Colorado district baseball tournaments hold plenty of surprises

Traditional Colorado powers align the Class 5A district baseball bracket, teams accustomed to plowing through the round of 32 and landing in the final eight and beyond.

Among the cast of regulars, however, one team stands out.

Many in the classification might not have even known Legend (Parker) was a 5A team before the season, but they do now. The Titans have crashed the party and are hosting a district as the No. 5 overall seed, putting them in elite company with teams such as top-seeded Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village), reigning champion Regis Jesuit (Aurora) and Ryan Warner-led Pine Creek (Colorado Springs).

How did Legend do it?

Well, the Titans (14-4) earned a share of the ultra-competitive Continental League by finishing 10-1. A Bobby Dalbec walk-off homer in the finale against Ponderosa ensured the Titans earned a home seed for Saturday's opening rounds.

"Earning the No. 5 seed and hosting in this year's state tournament is something that I never dreamed of this spring," said Legend coach Scott Fellers, who has his first senior class this season in his upstart program. "We had a tough year last year, and our main goal this spring was to finish in the top six of the Continental League and make the playoffs."

The Titans were 7-12 overall, 3-8 in league last season and just trying to lay the foundation to be a competitive 5A squad. Led by Dalbec (.483 average), pitcher Tyler Honahan (7-2, 2.62 ERA, 83 strikeouts) and a slew of others, the Titans skipped a few steps of the building process.

"The juniors and seniors on our team have been together on varsity for three years, and they have gained the experience and knowledge they need to be successful at the 5A level," Fellers said. "It has been really fun working with this group for the last three to four years, and I am proud of the way they hold each other accountable and compete for each other."

Familiar faces Grandview (Aurora), Columbine (Littleton), Highlands Ranch and Dakota Ridge (Littleton), which boasts an abundantly stingy team ERA of 1.74, round out the top seeds in 5A, although this could be a season when a handful of lower seeds crash the party. Many league races, such as the Continental, were extremely tight this season, meaning one game could have made the difference in 10 spots of seeding.

Take the Front Range League's Mountain Range (Westminster), for instance. The Mustangs lost to the Nos. 1, 2 and 4 teams in the league by a combined four runs and ended up with the No. 29 seed. But that doesn't mean they are a pushover.

"There is a ton of parity in 5A," Mountain Range skipper Jeremy Lustik said. "It really comes down to matchups with individual teams far less than actual seeds. If the strengths of your team match up well with a weakness of another team, you have a really good chance to win, regardless of seed."

Monarch (Louisville) first-year coach Scott Weiss points to another variable (and the former College World Series champion pitcher from Stanford might know a thing or two about tournaments). Weiss' Coyotes (14-5) are seeded right in the middle at No. 16.

"We've talked talk about that a lot of championships are won by the teams that get hot at the end of the season," said Weiss, whose team finished with four straight wins. "We were fortunate enough to finish strong."

Class 4A

The 4A tournament is symbolic of the times—and the new bats – as pitching is the dominant theme. Top-seeded Air Academy (US Air Force Academy) (17-2) is led by a pair of Kevins – Kevin Giordano and Kevin Megyeri – who both enter districts 6-0 and have a combined ERA of less than 2.00.

Second-seeded Broomfield might get the most mound attention, however, as Brandon Bailey (8-0, 0.40 ERA, 86 strikeouts) has recently topped out at 95 mph and has had scouts from Kentucky and other Division I schools taking in his recent performances. The Eagles have a co-ace in Jackson Lockwood (7-1).

"I like to get that first-pitch strike," Bailey told the Broomfield Enterprise this week. "Once I'm ahead, I believe I can get almost anybody out."

After missing the postseason last year, D'Evelyn (Denver) earned the No. 3 seed behind hard-hitting junior Cody Marvel(.463, five home runs, 29 RBI). Also lurking in the bracket is defending champion Cheyenne Mountain (Colorado Springs) at No. 4. The Indians (15-4) won it all as a No. 23 last season and have won two of the past three crowns.

Durango, Northridge (Greeley), Montrose and Evergreen round out the top eight.

Class 3A

The 3A tournament always seems to come down to the same three teams: Faith Christian (Arvada), Eaton and Holy Family (Broomfield). Those teams are seeded Nos. 1, 2 and 8, respectively, this season and figure to once again be firmly in the mix.

Holy Family's seed undoubtedly dropped due to a late-season 13-10 loss to Peak to Peak (Lafayette) in the front end of a doubleheader. The Tigers led 9-0 early in that one.

"We've dropped a lot of first games of doubleheaders this season," Tigers coach Marc Cowell told reporters. "We do that Saturday and we're done."

Two teams from the Western Slope League, Rifle and Hotchkiss, each finished 17-2 and nabbed the Nos. 3 and 4 seeds. The Bears and Bulldogs split a double-header this season. Rifle right-hander Danny Bartels went 10-1 with a 1.62 ERA and 98 strikeouts in the regular season and Hotchkiss enters on a 12-game winning streak.

Florence, Brush and Lamar also earned host sites.

Class 2A

The smaller classifications already are down to the nitty-gritty. In 2A, 16 teams remain with Rye, Las Animas, Resurrection Christian (Loveland) and Denver Christian as regional hosts. Defending champion Rye has been forced to play without injured standout Denton Keys most of the season, but the Thunderbolts staff still has compiled an untouchable 1.08 ERA. Four pitchers have been lights-out, including Nick Highberger (5-0, 0.36 ERA). 

The Thunderbolts (19-1) have pummeled the opposition a composite 307-44 this season. Some have called them a 5A team playing in 2A, and Keys is now available.

Las Animas' scoring margin of 197-27 is almost directly proportionate to its 19-2 record. Justin Thaxton has been a spectacular all-around player for the Trojans.

Class 1A

The 1A tourney is down to its final eight teams and will whittle down to four after quarterfinal action at Thomas Jefferson and Englewood this weekend. While Dove Creek and Stratton are No. 1 district seeds, Baca County (Vilas/Walsh) (14-2) and Community Christian (Northglenn) (16-3) boast the most impressive records.