game.
Ethan Dillinger balances that offense with solid pitching. His 9-0 record comes with a 1.55 ERA and 79 strikeouts.
Class 3AEaton – Heading into the final weekend of the tournament, it's hard to imagine anyone getting the better of Eaton. After getting through a tough first game against Colorado Academy, Eaton looked dominant in wins over Sterling and University to emerge as the unbeaten team heading into the final two days of play. In those three games,
Walker Martin went 4-for-6 with 7 RBIs and seven runs scored. In the 12-2 win over University,
Tate Smith threw five innings, giving up one earned run on two hits. He struck out eight hitters.
Lutheran (Parker) – The Lions dispatched Bayfield with ease before running into a tough University team in their second game of the tournament. They stayed alive with a 8-4 win over Resurrection Christian and now have to get by Eaton to keep state championship hopes alive.
Dorian Pacheco has been the heart of the Lutheran lineup as he's batting .514 with three home runs and 31 RBIs.
Jayden Brown will have to be his dominant self for Lutheran to make it to Saturday. He's 6-0 with a 2.01 ERA and 52 strikeouts this season.
Sterling – The Tigers have a tough team to beat this year and although they are a combined 0-4 against Eaton and University, they could easily be 3-1. All they need to win one game to get a confidence boost and make a run at their first baseball title since 1995.
Dylan DiOrio is a bona fide ace on the bump. He is 8-0 with a 1.75 this season.
Andrew Meick will be a source of run support for Diroio. Meick is batting .461 with two home runs this season. He also has a team-high 42 RBIs.
University (Greeley) – After playing Eaton tough twice in the regular season, University was on the end of a 10-run loss to the defending state champion. The Bulldogs need a win over Sterling to get another shot at their third state title in four seasons (excluding 2020 which was not played because of COVID).
Logan Getting has been a hammer for the team, batting .438 with six home runs and 34 RBIs. He and
Parker Disparti will handle the pitching load for the weekend. Disparti has a 2.75 ERA and opposing hitters are batting just .165 against him.
Class 2A ChampionshipLimon vs. St. Mary's (Colorado Springs)
June 4, 11 a.m.There is not a team in Colorado that has lost fewer games in the last two seasons than Limon. And that's because the Badgers' loss total stands at zero. They haven't been on the wrong side of a game since May of 2019 and they have no intention of starting now. But they'll have to be careful because St. Mary's is no pushover. The Pirates slugged their way to a big win over Peyton in the semifinals and showed some of the firepower needed to claim the first baseball title in school history.
Limon has a few heavy hitters in the lineup as
Keon Bandy and
Trey Hines are both batting well north of .500 and each have at least four home runs. They do a great job at pacing the overall team, which has a collective average of .453.
Brady Rockwell and Hines will be available on the mound and are a combined 18-0. They each have an ERA under 2.00.
The Pirates will need good production from their big hitters to keep pace with the defending 2A champions.
Adam Velasquez is hitting .421 on the year and is the only St. Mary's player hitting over .400 this season. He also has the team lead in RBIs with 28 while
Cesar Martinez-Diaz has 26 and
Peter Ghigleri and
Josh DeBakey each have 19.
John Clune will likely get the start on the mound after going 5-1 with a 2.22 ERA this season. He was overpowering at times, striking out 93 hitters this year.
