Top 10 upcoming Colorado baseball games to watch

Monster pitching performances have highlighted the early weeks of the baseball season, as hitters are taking awhile to catch up after swinging mostly indoors through a snowy preseason.

As the weather warms, the bats undoubtedly will follow suit.

With league play set to start or already going in some cases, it's time to take a look at the Top 10 games to watch over the next few weeks.

Class 5A

Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village) vs. Grandview (Aurora) (April 7 at Grandview; April 9 at Cherry Creek)
The Centennial League powers will square off twice in three days in contests sure to go a long way towards determining the league champ. Second-ranked Cherry Creek (4-1) has a 1.85 staff ERA led by Blake Goldsberry and Nick Ulmer while the No. 7 Wolves counter with senior Morgan Smith, who was 5-0 last season.

Rocky Mountain (Fort Collins) at Monarch (Louisville) (April 7)
The defending state champs' toughest league game figures to be the finale May 2 vs. No. 5 Fairview (Boulder). Long before then, No. 3 Rocky Mountain will face a Coyotes squad that features Southern Illinois-bound left-hander Logan Soole. Soole went 2-0 with 22 strikeouts and zero runs allowed in his first two starts, including 13 K's Wednesday in a 1-0 win over Wheat Ridge at Coors Field. A stacked Lobos lineup, led by Cole Anderson, will look to erase some shine from those numbers in this Front Range League tilt.

Regis Jesuit (Aurora) at Mountain Vista (Highlands Ranch) (April 13)
Mountain Vista likely will climb from its No. 10 spot in the rankings after Will Dixon pitched the Golden Eagles to a 5-1 against Cherry Creek on Friday. Conversely, Regis Jesuit will be moving down after losing to Cherry Creek and Arapahoe (Centennial) this week. But this one certainly will be a Top 10 battle of some sorts in a Continental League showdown. Odds are Regis Jesuit will have Rice signee Brent Schwarz on the mound.

Class 4A

Ponderosa (Parker) at Legend (Parker) (April 10)
This cross-classification matchup features Ponderosa, ranked No. 7 in 4A, against 5A's No. 4 team in the Titans. It's also a rivalry game between Parker-based schools and a big one in the Continental League. Ponderosa's Bryan King threw a no-hitter in a season-opening 2-0 win against Windsor, and he could get the call against a Titans lineup that features slugger Greg Pickett.

Pueblo West vs. Pueblo East (April 11 at Pueblo East; April 28 at Pueblo West)
Pueblo West is off to a scorching 5-0 start and the Cyclones have vaulted to No. 3 in the rankings. Junior Dauson Tate is batting .444 with two homers and 10 RBIs. No. 5 Pueblo East (3-1) won't be easily budged, though, when it comes to the South Central League race. Eagles senior Sonny Arellano has had a hot start to the season with the bat and on the mound.

Green Mountain (Lakewood) at Wheat Ridge (April 18)
Top-ranked Green Mountain, with standouts Talon Schaller, Cole Shetterly, Josh Ramirez and Wyatt Featherston back in the fold after last season's run to the 4A championship, won't receive a warm welcome in this one. Rival Wheat Ridge will be aiming to knock the Rams down a notch in the 4A Jeffco League race. The No. 9 Farmers have started 0-2 after narrow losses to 5A teams but figure to leap right back into the mix.

Class 3A

Eaton vs. Sterling (March 24 at Sterling; March 26 at Eaton)
Top-ranked Eaton will open the season with a home-and-home series against No. 5 Sterling. Now that Holy Family (Broomfield) has departed for 4A, the Reds figure to resume sole possession of top-dog status in the classification until someone moves them out of the way. Sterling already is 4-0 and features a team batting average of .424, led by Jacob Thiessen's .625.

University (Greeley) vs. Brush (April 16 at University; April 18 at Brush)
In sticking with the Patriot League schedule, a slate that will feature a bevy of Top 10 matchups, this set between the No. 4 Bulldogs and No. 7 Beetdiggers should be a dandy. Coming off a 17-7 season, University believes this is the year it can escape the Eaton shadow. Brush, meanwhile, has racked up 45 runs in its first four games.

Class 2A

Denver Christian at Resurrection Christian (Loveland) (April 18; doubleheader)
It doesn't get much better than a matchup between the previous two champions in 2A, teams that squared off deep in the playoffs each of the past two seasons. Top-ranked Resurrection Christian (champs in 2012 and 2014) graduated two aces, but still has plenty of firepower on the mound, including junior Jake Tomcheck. The No. 4 Crusaders counter with junior Jameson Newcombe.

Class 1A

Eads at Holly (April 10)
A Nos. 2 vs. 3 matchup should stir things up, with improving Holly looking to make amends for 6-4 and 13-3 losses to Eads last season. Eads, meanwhile, is aiming to recover from a bizarre and heartbreaking 23-18 loss to Dove Creek in the semifinals last season. The Eagles led by nine runs in the fifth inning (17-8) before Dove Creek roared back.