The state baseball tournaments begin play for Class 5A, 4A and 3A this weekend with the 2A tournament continuing play after kicking off last week.
Each classification has eight teams still alive, meaning state championship ambitions exist for 32 teams across the state. The 5A tournament will be played in Denver and Lakewood, the 4A tournament is in Colorado Springs, the 3A tournament is in Greeley and the 2A tournament will be played out in Pueblo.
Here is a brief overview of every team still alive throughout the four classes.
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Class 5A
No. 1 Regis Jesuit
Record: 22-3
Overview: After claiming the 2019 state title, the Raiders missed the 2021 state tournament and there is no doubt that absence made the heart grow fonder. Their mission is to capture the fourth state championship in program history.
Players to watch: Dallas Macias (.551 avg., 7 home runs, 41 runs scored), Brooks Gerig (5-2, 2.45 ERA, 10/3 strikeout-to-walk ratio).
No. 2 Legacy
Record: 23-2
Overview: The Lightning are very much in the mix to walk away with a state championship this year. Their two losses this season (one to Broomfield, one to Legend) came by a combined five runs. The feather in their cap came in a 7-6 win over Regis Jesuit on April 2.
Players to watch: Brandon Sanchez (.560 avg., 3 home runs, 37 RBIs), Connor Antczak (8-0, 2.77 ERA, .214 OBA).
No. 3 Chaparral
Record: 20-5
Overview: Not a lot of teams are heading into state with a resumé as solid as the Wolverines. They’ve racked up wins over Regis Jesuit, Legend and Mountain Vista. There may not be a more battle-tested team in the 5A bracket than Chap.
Players to watch: James Harbison (.431 avg., 3 home runs, .507 OBP), Nathan Pitts (8-1, 1.50 ERA, 51 strikeouts).
No. 4 Valor Christian
Record: 15-10
Overview: Last year’s state runner-up had some struggles this year, dropping five straight games at one point. But the Eagles are playing their best baseball at the right time as evidenced by taking down defending champion Mountain Vista to reach the state tournament.
Players to watch: Carson Tinney (.437 avg., 7 home runs, 37 RBIs), Brant Kragel (4-1, 42 strikeouts, .208 OBA).
No. 5 Broomfield
Record: 17-8
Overview: The Eagles fought off a 5-7 start to win 12 of their last 13 games prior to the state tournament. In that stretch, they got some significant wins over other 5A tournament teams in Douglas County and Legacy.
Players to watch: Camden Ross (.621 avg., 8 home runs, 38 RBIs), Garrett Klein (7-2, 43 strikeouts, .299 OBA).
No. 6 Vista Ridge
Record: 22-3
Overview: The Wolves are coming off a solid regular season in which their only losses were to tough 4A teams. They got valuable postseason experience in regionals where they beat Rock Canyon and Eaglecrest by one run each to qualify for the state tournament.
Players to watch: Luke Sigleton (.507 avg., 6 home runs, 42 RBIs), Owen Glasgow (3.73 ERA, 3/1 strikeout-to-walk ratio).
No. 7 Cherokee Trail
Record: 18-6
Overview: The Cougars put together a solid season and ended up claiming a share of the Centennial League championship. This is the first state tournament appearance for Cherokee Trail since 2018 and they’re hunting for their first state title since 2016.
Players to watch: Thomas Munch (.395 avg., 1 home run, 26 RBIs), Tyler Wilcox (2.81 ERA, 51 strikeouts, .219 OBA).
No. 8 Douglas County
Record: 17-8
Overview: The Huskies have beaten some notable teams this year including Cherokee Trail and Chaparral. They’re a prime example of how deep the talent is in the 5A bracket as it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them still playing in a week’s time.
Players to watch: Tucker Moore (.342 avg., 5 home runs, 26 RBIs), Hunter Gotschall (2.68 ERA, 73 strikeouts, .205 OBA).
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Class 4A
No. 1 Palisade
Record: 23-2
Overview: The Bulldogs missed out on the 2021 state tournament but have turned into one of the more dominant teams in 4A this season. They’ve rattled off 10 straight wins and enter the bracket as the top overall seed.
Players to watch: Brett Rozman (.520 avg., 11 home runs, 38 runs scored), Ryder Mancuso (8-0, 2.70 ERA, 107 strikeouts).
No. 2 D’Evelyn
Record: 17-8
Overview: At one point this season the Jaguars had dropped five straight games, but strong finish to the regular season powered them to a run through regionals. They advanced to the final weekend of last year’s tournament and hope to get there again.
Players to watch: Colin Kim: (.535 avg., 4 home runs, 34 runs scored), Tate Aurich (6-2, 2.59 ERA, 66 strikeouts).
No. 3 Golden
Record: 21-4
Overview: The 4A Jeffco League champions lost just a single game to a Colorado team this year and that was to D’Evelyn on April 8. The Demons have looked dominant otherwise and plan on making a deep state tournament run.
Players to watch: Braeden McCarroll (.429 avg., 5 home runs, 27 RBIs), Ethan Lewis (9-0, 1.58 ERA, 72 strikeouts).
No. 4 Northfield
Record: 22-3
Overview: The Nighthawks haven’t lost many times this year and have high hopes entering their first-ever 4A state baseball tournament. With the roster featuring a strong junior class, this could be the start of a successful stretch of baseball for the program.
Players to watch: Thomas Worth (.559 avg., 2 home runs, 36 RBIs), Mason Sukigara (1.04 ERA, 64 strikeouts, .186 OBA).
No. 5 Ponderosa
Record: 18-7
Overview: The defending 4A champions have enough returning talent that another state championship is a realistic expectation heading into this weekend. The Mustangs have battled some top-notch teams such as Regis Jesuit, Chaparral and Mountain Vista this year.
Players to watch: Dylan Carey (.519 avg., 11 home runs, 45 RBIs), Gabe Jacobs (9-2, 2.83 ERA, .209 OBA).
No. 6 Erie
Record: 17-7
Overview: A perceived longshot to make state, Erie played two great games and ended up knocking out Riverdale Ridge to claim a regional title and a spot in the 4A state tournament. The Tigers last played in the 4A tournament in 2019.
Players to watch: Sam Stem (.562 avg., 6 home runs, 9 triples), Ethan Dillinger (9-0, 1.55 ERA, 79 strikeouts).
No. 7 Severance
Record: 18-7
Overview: The Silver Knights were the No. 1 seed in last year’s state tournament and didn’t make it out of the first weekend. Their hope is that this year, they can operate a little bit better as an under-the-radar team and it worked at regionals where they took out Pueblo County.
Players to watch: Nolan Hertzke (.477 avg., 5 home runs, 41 RBIs), Carson Fagan (9-2, 2.32 ERA, 73 strikeouts).
No. 8 Cheyenne Mountain
Record: 19-6
Overview: The Red-Tailed Hawks have a habit of battling their way to the second weekend of the tournament and with most of their losses coming to 5A teams this year, there’s no reason to think they can’t do it again.
Players to watch: Denton Damgaard (.480 avg., 6 home runs, 27 RBIs), Ben Myers (9-0, 3.83 ERA, 62 strikeouts).
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Class 3A
No. 1 Eaton
Record: 23-2
Overview: The defending 3A champion has looked dominant since suffering its second (and most recent) loss of the season on May 6. Eaton enters the 3A state tournament on a seven-game winning streak.
Key players: Ryder True (.606 avg., 3 home runs, 47 RBIs), Mitch Haythorn (7-0, 1.94 ERA, .151 OBA).
No. 2 University
Record: 21-4
Overview: After winning back-to-back titles in 2018 and 2019, the Bulldogs are getting that championship itch once again. They were swept by Eaton this year, but by a grand total of two runs between the two games which solidified their spot as the No. 2 team in the state.
Key players: Greg Garza (.520 avg., 3 home runs, 31 RBIs), Parker Disparti (5-0, .251 ERA, 11/4 strikeout-to-walk ratio).
No. 3 Lutheran
Record: 24-1
Overview: The Lions might be the most dangerous team on the roster considering they’ve gotten the best of Eaton this year. They head into the state tournament riding a 23-game winning streak with their only loss of the year coming to Cherokee Trail.
Players to watch: Dorian Pacheco (.538 avg., 3 home runs, 32 runs scored), Jayden Brown (6-0, 2.17 ERA, 50 strikeouts).
No. 4 Sterling
Record: 20-5
Overview: Coming out of a tough Patriot League makes the Tigers a team that shouldn’t be discounted early in the tournament. Their only losses this season are to teams seeded in the top five of the 3A state tournament.
Players to watch: Andrew Meick (.478 avg., 2 home runs, 29 stolen bases), Dylan Diorio (7-0, 1.43 ERA, 60 strikeouts).
No. 5 Resurrection Christian
Record: 13-8
Overview: The Cougars went through a bit of a tough stretch, dropping six of 11 games early in the year. They’re playing sound baseball now and head into state with confidence after getting a 5-3 win over Sterling on May 14.
Players to watch: Deegan Corrigan (.419 avg., 3 home runs, 27 RBIs), Luke Ruby (1.49 ERA, 65 strikeouts, .200 OBA).
No. 6 Bayfield
Record: 18-6
Overview: Despite dropping two straight to end the regular season, the Wolverines put together a solid regional run, upsetting North Fork then toppling Peak to Peak to reach the state tournament for the first time since 2015.
Key players: Nic Twedt (.452 avg., 1 home run, 7 triples), Isaac Ross (1.26 ERA, 64 strikeouts, 4 complete games).
No. 7 Manitou Springs
Record: 18-6-1
Overview: The Mustangs have a combination of experience and youth that they hope to utilize as they play in their first state tournament since 2016. That year, they finished as the state runner-up after losing to Faith Christian in the 3A title game.
Players to watch: Canon Feist (.387 avg., 2 home runs, 29 RBIs), Davis Mack (2.61 ERA, .258 OBA, 63 strikeouts).
No. 8 Colorado Academy
Record: 18-6
Overview: Battling through the Metro League makes the Mustangs a deceptive No. 8 seed in the 3A tournament. Tough tests such as Jefferson Academy and Lutheran should make them a tough out each time they take the field.
Players to watch: Ben Greenberg (.508 avg., 4 home runs, 31 runs scored), Davis Johnson (2.88 ERA, 73 strikeouts, .246 OBA).
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Class 2A
No. 1 Limon
Record: 23-0
Overview: The Badgers are the defending 2A state champions and have not lost a baseball game since May 18, 2019. Already this season Limon has beaten five of the 2A teams that are still left in the state tournament.
Key players: Keon Bandy (.600 avg., 5 home runs, 49 RBIs), Brady Rockwell (10-0, 1.96 ERA, 72 strikeouts).
No. 2 Peyton
Record: 24-1
Overview: The Panthers are no stranger to making championship runs. They lost to Limon in the state championship game last year and won the 2A crown back in 2019. Their only loss this season was to top-seeded Limon.
Key players: Evan Neumaier (.671 avg., 4 home runs, 4 triples, 53 RBIs), Logan Nickell (8-0, 0.95 ERA, 0.145 OBA).
No. 3 Rye
Record: 22-3
Overview: The Thunderbolts won their first 10 games of the year before running into defending champion Limon. They also fell to Peyton during the regular season but have overall played like a top-level baseball team heading into this weekend.
Key Players: Brock Benz (.412 avg., 3 home runs, 5 triples, 35 RBI’s), Ben Compton (7-0, 1.80 ERA, 11/4 strikeout-to-walk ratio).
No. 5 Highland
Record: 19-4
Overview: Among the four losses the Huskies have been dealt this season are to Lutheran and University, a couple of top 3A teams. Highland has battled to the 2A quarterfinals thanks to outscoring their opponents 24-2 this postseason.
Key players: Jordan Walkup (.574 avg., 5 home runs, 16 doubles, 43 runs scored), Sam Hzindil (7-2, 2.85 ERA, 90 strikeouts).
No. 6 St. Mary’s
Record: 17-8
Overview: The Pirates are certainly battle tested seeing the likes of Limon and Peyton this season as well as some top 3A teams such as Colorado Academy and Manitou Springs. St. Mary’s could be dangerous as a No. 6 seed this week.
Key players: Josh DeBakey (.420 avg., 17 RBIs, 31 runs scored), John Clune (4-1, 2.02 ERA, 70 strikeouts).
No. 8 Wiggins
Record: 16-9
Overview: The Tigers are winners of seven of their last eight games and have had a bit of a roller coaster season. They’ll head into the quarterfinals looking at a rematch against Limon. The Tigers lost the first meeting 12-1 on March 28.
Key players: Brody Frye (.505 avg., 1 home run, 10 doubles, 34 RBI’s), Taryn Yzagurrie (7-1, 3.34 ERA, 82 strikeouts).
No. 10 Buena Vista
Record: 15-10
Overview: The Demons advanced to the semifinals a year ago and they’re hoping to do the same in 2022. To get there, they’ll have to beat Peyton, the team that knocked them out of the postseason last summer.
Key players: Seth Moss (.393 avg., 2 home runs, 27 runs scored), Cole Reavis (37.2 innings pitched, 2.97 ERA, .247 OBA).
No. 13 Denver Christian
Record: 17-8
Overview: The Thunder had their ups and downs this season but have played well since the start of the postseason, even taking down No. 4 Burlington to reach the 2A quarterfinals. They’ll try to keep their underdog run at a state title alive this weekend.
Key players: Asher Hawes (.538 avg., 1.446 OPS, 32 RBIs), Mason Reilly (4-2, 4.27 ERA, 2/1 strikeout-to-walk ratio).
