Arvada West baseball clinches 1st Jeffco League title since 2014

ARVADA — Danny Vais finally has his Jeffco League baseball title.

The Arvada West High School graduate — 2-time all-state baseball selection as one of the elite pitchers in the state in the early 2000s — never hoisted a baseball conference title over his head. That all changed Friday when A-West defeated rival Ralston Valley 11-1 in clinch the Class 5A Jeffco League baseball championship.

“To be honest, there are so many people involved in this whole process in the four years since I took over here,” Coach Vais said of guiding his alma mater to their first baseball league title since 2014. “The administration and staff here at Arvada West is great. A-West is a great place. I love coming to work every single day. It’s been a long time for sure.”

Appropriately, A-West athletic director Gordon Volk first handed the league plaque to sophomore Cooper Vais, who then quickly presented it to his father.

“People don’t give these guys enough credit for how hard they work,” Coach Vais said of his squad that is junior-laded except for its ace pitcher in Cooper and senior shortstop Tate Deal. “They grind it out every single game. They are coached by me which is always a tough task in itself. I couldn’t be more proud of them.”

Cooper Vais pitched a complete-game to improve his record on the mound to 7-0 with a 0.47 ERA.

“No nerves because you have got to go up there with confidence,” Cooper Vais said of getting the start in the potential league-clinching game. “I was ready to pitch against a good team.”

Ralston Valley (10-11, 5-6 in 5A Jeffco) had just two hits off of Cooper Vais. Junior Dean Gregory singled in the top of the second inning and sophomore Mason Gilbreath followed it up with an RBI double to score the Mustangs’ lone run.

“I was just letting my defense work,” Cooper Vais said of getting nine ground-ball outs and striking out only four batters. “I just trusted my defense.”

It took a little bit for A-West’s offense to kick into high gear. Junior Brayden Reiner had a big 2-run double in the bottom of the second inning to give A-West a 3-1 lead. The Wildcats tacked on three more runs in the fourth inning to extend the lead to 6-1.

The real fireworks got going in the bottom of the sixth inning. A-West was able to push five runs across the plate to induce the 10-run mercy rule.

Cooper Vais belted a monster home run to left field to lead-off the bottom of the sixth. The towering home run actually landed on the tennis courts beyond left field.

“After Cooper hit that one out it just gave us a ton of energy,” Deal said of the back-to-back home runs. “I was looking to do more damage after that.”

The next pitch from Ralston Valley senior Liam McGrew also landed over the fence as Cooper Vais and Deal went back-to-back on back-to-back pitches.

“That is super rare,” Cooper Vais said of the back-to-back solo home runs. “The energy and all the fans going crazy. It was high emotions for sure. I loved it.”

Four walks, a few wild pitches and a double by junior Levi Lueck sealed the victory. Junior Beau Friesen ended the game scoring on a wild pitch.

“It’s the first step,” Deal said of the Wildcats’ first conference title in more than a decade. “We just build on from here and that starts tomorrow.”

A-West (19-2-1, 11-0) wraps up its league schedule at home against Valor (11-11, 9-2). First pitch is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday, May 10. The Eagles were the only team with a chance to catch the Wildcats for the league title, but those hopes ended with the Wildcats’ 12th straight victory.

“Of course we want to win the next game,” Cooper Vais said of finishing off league play. “Hopefully we’ll stay high up in the rankings and get to host a regional. We need to win, always.”