It’s far too early in the spring season to drum up a home run chase. Desperate, even.
But, just as Benny pointed out to Smalls: “Man, this is baseball. You gotta stop thinking.”
And thinking, we won’t.
Vista Peak Prep sophomore Karter Robertson had the Class 5A home run lead all to himself after his three-homer afternoon against Montbello gave him five on the year last week.
But Erie junior Boston Coslett tied him on Thursday with a solo shot in the first inning of the No. 1 Tigers’ 13-2 win over Fairview.
Behind them, Rocky Mountain senior Riley Honick is one back after hitting his fourth of the year last weekend against Rock Canyon.
A slew of players are tied for third with three, including Coslett’s teammate Maddox Burnett, who has homered in each of his last three games, and Robertson’s teammate Abel Salinas.
Let’s dive in and enjoy a much-too-early look at some of the statistical standouts in the 5A and 4A classifications.
Class 5A
Strikeouts: Erie’s Maddox Burnett, 46
The BYU commit had big-league scouts watching him when his team was in Arizona for the Coach Bob Invitational last month. With a four-pitch arsenal and a mid-90s fastball, the senior has struck out 46 of the 96 batters he’s faced for the unbeaten Tigers (11-0).
Batting average: Legacy’s Chase Hoelting, .733
Hoelting hit in six straight games to start the season for the Lightning (5-1). However, his 1-for-2 performance in a 15-0 win over Longmont on Thursday actually brought his average down 36 points.
Stolen bases: Doherty’s Brody Noll, 20
Noll had a steal for a ninth straight game when he swiped his 20th bag of the season in a loss to Rampart on Tuesday. Though the Spartans had five more steals in a win over the Rams Thursday, Noll didn’t have one, ending his streak.
Class 4A
Home runs: Discovery Canyon’s Cole Teltschik, 6
The Thunder senior leads the entire state with six bombs this spring. He’s already had a pair of two-homer games, most recently against Montrose on Saturday. Canon City’s Trey Schumacher is on his heels with five.
Batting average: Severance’s Finn Wischmeier, .800
Niwot’s Cameron O’Connor (.786) and Wischmeier (.773) came into Wednesday 1-2 in 4A batting before Wischmeier took the lead after his big day propelled his Silver Knights past the O’Connor’s Cougars. In that 9-8 win, Wischmeier went 3-for-3 with three RBIs. The junior has already had three hits in four different games this season.
RBI: Falcon’s Aaron Jaquez, 23
Jaquez leads the state in RBIs. He opened the season by driving in a run in nine straight games before going without an RBI in a win over Pueblo County Wednesday. He still had two hits. In 5A, Erie catcher Evan Dillinger is among those tied for second in the state with 20.
