It's been too long since the scraping of a metal cleat across home plate was heard. At long last the wait is over as Colorado high school baseball players get to take the field this week for the first time in nearly two years.
With the shutdown of last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the makeup of the top teams will look vastly different from the last time the players donned their uniforms. But that shouldn't be any reason for worry. The baseball talent level in Colorado is still high across the board as seniors this year will be making their way to schools like Miami, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Notre Dame.
And that's only if they don't get drafted.
As the season kicks off, here is a brief overview of each classification along with players that should make big impacts for their team.
Play ball!
Class 5A
Fairview's Greysen Carter.
Derek Regensburger
Fairview (Boulder): There may not be a more loaded roster in the state than what the Knights will put on the field.
J.D Jones,
Adam Moser and
Greysen Carter are all bound for big conference Division I programs and before they get there, they hope to win Fairview its first baseball championship since 1993. As a sophomore in 2019, Moser hit .301 and drove in a team-high 15 runs. In just 38 innings pitched as a sophomore Carter struck out 67 hitters and should be solidified as the staff ace this year.
Rocky Mountain (Fort Collins): The Lobos lost a toe-to-toe battle with Cherry Creek in the 2019 postseason then watched as the Bruins advanced to the state championship game. This year, Rocky Mountain is hoping to regain its championship form and has a few key pieces to do just that.
Will Vasseur hit .316 and drove in 19 runs as just a sophomore while
Seth Beals strung together some admirable pitching performances. He finished the year 2-0 and should be a crucial part of Rocky Mountain's rotation.
Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch): As a freshman in 2018,
Radek Birkholz put together an inspired pitching performance that ended with the Eagles claiming a state championship. He has only developed as a player since then and will continue his baseball career at Notre Dame. But first thing's first. He wants to help the Eagles soar as champions once again. The pitching rotation looks strong with
Deacon Nagy and
Ben Whipple also back from the 2018 squad.
Players to watch: Radek Birkholz (Valor Christian),
Matt Glover (Denver South), JD Jones (Fairview), Macully Sehr (Legacy)
Class 4A
Cheyenne Mountain's Adam Jackson.
Chris Fehrm
: Mark Swope always does a fantastic job of keeping his team competitive and this season should be no different. He gets back some solid hitting in senior
Adam Jackson, junior
Denton Damgaard and senior
Brad Helton. After batting .313 and driving in 28 runs as a sophomore, Helton should be a centerpiece for Cheyenne Mountain's season. He'll also be a crucial pitching piece as he returns with the most experience, going 3-1 with a 3.45 ERA in 2019.
Holy Family (Broomfield): A handful of underclassmen had the Tigers within a game of the 4A semifinals two years ago. Ethan Lewis stood out among the others as he hit .333 while driving in 14 runs and scoring 11. He also went 6-3 with a 3.38 ERA on the mound and should be back as Holy Family's ace for the 2021 season.
Montrose: While Montrose has seen a bit of a roster overhaul since the 2019 season,
Nolin Boone and
Keagan Goodwin provide hope that the team will improve on its 17-7 record from that year. Boone batted .385 in his limited plate appearances but in his 33.2 innings on the mound, he built a 5-1 record. Goodwin hit .310 and was second on the team with 23 runs scored.
Players to watch: Brad Helton (Cheyenne Mountain),
Tyler Hrin (Thomas Jefferson),
Cole Martino (Pueblo County),
Kolton Miller (Pondeosa)
Class 3A
Eaton's Ryan Ure.
Geoffrey Sager
: Five years is too long for Eaton in its quest for another state baseball title. Having last won the 3A championship in 2015, the Reds are hoping to end the drought this year and might be able to do just that considering they have potentially the best player in the state on their roster.
Ryan Ure batted .518, drove in 50 runs and blasted five home runs for Eaton back in 2019. And the big southpaw is primarily a pitcher. He went 4-0 with a 0.89 ERA when he last suited up in an Eaton uniform.
Lutheran (Parker): When it comes to teams returning with depth from two years ago, there might not be anyone in better shape than the Lions. They had three sophomores,
Aaron Morgan,
Nate Nejedlo and
Teagan Rae who saw significant plate appearances and batted over .300 in 2019. They also get back
Macy Barnhart who went 5-1 with a 2.89 ERA.
University (Greeley): The two-time defending 3A state champion is looking to build on its run of success in 2018 and 2019. The Bulldogs get significant offense back in the form of
Nolan Johnson. In 112 plate appearances, he batted .516 and drove in 23 runs. University will have to find out what it has for pitching as all of the veteran hurlers from the 2019 are gone. Only Tayt Chacon and William Schaefer threw meaningful innings for the team two years ago.
Players to watch: Zach Cook (Resurrection Christian),
Krece Papierski (Moffat County),
Dakota Pruitt (Riverdale Ridge), Ryan Ure (Eaton)
Class 2A
Gabriel Proctor of Fowler.
Kevin Prickett
: The Grizzlies advanced to the 2A title game with just three seniors and two juniors on the roster. That means all but those five players are back in the lineup in 2021 and Fowler looks like one of the most dangerous teams coming into the year.
Gabriel Proctor heads into his senior season having led the Grizzlies in batting average (.397) and RBI's (20) as a sophomore. Pitching will be a major factor as Rylee Smith returns as the team's most experienced hurler. He threw just 5.1 innings in 2019.
Hotchkiss: Yahir Chavez,
Will Poutre and
Parker Pene were instrumental parts of a Bulldogs squad that lost just two games in 2019. They all be part of the foundation that is looking to buld on the program's success from that year. Chavez should be more polished at the plate after hitting .232 with one home run and scoring 13 runs on the year. Pene had just a 1.83 ERA in six pitching appearances as a freshman.
Peyton: The Panthers have certainly lost a lot from their 2019 championship team, but the program did a fantastic job of identifying its talented underclassmen and getting them in the mix early.
Brennen Meyers batted .419 and drove in 17 runs for the Panthers as just a sophomore and will lead the team in its hunt for another state crown.
Players to watch: Junior Arambula (Wray), George Hogan (Clear Creek),
Nathan Paolucci (Swink), Kory Tacha (Limon)
Class 1A
Flatirons Academy's Jacob Dube.
Paul Shepardson
: Despite not playing a game in 2020, the Bison bring back a loaded team.
Jacob Dube and
Trenton Rowan were instrumental in the team winning the 1A championship back in 2019. Now in their senior and junior years respectively, they are only going to be more polished in their games. Rowan went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI in Flatirons Academy's 4-3 win over Nucla in the 1A championship game.
Granada: A young Granada team was two runs short of advancing to the 2019 1A semifinals and returns some of its top performers from that year. Dominic Coleman was a stud on the mound and at the plate and should be even better this year. He batted .553 with 23 RBI's and threw six complete games and struck out a team-best 88 hitters. Ivan Yanez is also back after putting up a solid freshman campaign where he hit .433 and scored 14 runs.
Nucla: A talented sophomore class helped the Mustangs reach the 1A baseball state title game for the second year in a row back in 2019. Like the 2018 season, they lost that title game but have enough talent back in 2021 that it could be their year to cash in on a title. Tyler Wytulka led the team in batting average (.576), RBI's (33) and extra-base hits (20). Two of those extra-base hits were home runs.
Players to watch: Hayden Gray (Dove Creek),
Jose Magallanes (Holly), Kyle Saunders (Longmont Christian), Tyler Wytulka (Nucla)
