CHSAANow

Category: Baseball

  • Photos: Ponderosa baseball stays hot with win over Rock Canyon

    Ponderosa baseball got its ninth win in its last 10 games after beating Rock Canyon 8-4 on Monday.

  • Baseball rankings: Cheyenne Mountain, Eaton take over as new No. 1s

    In the latest coaches poll, Cheyenne Mountain and Eaton took over the top spots in their respective classes.

    The rankings, voted upon by coaches, are the official polls of the Association.

    Complete rankings for all classes are below.

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    CHSAANow.com Baseball Polls

    Coaches looking to vote should email bcochi@chsaa.org.

    Class 5A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS
    1 Chatfield (10) 9-1 125 1
    2 Cherry Creek (1) 10-2 115 2
    3 Regis Jesuit 9-3 103 3
    4 Mountain Vista (3) 7-3 98 5
    5 Valor Christian 8-2 83 4
    6 Fairview (1) 9-2 73 8
    7 Heritage 11-3 58 6
    8 Legacy 9-2 32 8
    9 Mullen 7-3 27 –
    10 Rocky Mountain 8-4 25 10
    Others receiving votes:
    Broomfield 19, Fort Collins 15, Rock Canyon 12, Cherokee Trail 12, Grandview 11, Douglas County 8, Ralston Valley 4, Columbine 3, Grand Junction 1, Brighton 1
    Dropped out
    Broomfield (7)
    Class 4A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS
    1 Cheyenne Mountain (2) 11-1 119 2
    2 Ponderosa (4) 12-2 101 1
    3 Durango (6) 12-0 97 4
    4 Holy Family (1) 8-1 90 3
    5 Lewis-Palmer 9-2 72 5
    6 Windsor 9-1 65 6
    7 Falcon 8-0 48 7
    8 Pueblo County 8-3 46 8
    9 Golden (1) 9-4 24 8
    10 Denver North 8-2 21 –
    Others receiving votes:
    Elizabeth 16, Fort Morgan 11, Evergreen 10, Mead 8, Pueblo Central 8, Montrose 7, Severance 6, Palisade 6, Longmont 4, Niwot 4, Silver Creek 3, D’Evelyn 2, Vista PEAK Prep 1, Greeley West 1
    Dropped out
    Elizabeth (10)
    Class 3A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS
    1 Eaton (6) 11-1 127 2
    2 Lutheran (6) 13-0 114 3
    3 University (1) 6-2 108 1
    4 Faith Christian 12-1 83 4
    5 Resurrection Christian 8-4 46 5
    6 Brush 5-4 42 7
    7 Sterling 6-5 33 6
    8 Gunnison 9-1 28 8
    9 Lamar 8-2 27 8
    10 Bayfield 9-2 26 –
    Others receiving votes:
    Bennett 24, Kent Denver 19, Colorado Academy 18, Alamosa 18, The Academy 13, Delta 8, Moffat County 7, Bishop Machebeuf 7, Manitou Springs 6, Montezuma-Cortez 6, La Junta 5, The Classical Academy 4, Middle Park 1
    Dropped out
    Bennett (10)
    Class 2A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS
    1 Limon (9) 11-0 106 1
    2 Peyton 9-1 84 2
    3 Highland (1) 9-0 77 5
    4 Wray 7-0 76 3
    5 Hotchkiss 9-1 63 4
    6 Calhan 8-1 42 7
    7 Buena Vista 6-1 31 10
    8 Cedaredge 9-2 27 6
    9 Rye 7-3 24 8
    10 Burlington 7-2 18 –
    Others receiving votes:
    Wiggins 13, Trinidad 9, Denver Christian 8, Dawson School 8, St. Mary’s 8, Yuma 4, Monte Vista 3, Meeker 2, Estes Park 2, Swink 1
    Dropped out
    St. Mary’s (9)
    Class 1A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS
    1 Holly (3) 5-3 70 1
    2 Merino (3) 10-1 69 3
    3 Flatirons Academy (2) 6-1 65 2
    4 Evangelical Christian 6-1 62 4
    5 Eads (1) 8-1 56 5
    6 Caliche 10-3 38 7
    7 Nucla 9-3 36 6
    8 Dove Creek 5-5 26 8
    9 Dayspring Christian 8-5 17 –
    10 Haxtun 6-6 16 10
    Others receiving votes:
    Stratton 13, Cheyenne Wells 10, Antonito 5, Granada 4, Rocky Mountain Lutheran 4, Otis 2, Simla 1, Elbert 1
    Dropped out
    Stratton (9)

  • Photos: No. 4 Valor Christian baseball walks off Dakota Ridge

    Keenan Proctor went 3-for-4 and drove in three runs as Class 5A No. 4 Valor Christian baseball beat Dakota Ridge 8-7.

  • Photos: Mullen baseball wins pitchers dual with Smoky Hill

    Henry Stewart threw seven shutout innings and struck out nine as Mullen baseball beat Smoky Hill 1-0 on Saturday.

  • Photos: No. 5 Mountain Vista baseball edges Castle View

    Blake Young drove in a pair of runs to help Class 5A Mountain Vista baseball get a 4-3 win over Castle View on Friday.

  • Photos: Crow goes yard as Fort Collins baseball beats No. 10 Rocky Mountain

    Teagen Crow went 2-for-3 with a home run to help Fort Collins baseball get a 3-2 win over Class 5A No. 10 Rocky Mountain.

  • Photos: Nagy helps No. 4 Valor Christian baseball overpower Bear Creek

    Deacon Nagy threw four shutout innings and stuck out five hitters as Class 5A No. 4 Valor Christian baseball beat Bear Creek 9-3.

  • Widefield and Palmer remember baseball coach Steve Collier

    (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

    COLORADO SPRINGS — Steve Collier would’ve loved the weather on May 27, 2021. It was perfect baseball weather.

    That was evidenced by Widefield and Palmer both having a little jump in their step as they took the field at the Widefield Community Center field, getting ready to play a Colorado Springs Metro South League game. They were also saying their own goodbye to Collier.

    The longtime area coach and his two sons, Josh and Mason, were tragically killed last October in an automobile accident on I-25. They were making the southward trip to Arlington, Texas to attend the World Series. They were a baseball family and they wanted to watch the pinnacle of baseball games of America.

    Their deaths sent shockwaves through the local baseball scene. Collier loved the game and more importantly, loved teaching kids how to play the game. If there is a better physical example of what a high school baseball coach is supposed be, it wouldn’t be easy to find.

    “When he left Palmer he called me and told me he thought I was perfect for the job,” Palmer coach David Mills said. “We talked about the program and doing things for kids. Coaching the right way. That’s what he was all about.”

    Collier left Palmer and eventually wound up as an assistant at Widefield. When the two teams met on Thursday, they knew they had to bond together and pay tribute to man who meant a lot to both programs. A man who meant a lot to Colorado Springs baseball and Colorado Springs kids.

    (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

    His wife, Becky, and his daughter, Emily, threw out the first pitches of the games and were honored his jersey prior to the start of the game. The loss of Collier and the boys will always be felt, but there was no hiding the pride and happiness that came with knowing just how much they were appreciated by the baseball community.

    “The loss was huge and my daughter and I deal with that every day,” Beck said. “But the celebrations are things that remind us that they were fantastic people.”

    And just like it has been through so many aspects of life, baseball has been a tool to help heal and push forward. Collier himself liked teaching life lessons through baseball. He thought it was an applicable way to teach kids about life and the proper way to go about it.

    “It’s always there,” Becky said. “There are a lot of life lessons to learned out here. Baseball is, as my husband would say, a thinking man’s game. There is a lot of downtime to do some thinking about different decisions that have been made in the game. You can always count on (the game). You can always count on your bat, ball and glove to be there and to be played with.”

    The Widefield players had to figure that out. For them, everything from March to October felt like an inning had completely broken down. After the cancellation of the 2020 season because of COVID-19, they were anxious for their next opportunity to get on the field.

    Then the accident happened and just made a bad year all that much worse. But they had to find a way to pick up the bat, ball and glove and play.

    “We had to remember to play together as a team,” senior Tyler Becker said. “Teamwork is what helps us stick together right now and he was the one always preaching that.”

    This group of kids will always have his words to live and play the game by. Together, they strapped on black bands with Collier’s initials on them and took the time to remember just how much he meant to them and high school baseball throughout the area.

    “They loved playing for him,” Widefield coach John Sanchez said. “I loved having him here. I had known him for nine years, we actually worked together. It’s a little more than just baseball.”

    But make no mistake, Collier loved baseball. He would’ve loved seeing Widefield, the last team he donned a uniform for, get a 6-3 win over Palmer. It was the first win of the season for the Gladiators.

    On the day they honored a coach that meant so much to both teams taking the field, the Gladiators could think of no better way to celebrate him.

    They played ball.

    (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

  • Dakota Ridge baseball hammers out 5A Jeffco win over rival Columbine

    LITTLETON — It kind of felt like a summer league baseball game Friday morning at Frank DeAngelis Field on the Columbine High School campus.

    “It is a little weird. I’m usually playing summer ball by now,” Dakota Ridge senior Reese Randell said of playing the morning game on a weekday. “It’s fun. I’m happy we are playing in warm weather that’s a good thing.”

    Columbine junior Zach Butler (10) slides into second base ahead of the tag by Dakota Ridge freshman Cade Collins on Friday morning at Frank DeAngelis Field. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    The rivalry game between Dakota Ridge (5-3, 3-0 in 5A Jeffco) and Columbine (5-5, 1-3) was actually a key Class 5A Jeffco League showdown in the middle of the conference schedule. The Eagles stayed undefeated in league play with a dominating 17-3 victory.

    “It is so weird. Everything is so weird. The scores everywhere are weird,” Dakota Ridge coach Jeff Legault said after the 14-run victory over Columbine. “It’s just a weird year. We are trying to keep the guys focused and our guys are doing a good job of that. They have bought in.”

    Dakota Ridge got an impressive start on the mound by junior Gavin Kaiser against the Rebels. Kaiser went five innings and gave just one unearned run to pick up his third victory this season.

    “I felt pretty good coming into it,” Kaiser said after giving up just two hits in five innings. “I was throwing my fastball pretty well.”

    Kaiser also got plenty of run support. Dakota Ridge senior Joey Cavallaro got things going with a lead-off single to start the game. He would eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by senior Logan Balfanz to get the scoring going.

    The Eagles added four more runs in the top of the second inning that started with a solo home run from senior Reese Randall.

    “He just hung me a slider and I put a good swing on it,” Randell said of his solo home run in the 4-run second inning for the Eagles. “It was a good swing and the ball went a long way.”

    Dakota Ridge’s 6 through 9 hitters were extremely productive scoring nine of the Eagles’ 17 runs.

    “It takes a lot of stress off me,” Kaiser said about the bottom half of the Eagles’ line-up producing during the 4-run second inning and 8-run seventh inning.

    Randell actually ended the scoring for Dakota Ridge. He ripped an RBI single in the top of the seventh inning to cap off the offensive production.

    Dakota Ridge junior Gavin Kaiser pitched a strong five innings giving up just two hits to pick up the win on the hill. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    “We’ve had our times when we’ve struggled,” Randell said about the backend of the Eagles’ line-up. “When 6 through 9 are hitting you are pretty much unbeatable. You need to have the bottom of your order hitting.”

    Seniors Bennett Gregory, Brock Hoos, Randell and sophomore Josh Ezell did an outstanding job at the back half of the line-up.

    “We are not a strong offensive team. We are more pitching and defense,” Legault said after the Eagles’ largest scoring output of the season. “To score that may runs … I was pleased with that.”

    Freshman Cade Collins had a big game in the No. 2 hole. Dakota Ridge’s starting second baseman went 3-for-4 from the plate with 4 RBIs. He also made an outstanding play in the field chasing down a fly ball for the second out in the bottom of the seventh inning.

    “He (Collins) is a special baseball player. He is really good and nothing fazes him,” Legault said of the freshman. “He is one of our best hitters and defenders. He is awesome.”

    While during a normal season the high school season would just be wrapping up, during this COVID school year the baseball season doesn’t end until the state championship games scheduled for Saturday, June 26.

    Dakota Ridge is scheduled for eight regular-season games between Saturday, May 29, and Friday, June 11. That’s eight games in 14 days. Legault believes his pitching staff, along with his team is up to the task.

    “We’ve good four good starters and we have the right amount of breaks. We’ll see,” Legault said. “We are just trying to squeeze our way into the playoffs. Trying to find a way to that top 24.”

    The top 24 teams in the RPI standings advance to regionals that are scheduled for Monday, June 14.

    “We need to win the games we should win,” Randell said. “We are going to face some really good pitchers. We’ll face someone who throws 90 mph against Chatfield. Against Valor we’ll face a good pitcher no matter who they throw. We just have to go out there and play our game.”

    Dakota Ridge is at No. 4-ranked Valor at 11 a.m. tomorrow (Saturday, May 29). The following Saturday (June 5) the Eagles host No. 1 Chatfield.

    Dakota Ridge senior Reese Randell (13) is greeted at home plate by fellow senior Bennett Gregory after Randell’s solo home run in the second inning against rival Columbine. The Eagles cranked out 16 hits in their 17-3 road victory to stay undefeated in 5A Jeffco League play. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

  • Photos: Mullen baseball bashes its way to a win over Grandview

    Owen Marsh went 2-for-2 and drove in a pair of runs to help Mullen baseball get a 13-8 win over Grandview on Wednesday.