The two-day state softball tournaments begin Friday morning at Aurora Sports Park.
Let’s go over a couple of the favorites — the one or two teams expected to win it all in each classification — and a few sleeper teams who could make a surprise run to a title.
Class 5A
Favorites: No. 1 Columbine; No. 2 Chatfield
The Rebels will look to defend their 2022 title with another balanced lineup and strong ace. Liz Phillips took over the main pitching duties in 2023 after she was 5A player of the year Araya Ogden’s No. 2 a year ago. She is 19-4 with a 2.46 ERA in 125 innings. Meanwhile, their offense has similar numbers to last year’s, hitting .407 as a team after they finished 2022 with a .406 average. Sophomore Mason Abraham leads the way, hitting .592 with 30 RBIs.
But not even the defending champs come into the tournament as red-hot as the second-ranked Chargers. During their streak, they have wins over Columbine and the state’s No. 1 team on MaxPreps, 4A Holy Family. Their lineup has hit .426 this season, led by slugger Klara Van Beuge, who is eighth in the nation this fall with 51 RBIs.
Sleepers: No. 4 Erie; No. 7 Legend; No. 14 Fossil Ridge
The Tigers have a talented 1-2 pitching staff with Gracie Sackett and Matix Hull, whose 0.26 ERA is the best in 5A, and perhaps the most dangerous bat in the classification with Addie Osborne. Osborne, a Rutgers commit, leads the nation with 17 home runs this season and broke Erie’s school record for most home runs in a season (17) and a career (36) last weekend. She homered and drove in four runs in each of the Tigers’ two games at regionals.
Legend, which has won three titles since 2017, gets strong pitching from Charlotte Morgan (9-4, 2.42 ERA) and Marae Carpenter (5-2, 2.79). Morgan also has six homers and 29 RBIs.
Fossil Ridge is dangerous despite being the 14 seed. The Sabercats won the Front Range League before Brooklynn Cardenas (16-2, 1.44) lost only her second game of the season against Erie at regionals.
Class 4A
Favorite: No. 1 Holy Family; No. 4 Lutheran
The Tigers have been the best team in the state this season, winning 24 of 25, with a lone blemish in an eight-inning loss to 5A No. 2 Chatfield last month. Isabella Arroyo (4A No. 1 in ERA at 1.04) and Emmaline Humphreys (fourth at 1.81) make up the best 1-2 pitching tandem in the bracket. Kaylee McDonald is hitting .519 with 40 RBIs.
Lutheran beat Holy Family for the 4A title last season, thanks much to ace Hailey Maestretti. The senior’s innings have been limited this season, throwing just 55 2/3 frames after totaling more than 130 in each of her last two seasons. She’s 8-1 with a 1.26 ERA this fall. And if she’s been saving it to pitch most of the innings in the state tournament, the Lions can beat anyone.
Sleepers: No. 2 Riverdale Ridge; No. 3 D’Evelyn; No. 5 Discovery Canyon
Usually, the No. 2 team in the bracket isn’t a sleeper — but with how dominating No. 1 Holy Family has been and the prospect of No. 4 Lutheran repeating behind ace Maestretti, the Ravens can feel left out. Riverdale Ridge’s two losses this fall are to the Tigers and 3A No. 1 Eaton. Its pitching staff is deep with four arms combining for a 2.22 ERA. It has seven players with more than 20 RBIs, led by Neila Lucero, who has driven in 34 with eight homers.
D’Evelyn has won 13 straight and has one of the biggest stars in the tournament with Peyton Marvel, who is hitting .617 with 10 homers.
Kameran Randolph is hitting .527 with seven HRs and 38 RBIs for the Thunder, who have won 10 straight.
Class 3A
Favorites: No. 1 Eaton
The Reds come into the state tournament with a seemingly large chasm between them and everyone else in the field. Their pitching staff is by far and away the best in 3A, led by Baylor commit Sadie Ross, who has a 0.62 ERA in 56 frames, and Julia Meagher, who has allowed one earned run in 38 2/3 innings. Ross, who missed Eaton’s title run last year with an injury, is hitting .548 with 43 RBIs and 10 homers.
Sleepers: No. 2 Strasburg; No. 3 University; No. 4 Lyons; No. 5 The Academy
The rest of the field are more or less sleepers next to top-ranked Eaton.
Strasburg and University each have one of the best players in the field. Graecyn Graf is hitting .452 with 40 RBIs and 19 extra-base hits for the Indians, who have won 10 straight. Sydney Goetzel has a 2.84 ERA in 32 frames in the circle and 37 RBIs and six homers for the Bulldogs.
Lyons and The Academy have strong pitching. Ceci Chiaravalle has a 1.75 ERA in 136 innings for the Lions and can take over a game with her punch-out stuff. Her 232 strikeouts is second in the state to Rocky Mountain’s Haisley Leskinen (245). The Wildcats have an ace in Isabella Bruntz (13-4, 2.26 ERA) and a strong No. 2 in Victoria Pearson (7-0, 1.17).
