The Season D all-state baseball teams honor the best players in the sport as judged by the leagues and coaches. They are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.

These teams were created following a lengthy process which included nominations from leagues, and then a vote of head coaches.

Player and coach of the year was also selected by a vote of the coaches.

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Class 5A

(Paul Shepardson)

Player of the year: Radek Birkholz, Valor Christian

Coach of the year: Ron Quintana, Mountain Vista

Honorable mention:

• Tucker Buniger, UTIL, Fruita Monument, Senior
• Gerardo Caldera, C/P, Adams City, Senior
• Caleb Cancino, C, Castle View, Junior
• Benji Carrington, Rampart, Junior
• Reese Chapman, OF/RHP, Grandview, Junior
• Ty Chapman, SS, Grandview, Senior
• Cade Collins, 2B/SS, Dakota Ridge, Freshman
• Cory Cooper, Denver South, Sophomore
• Carter Dorighi, INF, Cherry Creek, Senior
• Braden Doumer, C/OF/1B, Legend, Junior
• Garrett Dykstra, LHP/1B, Arapahoe, Senior
• Jacob Frazzini, P/1B, Cherokee Trail, Senior
• Matt Glover, Denver South, Senior
• Nathan Gutierrez, LHP/OF, Douglas County, Senior
• Jacob Hill, P/2B, Ralston Valley, Senior
• Liam Hohenstein, OF/RHP, Rock Canyon, Junior
• Chase Jaworsky, SS/2B, Rock Canyon, Sophomore
• Brant Kragel, 1B/P, Valor Christian, Junior
• Cale Lansville, RHP/1B, ThunderRidge, Senior
• Dallas Macias, Regis Jesuit, Junior
• Cort McDaniel, C, Fruita Monument, Senior
• Miguel Medina, CF/P/SS, Hinkley, Senior
• Adam Moser, Fairview, Senior
• Matthew Oberlander, OF/P, Fort Collins, Senior
• Brooks Rodarte, Castle View, Sophomore
• Camden Ross, Broomfield, Junior
• Jeremiah Sanchez, OF/LHP, Pueblo West, Junior
• Jace Schlegel, LHP/1B/OF, Pueblo West, Senior
• Landen Sehr, Legacy, Junior
• Luke Silverman, Fairview, Senior
• Danny Spence, INF/RHP, Pueblo West, Junior
• Tyler Stonebraker, OF/UTIL, Douglas County, Junior
• Tommy Valdez, Broomfield, Senior
• Will Vasseur, INF/RHP, Rocky Mountain, Junior
• Isaac Wachsmann, Regis Jesuit, Junior
• Chris Wallace, Poudre, Senior
• Jacob Weaver, P/SS, Fruita Monument, Senior
• Kody Woods, P/C/3B, Palmer, Senior

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Class 4A

(Paul Shepardson)

Player of the year: Dom Lopez, Ponderosa

Coach of the year: Bob Maloney, Ponderosa

Honorable mention:

• Tony Benko, D’Evelyn, Junior
• Bradley Blakemore, CF/LF/RHP, D’Evelyn, Junior
• Nate Bollinger, 3B, Palisade, Senior
• Nolan Boone, INF/P, Montrose, Senior
• Sammy Cabral, Thornton, Senior
• Jimmy Chastain, 1B, Windsor, Senior
• Connor Cooney, CF, Holy Family, Senior
• Derrick Domenico, 3B/SS, Pueblo County, Junior
• Nick Espinola, INF/RHP/OF, Thomas Jefferson, Senior
• Sage Ferguson, P/INF, Elizabeth, Senior
• Connor Frickey, 1B/RHP, Cheyenne Mountain, Junior
• Logan Gross, P/3B/SS, Rifle, Freshman
• Mason Hamlin, 2B/SS, Falcon, Junior
• Nolan Hertzke, RHP/3B, Severance, Sophomore
• George Hogan, SS/P, Evergreen, Senior
• Nolan Hydock, 1B/RHP, Greeley West, Senior
• Carson King, INF/P, Evergreen, Junior
• Cael Langford, Fort Morgan, Senior
• Derek Lukes, C/P/1B, Ponderosa, Junior
• Gage Mestas, Durango, Senior
• Westin Miller, SS, Wheat Ridge, Senior
• Nate Moorehead, INF/P/OF, Falcon, Senior
• Elijah Morales, OF/IF/P, Battle Mountain, Junior
• Isaiah Padilla, INF/P, Denver North, Sophomore
• Anders Page-Roth, SS, Golden, Sophomore
• Holden Pantier, SS/3B, Erie, Sophomore
• Melesio Perez, INF, Palisade, Junior
• Chase Prestwich, Frederick, Senior
• Dakota Pruitt, SS/P, Riverdale Ridge, Senior
• Caleb Ralph, RHP/INF, Lewis-Palmer, Senior
• Coletin Renn, INF/P, Canon City, Junior
• Rocco Salvatore, 1B, Roosevelt, Senior
• Clayton Sanger, 1B/LHP, Falcon, Senior
• Brock Saya, SS/RHP, Roosevelt, Junior
• Dylan Sayler, LF/SS/CF, Mesa Ridge, Senior
• Gavin Shary, INF/OF, Denver North, Junior
• Cole Simms, C/P, Canon City, Senior
• Nick Spidel, P/OF, Elizabeth, Senior
• Andrew Syverson, C/2B, Holy Family, Junior
• Nick Vilims, P/OF, Evergreen, Senior
• Cal Walsh, Durango, Senior
• Nick Weiderholt, OF/1B/LHP, George Washington, Junior
• Briggs Wheatley, Fort Morgan, Junior
• Noah Wicks, C/RHP, Golden, Sophomore
• Cruz Zamudio, C, Frederick, Sophomore

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Class 3A

(Nick Jurney)

Player of the year: Ryan Ure, Eaton

Coach of the year: Todd Hernandez, Eaton

Honorable mention:

• Daniel Alvarado, 1B/P, Strasburg, Senior
• Ty Blackmer, 2B/SS/RHP, Montezuma-Cortez, Senior
• Tyler Bowdridge, CF/RHP, Pagosa Springs, Senior
• Elliot Bowen, RHP/C/CF, DSST: Montview, Junior
• Blake Buxton, OF/DH, Lamar, Senior
• Cade Carlson, 2B/INF, Bayfield, Senior
• Dylan Diorio, Sterling, Junior
• Jonah Ellis, Salida, Senior
• Carter Evans, Resurrection Christian, Sophomore
• Davis Evans, C/SS/P, Kent Denver, Senior
• Garrett Everitt, 1B/RHP, Faith Christian, Senior
• Greg Garza, INF, University, Junior
• Ben Greenberg, Colorado Academy, Junior
• Josh Greiving, Lutheran, Senior
• Ty Griffith, Brush, Sophomore
• Isaiah Elliot, CF/INF/RHP, The Academy, Sophomore
• Braden Hallman, C/DH/3B, Montezuma-Cortez, Sophomore
• Bryson Knapp, Resurrection Christian, Senior
• Alex Martinez, C, University, Senior
• Gabi Marmolejo, OF/P, Gunnison, Senior
• Alex Martinez, C, University, Senior
• Andrew Meick, Sterling, Junior
• Jonathan Monroe, LHP/OF/1B, The Academy, Junior
• Wish Moore, Basalt, Junior
• Aaron Morgan, Lutheran, Senior
• Ty Myers, 1B/P, University, Senior
• Ernie Padilla, CF/RHP/UTIL, Montezuma-Cortez, Senior
• Zaymien Peteque, INF/P, La Junta, Senior
• Aaron Rice, Colorado Academy, Senior
• Luke Ruby, Junior, Resurrection Christian
• Cole Schumacher, Eaton, Senior
• Sam Sherry, Basalt, Junior
• Hunter Smilanich, Moffat County, Senior
• Evan Sowards, OF/P, Alamosa, Junior
• Coy Spitz, INF/P/C, Lamar, Junior
• Ryder True, Eaton, Sophomore
• Skylor Wild, Gunnison, Junior

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Class 2A

(Paul Shepardson)

Player of the year: Kory Tacha, Limon

Coach of the year: Rocky Rockwell, Limon

Honorable mention:

• Anthony Aldretti, P/OF/C, John Mall, Senior
• Brenton Battista, OF/P/INF, Peyton, Senior
• Haden Camp, INF/P, Buena Vista, Sophomore
• JP Clune, C/RHP, St. Mary’s, Junior
• David Clutter, C/OF, Monte Vista, Junior
• Ben Compton, 1B/3B/RHP, Rye, Senior
• Liam Deming, Meeker, Junior
• Braydon Garcia, Meeker, Senior
• Michael Garza, CF/P, Dolores Huerta Prep, Senior
• Logan Glaser, 2B/3B, Calhan, Senior
• Matthew Gutierrez, Burlington, Sophomore
• Tyler Higgins, Limon, Senior
• Sam Hnizdil, INF/P, Highland, Junior
• Trevin Holland, INF/P, Swink, Junior
• Evan Larrick, County Line [Wiley/McClave], Freshman
• Val Leone, INF/P, Fowler, Senior
• Junior Lopez, 2B/INF, Monte Vista, Senior
• Garrett Oloman, SS/P, Custer County, Sophomore
• TJ Ortiz, 3B/P, Las Animas, Freshman
• Matt Pachl, INF/P, North Fork, Junior
• Nathan Paolucci, INF/P, Swink, Senior
• Dimitri Prisbrey, OF/P, Olathe, Senior
• Cole Reavis, OF, Buena Vista, Junior
• Rafael Ruiz Jr., SS/RHP, Lyons, Senior
• Colby Rupp, 1B/OF, Cedaredge, Senior
• Seattle Schuessler, CF/SS/P, Clear Creek, Senior
• Byron Shawcroft, P/SS, Centauri, Junior
• Cameron Stringfellow, SS/P/OF, Dolores Huerta, Freshman
• Yahir Trejo, SS/2B, Yuma, Junior
• Sam Uyemura, SS/P, Wray, Senior
• Michael Valdez, LF/3B/RHP, Rye, Senior
• Henry VanDenBerg, 1B/P, Denver Christian, Senior
• Bobby Wallace, INF/P/C, South Park, Senior
• Michael Wishowski, P/OF/1B, South Park, Senior

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Class 1A

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

Player of the year: Jose Magallanes, Holly

Coach of the year: Dayne Eaton, Holly

Honorable mention:

• Pavel Bernlohr, Evangelical Christian, Senior
• Jaxon Borchardt, Rocky Mountain Lutheran, Senior
• Noah Coddington, Evangelical Christian, Junior
• Dominic Coleman, P/SS, Granada, Junior
• Micah Dannelly, UTIL/RHP, Flatirons Academy, Sophomore
• Brayden Glover, Simla, Sophomore
• Bobby Larsen, Rocky Mountain Lutheran, Senior
• Maguire Lind, Pikes Peak Christian, Junior
• Hatch Nelson, Eads, Senior
• Kevin Purkat, SS/RHP, Dove Creek, Senior
• Tyler Reynolds, P/SS, Otis, Senior
• Gavin Rose, C, Elbert, Junior
• Colton Rowan, INF/RHP, Flatirons Academy, Freshman
• Logan Weimer, Nucla, Senior

(Steve Abeyta)

The 2021 MLB Draft was held July 11-13 at Denver’s Bellco Theatre. Below is a profile of the six Colorado products selected.

Last season, two players who played high school baseball in Colorado were taken.

For a list of all previous Colorado players drafted, browse our historical MLB Draft database

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Regis Jesuit graduate and right-handed pitcher Alec Willis became the first Colorado product selected in the 2021 MLB draft, as he was picked in the seventh round, 211th overall, by the St. Louis Cardinals.

The 6-foot-5, 220-pound Willis was MLB.com’s 130th-ranked prospect after a senior season in which he finished 3-1 with a 0.72 ERA and 54 strikeouts (against eight walks) in 29 innings pitched.

Willis has signed his letter of intent to attend the University of Minnesota. With Willis’ selection, a Regis Jesuit grad has been chosen in an MLB Draft 29 times.

Three 2017 Colorado high school graduates were selected next, led by 2017 Heritage grad Casey Opitz, who attends college baseball powerhouse Arkansas. Opitz was selected in the eighth round, 244th overall, by the Chicago Cubs.

Opitz was one of the top backstops in college baseball, being named to the Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year Watch List in 2019, while also earning Preseason All-American honors. In 2021, he was a team captain for an Arkansas team that entered the NCAA Baseball Tournament as the number one overall seed.

At Heritage, he was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the 27th round of the 2017 MLB Draft. His senior season, he was ranked the No. 3 player in the state of Colorado and the top catcher overall.

He is the third Opitz brother to be taken in an MLB Draft, following Shane (2010) and Jake (2008).

Opitz also played basketball and football for the Eagles at times during his high school career.

2017 Lewis-Palmer grad Billy Cook, a 2021 Pepperdine graduate, went next to the Baltimore Orioles in the 10th round, 287th overall.

Cook was a four-year starter at Pepperdine, appearing in 122 games with 109 starts. He finished tied for ninth in all-time home runs in Pepperdine history. In 2021, he was selected first team all-West Coast Conference.

At Lewis-Palmer, Cook was a three-time 4A all-state honoree, while helping the Rangers to a pair of conference championships.

He is the fourth Lewis-Palmer grad to be drafted all-time, and the first since 2008.

Jack Winkler, a 2017 Chatfield grad, was next to go later in the 10th round, 308th overall to the Oakland Athletics.

Winkler was a four year starter for the University of San Francisco, his last three seasons as the primary shortstop. He had a tremendous campaign in 2021, taking home first team all-West Coast Conference accolades. In four seasons at USF, he played in 184 games, making 180 starts. A career .276 hitter, he totaled 186 hits, 43 doubles, 14 home runs, and 104 RBI.

At Chatfield, he was a three-time all-conference honoree, while helping the Chargers to a 5A title in 2015.

Going back to the recent Colorado high school grads, another Chatfield Charger in Quinton Low went in the 13th round, 387th overall, to the Milwaukee Brewers. With him and Winkler selected, they became the 10th and 11th Chatfield alums drafted all-time.

Low was a two-way star for Chatfield, batting .492 with 30 hits and nine home runs in 2021, while making seven pitching appearances with a 3.00 ERA and 56 strikeouts over 35 innings. He helped Chatfield to the 5A quarterfinals in 2021.

He has signed his letter of intent to attend Santa Clara University.

The final Colorado product selected was Ryan Ure of Eaton, taken in the 16th round, 464th overall, by the Texas Rangers.

Ure was Eaton’s ace this past season, pitching to a 2.07 ERA over 44 innings, while compiling a 7-0 record with 83 strikeouts. He helped lead the Fightin’ Reds to the 3A baseball title.

Ure is signed to play in college with Oklahoma State. He continues Eaton’s rich MLB Draft tradition, as he is the ninth Eaton grad selected all-time, and the first since 2012.

Local selections in the 2021 MLB Draft

(Tim Bourke/TimBourke.com)

Valor Christian’s Radek Birkholz was named the Gatorade baseball player of the year for Colorado on Tuesday. He has been named a finalist for the national baseball player of the year which will be named in July.

Birkholz was a standout player for the Eagles in his time at Valor. As a freshman, he took on the challenge of pitching in the Class 4A state championship game against Pueblo West. Not only did he get the win, but he nearly threw a no-hitter as he had not given up a hit through six innings.

He has shined off the field as well as he has served as a member of the National Honor Society and led a mission trip to the Dominican Republic on behalf of his community. All while doing that, he has maintained a 4.14 GPA.

He has become the idea baseball player to represent the state of Colorado.

“As a head coach for 20 years, I can say Radek Birkholz is not only one of the best players I have seen in Colorado over that time span, but also one of the best kids,” Ralston Valley coach Brad Madden said in a release. “He is a great competitor, an unbelievable player and a humble young man.”

He finished the year with a 6-0 record, a 0.79 ERA and struck out 71 hitters that he faced. He gave up a total of four earned runs as Valor advanced to the 5A state championship game. He was also a menace at the plate as he hit .473 with seven home runs and 29 RBI’s.

He will play his college baseball at the University of Notre Dame and he’ll be paying attention to the MLB Entry Draft in July as his name could be called. He is the No. 3 draft prospect in the state according to Perfect Game.

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

PUEBLO — So many times were the Ponderosa Mustangs down. But they were never out. A week after they won three thrilling games in the Class 4A state baseball tournament, they entered the final two days playing like every bit the team that could not be beat.

And they had so much incentive to not get beat. That reason was Luke Karel. A teammate and a friend is going through a battle that no one can help him with. Karel is in the batter’s box and leukemia is throwing him some nasty stuff.

So when Ponderosa beat Holy Family 11-2 to claim the 4A baseball title, and first baseball championship in school history, the players couldn’t help but think of their friend who couldn’t be there physically, but was certainly there in spirit.

“It’s all Luke, he’s our main guy,” shortstop Dylan Carey said. “That’s what we’ve played for this year, was him. Last week we sent him some video messages. He’s going through his round of chemo. He’s losing his hair and seeing that was really hard. Getting this win for him meant a lot.”

And they had to earn it, which made it all the more special.

The Mustangs (21-3 overall) won their first four games of the state tournament which meant they would have to lose twice in order for someone to take the state title away from them.

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

Their first game against Holy Family proved to be their one hiccup of the tournament. They dropped the game 10-4 setting a one-game, winner take all showdown with the Tigers.

And coach Bob Maloney sent the same pitcher that Holy Family beat up a bit last weekend out to do it. The result this go around was much different. Derek Lukes had complete command of his stuff was untouchable in the first two innings, the same innings the Tigers (20-3) jumped on him a week ago.

“I came in with a winning mentality,” Lukes said. “I came in with a chip on my shoulder and I knew we were winning from the start. I came in ready to win and I knew my team was behind me.”

They got behind him in a big way. Trailing 1-0 going into the bottom of the 3rd, Kolton Miller walked then back-to-back extra base hits from Cael Porter and Carey made it a 2-1 game. Miller added a 2-RBI double in the 4th to help push the lead to 5-1.

As more runs came across the plate, the more amped the team got as they realized they were inching closer to a state title.

“These kids didn’t care who got the credit,” Maloney said. “They just wanted to win and they went out and did it.”

It was an impressive stretch throughout the entire state tournament. They started with walk-off wins against Evergreen and Cheyenne Mountain on Day 1 then a thrilling comeback win against Holy Family the next day.

They rolled against D’Evelyn on Friday before dropping one game to Holy Family only to rebound and win state. Through that stretch they production from all areas of the lineup, but it was first baseman Dom Lopez who was most impressive in the six games. He batted .640 and hit four home runs and drove in 12. He was the fuel behind the engine that carried the team to the state title.

And he too, did it with Karel in his heart. He couldn’t make it through the first weekend of the tournament without thinking about his friend.

“When we’re down, we always think about Luke,” he said last week. “We start every practice saying ‘Luke Strong’ and we end every game saying “Luke Strong.’ He’s in our hear every day and we just play for him.”

Until now. There is no more need to keep playing for him. Karel provided the inspiration for this group of Ponderosa athletes to do something that had never been done in school history. And there was no way they were going to let him down.

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

Limon battled back and scored eight runs in its last two innings to get an 11-7 win over Peyton to win the Class 2A baseball title.

PUEBLO — After dropping the first game of the day, Ponderosa exploded offensively to beat Holy Family for the Class 4A baseball title.

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Coverage

: Ponderosa caps thrilling tournament run with first state baseball title
: 4A baseball bracket

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Ponderosa 11, Holy Family 2

• Link to gallery

(Paul Shepardson)

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Holy Family 10, Ponderosa 4

• Link to gallery

(Paul Shepardson)

(Max Potter)

LAKEWOOD – Early offense set the scene at All-Star Park , but Evan Magill settled in for Mountain Vista and went six innings on the mound to lift the Golden Eagles over Valor Christian, 3-2, in the 5A baseball state championship on Friday afternoon.

“We all had to lock in after the first inning, we were nervous, everyone was nervous out here today,” Magill said. “There were times with runners on and we only had one out, but I knew we had to get the strikeout. I was thinking curveballs, they were swinging right over them, putting them on the ground. I even shook off some fastballs because I did not want them to make contact.”

Blake Wilson continued his hot hitting for Valor Christian, ripping a double to the gap to open the scoring, but savvy base running from Mountain Vista’s Travis Sprinkle and Trey Dunn gave the Golden Eagles all they needed. After the two early runs allowed, Magill, who won a state title his freshman year, settled in to retire 15 of the last 17 batters he faced, many of them with a wipeout curveball. He registered nine punch-outs in six innings.

Mountain Vista head coach Ron Quintana turned it over to his bullpen in the ninth, bringing on Griffin Huiatt, the other freshman on that 2018 championship team, and he slammed the door on the Eagles.

“Evan did a great job coming in before me and getting us to that point,” Huiatt said. “For me, my job was to throw strikes and let our defense work. There was a lot of adrenaline out there, but it all worked out in the end.”

Quintana and his group rolled through the playoffs as the last undefeated team, which allowed them to save a lot of pitching for Friday. The closeness of his team, he said, is what makes this year’s group stand out from others.

“When we say family, we mean it,” Quintana said. “This is such a close group and a lot of people counted these guys out and didn’t think we could be here right now. I always tell our guys, if we play Vista baseball instead of the other team, we are unstoppable. They bought in this year and here we are.”

Mountain Vista earned its second state championship in program history, with the last coming in 2018. It also marks the 27^th crown in school history and the second this week with the boys lacrosse team winning on Tuesday.

LAKEWOOD — Mountain Vista won a trilling 3-2 game over Valor Christian to win the Class 5A baseball championship on Friday.

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Coverage

: Pitching propels Mountain Vista to 5A baseball state championship

: The 5A baseball bracket

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Mountain Vista 3, Valor Christian 2

By Paul Shepardson and Paul DiSalvo

• Link to gallery

(Paul DiSalvo/PaulDiSalvoPhotography.com)

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Valor Christian 6, Fairview 4

By Paul Shepardson and Paul DiSalvo

• Link to gallery

(Paul Shepardson)

Because of unplayable field conditions caused by Friday night’s weather, the Classes 4A and 2A baseball championships are being moved to Rawlings Field at CSU-Pueblo.

Games will begin an hour later than originally scheduled.

The 2A championship game between Limon and Peyton will begin at 10:30 a.m. The 4A championship game between Ponderosa and Holy Family will begin at 1:30 p.m.

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

PUEBLO — Winning championships in Limon has become a regular occurrence. But for the last baseball game of the year, the last true team event for the Badgers, it was more a family affair at Rawlings Field on the campus of CSU-Pueblo.

Early miscues were made, but in true baseball spirit Limon simply looked to the next play. Then the next. By the time it was over, the Badgers got an 11-7 win over Peyton and are baseball state champions for the first time since 2010.

Perhaps the most fulfilling part of the day for coach Rocky Rockwell was watching two of his sons play a crucial role in helping the Badgers bring the Class 2A title home. Although he didn’t start the game, Brady Rockwell came took the mound in relief and worked efficiently after Peyton had briefly taken a 6-3 lead in the fifth inning.

He worked 2.2 innings of relief and gave up just two earned runs. Behind the plate was little brother Jordan. The two worked well together defensive and it was Jordan who gave the Badgers (20-0 overall) a spark when they needed it the most. He started the second inning off with a triple and scored on a ground ball to third by Camden Smithburg. He added a single and a double later in the game and scored three runs on top of driving in two.

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

“He was just trying to take base hit swings,” Rocky said. “It seemed like the ball was jumping off Peyton’s bats too. You play on these bigger fields and no one’s trying to lift the ball in the air. As a coach you love it, because then they just hit line drives and the ball carries. And Jordy got a couple in the gap and they carried. He’s just a gamer.”

Limon looked to have a bit of nerves heading into the game as the they started the top of the first with three big defensive miscues.

But they settled down to take a 3-0 lead after two innings.

The Panthers (17-2) finally got their bats in a groove in the top of the 5th inning. They got five consecutive runners on base highlighted by Brennen Meyers’ huge RBI triple. Rockwell got starting pitcher Trey Hines out and brought in Brady to try and get the Badgers back on track.

“It’s definitely a little nerve-racking,” Brady said. “But we’ve been doing this all year. We’ve been down a few times and I knew that we were going to put the ball in play and good things would happen.”

He was right.

The Badgers came out hot in their side of the fifth and the first four hitters of the inning reached base and scored. That included an RBI single from Jordan Rockwell that tied the game.

“I came in confident and came through for my team,” Jordan said.

He was one of two Badgers to drive in a pair of runs as he and Smithburg did it from the seven and eight spots in the lineup, respectively.

This is the third baseball title for Limon and the first since 2010. But overall, this is a group of kids that have been great across the board – playing in the both the football and boys basketball championship games this year – and expect to be at that championship level.

“We’re a big football town,” Rocky said. “We have 20 football titles and this is our third baseball title. This is the first time I’ve been a head coach and been a part of a team like this. They do expect to be the best.”

And if this year has shown anything for this group of Badgers, it’s that they can make the reality live up to the expectation.”