Heading into their game against Boulder last week, Monarch baseball coach James Thompson told his players they have something of four “Game 7s” left in their regular season if they hope to crack into next week’s regional field.
No pressure.
With just a few days remaining in the regular season for teams in the 5A-2A baseball classifications, there’s slim-to-nil room for error for de facto bubble teams like Monarch.
Below we’ll take a look at a few 5A-2A teams teetering on the postseason line with the regular season ending May 16. In each class, the top 32 teams, based on the CHSAA Selection and Seeding Index and league champs, will make up the regional field.
For Class 1A, we’ll look at a couple notable matchups for this Saturday’s regional tournaments.
Class 5A
No. 34 Monarch (11-10): The Coyotes won that game against Boulder a week ago, 10-4, behind two home runs from Max Mueller.
Then, they rallied for six runs in the bottom of the sixth inning Saturday to beat Fairview, 14-12.
Will they continue to streak?
And, if they do, will it be enough?
In all likelihood, Monarch will need to beat No. 16 Prairie View and No. 19 Loveland in its last two games to crack into the top 32.
Junior Riley Hall is coming off a three-hit, five-RBI performance against the Knights.
No. 32 Air Academy (8-13): Despite being five games under .500, the Kadets benefit from the fact that they play in a brutally tough 5A/4A Pikes Peak.
But they might need a win in their last two games to stay inside the top 32.
Matt Hansen’s bat has been a threat all season and could come into play this last week. He’s hitting .559 with 33 RBIs and seven homers this spring.
Class 4A
No. 32 Thompson Valley (9-12): The Eagles will probably need to sweep No. 55 Fort Morgan in their remaining two-game series to stay inside the top 32.
Thompson Valley will come into it as winners of four of its last five games. Riley Suarez, batting .492 with 32 RBIs this season, is on a seven-game hitting streak.
No. 33 Durango (9-12): The Demons, despite four straight losses, have a nice opportunity to rise into the top 32 with a two-game series against 5A No. 2 Fruita Monument starting Friday.
Expect sophomore ace Jack Englund to get the ball at least once this weekend. He is 3-3 this season with a 2.96 ERA in 28 1/3 innings.
Class 3A
No. 33 Liberty Common (8-13): The Eagles have won three straight, putting them in contention for a spot in regionals with two games to play.
They’re home against No. 2 University Friday and are at No. 8 Resurrection Christian Monday — which should at least play well for their strength of schedule.
Kaden Rogers, hitting .484 with 21 RBIs this spring, has driven in at least a run in six of his last seven games.
No. 34 Moffat County (8-10): The Bulldogs must stop the bleeding on their recent three-game slide with four games remaining.
Look for Easton Eckroth’s bat to help them to the finish. He’s hitting .577 with 24 RBIs and two home runs this spring.
Class 2A
No. 31 Clear Creek (6-9): The Golddiggers have three games left, all against teams above them in the rankings — No. 30 Byers, No. 9 Dawson and No. 3 Denver Christian.
Bode Baker is hitting .609 on the season and has multiple hits in five of his last six games. He also has 19 stolen bases.
No. 33 Ellicott: The Thunderhawks may still have a chance to rescue their season despite their current 10-game losing streak.
A doubleheader against St. Mary’s Saturday will help their strength of schedule, and a win may be enough to send them into the top 32.
Logan Wilson is hitting .553 and has 60 Ks in 30 innings on the mound.
Class 1A
No. 4 Flatirons Academy vs. No. 13 Evangelical Christian Academy: The teams met up back in March with Flatirons Academy winning 12-1 behind five strong innings from Parker Wilson.
Wilson continued his strong season for the Bison (12-5-1), going 5-1 in 25 2/3 innings. He has fanned 47 batters.
Evangelical Christian (11-5) has been led by senior pitcher Jesse Finnegan, who has a 2.88 ERA in 34 innings.
The game is slated for 10 a.m. Saturday at Northwest Open Space in Northglenn.
No. 5 Nucla vs. No. 12 McClave: McClave’s most productive offensive inning this season has been the first, where it averages 2.7 runs per game. Nucla’s is the seventh, scoring 2.6 in that frame.
What does that mean when they meet Saturday?
Who knows.
Steele Arnold is hitting .525 with 23 RBIs for Nucla (10-9). Karson Roesch has a 1.71 ERA in 32 2/3 innings for McClave (12-7).
The game is also slated for 10 a.m. at Northwest Open Space in Northglenn.