Ryan Burr, a 2012 graduate of Highlands Ranch, became the first local player selected in this year’s MLB Draft on Tuesday.
Burr, now a junior standout at Arizona State, was taken by the Arizona Diamondbacks with the first pick in the fifth round on Tuesday.
“Couldn’t be happier!” Burr tweeted on Tuesday. “I am going to be a @Dbacks !!! Can’t wait to get after it!”
He led five locals who were selected on Tuesday, the second day of the draft. Joining him were Highlands Ranch shortstop Nick Shumpert (seventh round), Legend outfield Greg Pickett (eighth round), Cheyenne Mountain alum Bret Helton (ninth round) and Rocky Mountain outfielder Cole Anderson (tenth round).
Former Highlands Ranch star Ryan Burr, pictured during his senior season in 2012. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
At ASU, Burr developed into a shutdown closer, and set the school record with 38 saves. It was a record that had stood since 1967.
He was a first-team all-Pac-12 pick this season after going 8-2 with 14 saves to go along with a 2.91 ERA in 46 1/3 innings. He struck out 74 batters to just 25 walks, thanks in large part to a fastball which hits 97 mph, according to a scouting report on MLB.com.
Burr was also selected out of high school, going in the 33rd round to the Texas Rangers. He opted not to sign then, and moved on to Arizona State.
The first local 2015 graduate to go in this year’s draft was another Highlands Ranch product: Shumpert, a 6-foot, 180-pound shortstop, was picked by the Detroit Tigers in the seventh round, No. 220 overall.
Shumpert, who is committed to Kentucky, is the son of former big-leaguer Terry Shumpert, who spent 14 seasons in the MLB, including 1998-2002 with the Colorado Rockies.
During his senior season this spring, Shumpert hit .600 with five home runs and 14 RBIs. He also stole 33 bases. In addition, he drew 20 walks for an eye-popping .722 on-base percentage.
Shumpert led Class 5A in batting average, steals and on-base percentage in 2015.
“I want to thank the @tigers for giving me the opportunity to start my professional career,” Shumpert tweeted on Tuesday.
A round after Shumpert, Legend’s Pickett went No. 234 overall to the Philadelphia Phillies.
Pickett, a 6-foot-4, 215-pound outfield who is committed to Mississippi State, hit .420 with six home runs and 22 RBIs this spring.
Pickett is the first player from Legend — which was established in 2008 — to be selected in the MLB Draft.
Helton, the Cheyenne Mountain alum, was picked by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the ninth round. He was taken No. 277 overall.
Now a junior at Utah, Helton was 2-8 with a 5.72 ERA in 61 1/3 innings this season.
In the tenth round, the Colorado Rockies picked Anderson, the outfielder from Rocky Mountain. He was the No. 287 pick in the draft.
Anderson batted .405 with 25 RBIs this season, and led 5A with seven home runs. He also stole six bases.
The MLB Draft started on Monday, but there were no local selections in the first 75 picks — which spanned the first round, compensation round, both competitive balance rounds, and the second round.
It actually marked the first time since 2011 that no Colorado products were selected in the first round. Last season, Thomas Jefferson alum Kyle Freeland went No. 8 overall.
The draft’s third-through-tenth rounds are Tuesday, and rounds 11-40 are Wednesday.
Last season, 23 players who played high school baseball in Colorado were selected in the MLB Draft, including 12 who graduated in 2014.
AURORA — Warren Mitchell, a coaching icon in Limon for 56 years, passed away Friday at his home in Aurora last season. He was 88.
Mitchell coached for nearly 60 years at two high schools and was the architect of one of the state’s top track & field programs. His Limon track athletes won 73 individual or relay state champions and set 15 individual state records.
He also coached boys’ basketball for 25 years at Eads and Limon, compiling a 399-162 mark that include four state titles, all with Limon.
In addition, he coached the legendary Limon football program for nine seasons, going 64-35 and winning the 1979 state championship.
Prior to coming to Limon, Mitchell also taught and coached at Eads High School for two and a half years, making his tenure as a high school coach a remarkable 59 1/2 years. Over that time, he coached 17 state championship squads in three different sports.
He was inducted into the Colorado High School Activities Association Hall of Fame in 2001, followed by the National High School Hall of Fame in 2008 and will be inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in April 2015.
Love Funeral Home will be handling the services which will be in Limon.
Chauncey Billups is retiring from the NBA after 17 seasons. (Kevin Keyser/KeyserImages.com)
Chauncey Billups, the 1995 George Washington graduate who went on to play 17 seasons in the NBA, announced his retirement on Tuesday night in an interview with Yahoo Sports.
“It’s just time. I’m happy, excited,” he told Yahoo Sports. “The game was very, very good to me. I felt like I was equally as good to the game the way I played it and the way I respected it and the way I carried myself through the process.”
At GW, Billups became a transcendent star for the state. He averaged 23.8 points per game in his high school career and led the Patriots to two 6A championships, in 1993 and 1994. He was a four-time player of the year, and a McDonald’s All-American.
During his induction to the National Hall of Fame, he talked about the great impact high school sports had on his life.
Chauncey Billups with CHSAA commissioner Paul Angelico. (Randy Orr/NFHS)
“You never know how long those relationships will ever last, and you find out once you get older that the relationships are for a lifetime,” Billups said then. “No matter how my career or any of my other ex-teammates’ careers go, or went, or where their lives take them, we always have that time of our lives in common.
“It was just so pure at that time. It was just a beautiful time, and I will always remember that.”
He remains an icon, and an ambassador for high school sports in this state. And not just for basketball. His work in the community is widely known.
“Not a lot of guys made it in basketball from this state,” Billups said in 2013. “So I carry that chip on my shoulder everywhere I go and everywhere I play, no matter what team or what the letters on the front of the jersey say, I always just carry that pride with me — knowing that I probably wasn’t supposed to be here.”
Graduating from George Washington. (Courtesy photo)
After graduating from George, Billups played at Colorado where he was a second-team All-American in 1997. His No. 4 is retired by the Buffs.
He was then the third overall pick in the 1997 NBA draft.
Billups led Detroit to the 2004 NBA championship, where he was named Finals MVP. He was also a five-time all-star, and won the league’s Sportsmanship (2009) and J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship awards (2008).
In his 17 seasons, he played with Boston, Toronto, Denver (twice), Minnesota, Detroit (twice), New York and the Los Angeles Clippers.
He averaged 15.2 points, 5.4 assists and 2.9 rebounds in 1,043 NBA games.
Last year’s event featured 13 volunteer coaches who had either college or NFL experience. (Courtesy of the Ekhoff family)
It’s an event to honor his memory, but the Nate Ekhoff Kicking Camp also aims to help local kickers, punters and long snappers.
The camp honors former Ponderosa kicker Nate Ekhoff, who was diagnosed with leukemia just after his senior season in 2011. He died from complications of the disease less than a year after that.
Last summer, Nate’s family started the Nate Ekhoff Kicking Camp. It featured 13 current and former college/NFL kickers, punters and long snappers as volunteer coaches. Thirty Colorado high school players took part. Ultimately, the camp provided $4,000 in college scholarships to four Colorado athletes who went on to play at the Division II level.
(Courtesy of the Ekhoff family)
“Our family is very excited to help them out a little,” Marshall Ekhoff, Nate’s dad, wrote in an email.
This year’s event is Saturday at Sports Authority Stadium in Parker from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Registration is $125 and includes lunch and a t-shirt.
Coaches include former Northglenn and Colorado State punter/kicker Jimmie Kaylor; former Mullen and CSU long-snapper John Treacy; former Arvada West and CSU punter/kicker (and current A-West baseball coach) Matt McDougal; former Oregon State and NFL punter/kicker Sam Paulescu; former Arapahoe and CSU kicker Jason Smith; and former Nebraska punter/kicker Dan Wingard.
In addition, there will be a concurrent tailgate party from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. in the parking lot at Sports Authority Stadium. Admission is free. The tailgate will feature games, music, grilled food and there will also be a silent auction and drawings.
Donations will be accepted, as well, on behalf of the Nate Ekhoff Kicking Scholarship Fund.
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Local short stuff
John Hickey will be the new football coach at Flager. He has more than 25 years of coaching experience, most of it in DPS. He was Denver South’s interim coach in 2006, and has also headed Stratton. His stops as an assistant include Denver North, Denver East, Denver South and Alameda. His son, Johnny Hickey — who played at Broomfield — will serve as defensive coordinator.
North Park hired Chad Carlstrom as its football coach.
Cherry Creek hockey announced it has hired Brent Tollar as an assistant coach. Tollar was Steamboat Springs’ head coach last season as the Sailors went 10-7-1.
Denver East graduate Chyna Ries will head to the University of Texas instead of USC. “Initially I verbally committed to USC but was unable to get in,” Ries told co.milesplit.com. “Texas was one of my favorites as well but I had some additional work I needed to do to get in there. This was a long process and I want to reinforce to others to take your academics serious day one.” Ries won the long jump, was second in the 200 meters and third in the 100 at the Class 5A state track and field meet this past spring.
Fossil Ridge boys lacrosse’s Jake Frane committed to Notre Dame. He will be a sophomore this coming season.
Big news in the administrative realm: Russ McKinstry, the very successful boys basketball coach, has taken over as the athletic director at Monarch. Said McKinstry, to BoCoPreps.com: “There are high standards and expectations, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
The Colorado Athletic Directors Association has a new twitter account: @CoAD_Assn.
Doherty boys basketball coach James Lane resigned in late June. He was there for three seasons, and went 16-8 last spring as the Spartans made 5A’s second round.
Dakota Ridge teammates Gillian Vance and Sydney Merchant, Regis Jesuit’s Jaclyn Murray, Jefferson Academy’s Jennifer Kupcho and Silver Creek’s Erin Sargent (who plays for Skyline) all qualified for the U.S. Girls Junior Golf Championship, set to be held July 21-26 in Flagstaff, Arizona. Denver East’s Sarah Hunt is an alternate.
Kyle Freeland, the Thomas Jefferson product who went No. 8 overall to the Rockies in this summer’s MLB Draft, made his pro debut on Wednesday night. He pitched just two innings, but didn’t allow a run and struck out two against three hits. He also topped out at 96 mph. “When I got done with that second (inning), I just felt like I was getting in my groove,” Freeland told the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, “but they said, ‘We’re done after two. You threw 17 pitches, your two innings are up, we’ll just prepare for the next start.’”
In mid-June, Mead’s baseball and softball fields were vandalized by “unidentified youths” who sliced up the Mavs’ windscreen with a knife. The damage was estimated to be roughly $5,000.
Genoa-Hugo and Karval will co-op once again in 2014-15 in volleyball, football, boys and girls basketball, as well as baseball.
One school district in South Carolina has voted to prohibit parents from coaching their own kids at the varsity and junior varsity levels. According to The Post and Courier, a newspaper which covers the district, that extends to volunteer coaches, as well. There is a waiver, however, which would allow a parent to coach their kid if they are “determined to be vital to the existence of the program.”
Ohio is revamping its classification system. Some are hailing the change as a solution to competitive balance, though it only affects football, volleyball, soccer, basketball, baseball and softball. Essentially, enrollment numbers are being adjusted based upon if a student’s parents reside in the attendance zone or not, and if the student has been in the same district since seventh grade. Here are more details from theSuburbanite.com.
There’s an interesting transfer case brewing in Pennsylvania. It revolves around a Philadelphia-area football player.
Marco Gonzales, a 2010 graduate of Rocky Mountain, made his Major League debut for the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday — against the hometown Colorado Rockies, no less.
He allowed five earned runs on seven hits and two walks, and struck out three in five innings of work at Coors Field. True to his history as a talented two-way player, Gonzales also doubled to left-center field in his first major league at-bat and later scored.
Coors Field. (Dennis Pleuss)
Gonzales ultimately got a no-decision, but the Cardinals came back to beat the Rockies with a late rally, 9-6.
Gonzales was the winning pitcher in each of Rocky Mountain’s baseball championships from 2007-10, and remains the only high school player in Colorado history to do so.
He went on to star for Gonzaga as a left-handed pitcher and outfield/infielder. As a junior, he won the John Olerud Award award — given annually to the best two-way player in college baseball.
Gonzales was then selected by the Cardinals in the first round of the 2013 draft at No. 19 overall.
He made meteoric rise through the Cardinals’ farm system. After playing at the organization’s Rookie and High-A affiliates last season, he began 2014 at High-A, and then made seven starts for Double-A Springfield. Then, the 22-year-old Gonzales was called up on Wednesday.
Wednesday, he cruised through the first three innings — in fact, he didn’t allow a hit — but then surrendered all five earned runs in the fourth.
“It was a blast,” Gonzales told the Fort Collins Coloradoan afterward. “I had people flying in from everywhere and I’m very grateful for it. I’ve seen my fair share of games and I’ve played here a few times, so coming here and having family here was a blast.”
Gonzales is the first Colorado product to make their Major League debut this season, and the most recent since Grandview grad Kevin Gausman debuted for Baltimore in May 2013.
“(Gonzales) was really good, all things considered,” Cardinals manager Mike Matheny told MLB.com after the game. “First opportunity here in the situation we put him in, it was an incredible test. Hopefully he answered a lot of questions for himself about himself.”
Gonzales’ father, Frank, played baseball at La Junta, and later coached at Fort Collins. He’s now the pitching coach for the Tri-City Dust Devils, the Rockies’ short-season Class A affiliate in Washington.
Chaparral’s Keenan Eaton was among locals selected in the 2014 MLB Draft. (Kevin Keyser/KeyserImages.com)
A slew of local products, including a host of 2014 graduates, were selected on the third and final day of the MLB Draft on Saturday.
Eighteen former Colorado high school baseball players were taken, bringing the total number of local products who were drafted this year to 23. Of those 23, 12 just completed their senior season this spring.
True to Colorado’s history, 14 of the draftees are pitchers.
Saturday was a good day for 2014 graduates. Ten of them went:
Ralston Valley’s Jordan Holloway
Grand Junction’s Owen Taylor
Rocky Mountain’s Carl Stajduhar
Regis Jesuit’s David Peterson
Pueblo South’s Cory Voss
Mountain Vista’s Nick Leonard
ThunderRidge’s Brody Westmoreland
Fairview’s Ryan Kokora
Legacy’s Lucas Gilbreath
Chaparral’s Keenan Eaton
In addition, eight more alumni were selected out of college on Saturday. Those are:
Saturday, Henry was the first local off the board. He went in the 17th round to the Kansas City Royals at No. 513 overall.
A 6-foot-4, 205-pound left-handed pitcher, Henry was picked out of Bellevue (Neb.) University, where he just finished his junior season. He graduated from Thomas Jefferson in 2010, then went on to play two seasons at Northeastern Junior College in Sterling.
Henry just finished his junior season at Bellevue, an NAIA school, where he was 9-2 with a 3.59 ERA in 77 2/3 innings pitched. He struck out 101 against 51 walks.
Ralston Valley’s Jordan Holloway was a 17th-round pick in the MLB Draft on Saturday. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)
Holloway was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 20th round, becoming just the third local 2014 graduate taken in this draft. He went with the No. 587 overall pick.
At 6-foot-4, 190 pounds, Holloway is a sizeable right-handed pitcher. He was 6-1 with a 2.60 ERA in 43 innings during his season year at Ralston Valley, and struck out 50 batters, while walking 26.
But Holloway also played third base for the Mustangs, and made plenty of noise with his bat. He hit .419 with five home runs and 25 RBIs. Included was a three-homer, nine-RBI game against Standley Lake on April 19.
Holloway is a Nebraska-Omaha recruit.
Glanz, a 2010 graduate of Arvada West, was the third Colorado product taken by the Rockies this year when he went to the local club in the 23rd round with the No. 683 overall pick.
A 6-foot-2, 205-pound right-handed pitcher, Glanz played two seasons at Seward (Kan.) Community College before heading to Oral Roberts. As a junior this year, Glanz was 3-5 with a 3.27 ERA and 50 strikeouts to 30 walks.
Glanz’s father, Scott, was also drafted, going to the Angels in the 13th round in 1982.
Later in the 23rd round, the Atlanta Braves took 2010 Rock Canyon graduate Tanner Krietemeier, a first baseman.
Krietemeier spent his freshman season at Nebraska, then moved to Iowa Western CC as a sophomore. He transferred to Oklahoma State as a junior, and just completed his senior season there.
This season, Krietemeier hit .275 with 10 home runs and 52 RBIs.
As the draft hit the 27th and 28th rounds, six further Colorado products went in quick succession. The group was selected over a span of 50 picks.
Taylor, a 2014 Grand Junction grad, went to the Toronto Blue Jays in the 27th round, No. 804 overall. He’s a 6-foot-2, 200-pound first baseman, and is a Kansas recruit. Taylor hit .266 with 15 RBIs this season.
Robertson graduated from Montrose in 2011, and also played basketball for the Indians. He was a 27th round pick of the Arizona Diamondbacks, and went No. 810 overall.
A 6-foot-3, 210-pound junior shortstop, Robertson hit .356 with six home runs and 48 RBIs this season as the Mavericks made the Division II final. He also stole 25 bases on 28 attempts.
Amedee is a 2011 alum of Rocky Mountain, and was part of multiple championships with the Lobos. The Pittsburgh Pirates drafted him in the 27th round, as well, at No. 821 overall.
After graduating, Amedee went to Northern Colorado, Central Arizona Community College and spent last season, his junior year, at Texas-Arlington. A right-handed pitcher who stands 6-foot-2, 205 pounds, he was 1-4 with a 6.52 ERA in 48 1/3 innings as a junior.
Rocky Mountain’s Carl Stajduhar went in the 27th round. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
Stajduhar went two picks after Amedee at No. 823 overall, becoming a 27th-round pick of the Braves. A 2014 graduate, he led Rocky Mountain to the Class 5A championship this spring, capping a brilliant career.
As a senior, Stajduhar hit .489 and led the state with 13 home runs and 51 RBIs. He is a New Mexico recruit.
Piche went to the Los Angeles Angeles in the 28th round, No. 854 overall. He’s a 6-foot-1, 180-pound right-handed pitcher who graduated from Resurrection Christian in 2010 and is now at Kansas.
Prior to becoming a Jayhawk, Piche spent two seasons at Indian Hills CC in Iowa — which is where Fountain-Fort Carson graduate Nick Green was drafted out of in the seventh round Friday.
As a senior this past season, Piche went 6-5 with a 4.59 ERA in 82 1/3 innings. He had 69 strikeouts to 29 walks.
Next off the board was Regis Jesuit pitcher David Peterson, a 6-foot-6, 215-pound lefty who fractured his right fibula prior to the season. Peterson, a 2014 grad, went in the 28th round to the Boston Red Sox, No. 854 overall.
Peterson battled back from the injury to return to the Raiders in mid-April and finished with a 1.15 ERA in 24 1/3 innings. He held opponents to a .180 batting average. Despite the shortened season, he was 3-0 and had 40 strikeouts to 12 walks.
Peterson is an Oregon recruit.
“I want to thank the Red Sox for drafting me,” Peterson tweeted Saturday. “It is such an honor to be picked by one of the best organizations there is.”
Tharp, meanwhile, went to the New York Mets in the 30th round, No. 895 overall. He was also a football star for Fairview before graduating in 2010.
A 5-foot-10, 195-pound outfielder, Tharp hit .310 with six home runs and 39 RBIs as a senior at Kansas this season. He also stole 11 of the 15 bases he attempted to.
Voss became the fourth local picked by the Rockies this draft when they took him in the 34th round, No. 1013 overall. A 5-foot-10, 190-pound catcher, he hit. 469 with four home runs and 22 RBIs this past season.
Like Stajduhar, Voss is a New Mexico recruit.
“Thanks to the Rockies for drafting me!” Voss tweeted on Saturday. “Huge honor to be selected by such a great organization! Thanks to everyone for the support!”
Leonard, Mountain Vista’s right-handed pitcher, was next, going to the Braves later in the 34th round, at No. 1033 overall.
Leonard graduated this spring, is a Washington State recruit and was flat out dominant this season. Listed at 6-foot-2, 185 pounds, he went 8-3 with a microscopic 0.88 ERA in 80 innings this season. He had 105 strikeouts to 16 walks.
ThunderRidge shortstop Brody Westmoreland was drafted by the Rockies in the 35th round. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
ThunderRidge’s Westmoreland, a 2014 grad, then went in the 35th round to the Rockies, becoming the fifth local selected by the team. A San Diego State recruit, he hit .420 with seven home runs and 40 RBIs this season, and also stole 12 bases.
Westmoreland is listed as 6-foot-3, 185 pounds — and despite speculation to the contrary, he has not been approached about moving to a corner infield spot and will stay at shortstop at San Diego State, or as a professional should he sign. In fact, he’s been told by scouts that he’s a prototypical shortstop.
“Thank you Rockies for drafting me today!” Westmoreland tweeted. “Want to thank everyone for all the support and looking forward to playing at San Diego State!”
Fairview’s Kokora, a 6-foot-4, 180-pound right-handed pitcher who graduated this spring, was the fourth Colorado product selected by the Braves on Saturday. He went in the 35th round, No. 1063 overall.
A Hawaii Pacific recruit, Kokora went 9-0 with a 1.38 ERA this season. He held batters to a .166 average, and struck out 65 to 15 walks in helping the Knights to the 5A Final 8.
Gilbreath, a 6-foot-1, 185-pound left-handed pitcher from Legacy, was the Rockies’ sixth and final local selection when he went in the 36th round, No. 1073 overall.
Gilbreath graduated this spring and is a Minnesota recruit. He went 6-2 with a 1.45 ERA this season. Gilbreath had 111 strikeouts, which led 5A, to just 22 walks.
Ghidotti just finished his senior season at Ouachita Baptist, a Division II school in Arkansas. He graduated from Ponderosa in 2010.
A 6-foot-2, 210-pound right-handed pitcher, Ghidotti was 0-1 with eight saves and a 2.06 ERA in 35 innings this past season.
Chaparral’s Eaton, who graduated this spring, was the final local product selected in this year’s draft. He went in the 39th round, No. 1162 overall, to the Philadelphia Phillies.
Eaton, who is a Wichita State recruit, was drafted as a 6-foot, 195-pound left fielder. He hit .328 with with a home run and 13 RBIs this season.
In a span of two picks, two more Colorado products were selected in the 2014 MLB Draft on Friday. As the day rolled on, the local draftees added up.
Evergreen’s Brock Burke became the first local high school senior to be selected this year when he was taken by Tampa Bay Rays in the third round, No. 96 overall. Then, two picks later, 2011 Golden graduate John Richy went to the Los Angeles Dodgers at No. 98 overall out of UNLV.
Regis Jesuit’s Max George was picked by the Rockies in the sixth round Friday. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
Regis Jesuit shortstop Max George was the Rockies’ sixth-round pick, No. 173 overall.
And in the seventh round, 2013 Fountain-Fort Carson graduate Nick Green was picked by the Texas Rangers out of Indian Hills Community College in Iowa. He was the No. 216 overall pick.
Burke, a 6-foot-2, 170-pound left-handed pitcher who graduated this spring, was 5-1 with a 1.05 ERA for the Class 4A Cougars. He struck out 79 in 40 innings pitched, against 29 walks.
“It’s really awesome thinking I’m the top prospect in Colorado,” Burke told 9News on Friday. “For the Rays to think that highly of me is awesome.”
Burke, an Oregon recruit, allowed just six earned runs and 11 hits in his eight outings — which included a no-hitter against Westminster on March 19 in which he struck out 15.
Burke is only the second Evergreen alum to be taken in the draft, according to baseball-reference.com. Kevin Kouzmanoff went in the sixth round in 2003 out of UNLV, and has since played for the Padres, A’s, Rockies and Rangers.
Richy just completed his junior season at UNLV. A 6-foot-4, 210-pound right-handed pitcher, he was 11-4 with a 3.20 ERA in 121 innings over 16 starts. He struck out 113 against 24 walks.
At Golden, Richy lettered in golf, as well. He is the sixth player from Golden to be drafted.
George, the state’s Gatorade player of the year, is the 12th Regis Jesuit product to be drafted, and sixth since 2011.
A 5-foot-9, 180-pound shortstop, George hit .458 with three home runs and 24 RBIs this season. He is an Oregon State recruit.
Green, a right-handed pitcher, just completed his freshman season at Indian Hills CC, and was 3-1 with a 2.97 ERA in 36 1/3 innings. That includes a no-hitter against Marshalltown (Iowa) CC on May 4.
Green is listed at 6-foot-1, 175 pounds, and was taken by the Yankees in the 35th round of last season’s draft but opted not to sign. He is Fountain-Fort Carson’s second draftee after Chase Headley, now of the Padres. Headley was a second-round pick out of Tennessee in 2005.
The draft’s first, second and compensation rounds were Thursday. Rounds 3-10 are Friday, with rounds 11-40 on Saturday.
Former Thomas Jefferson pitcher Kyle Freeland, now playing at the University of Evansville. (Courtesy UE Athletics)
How fitting. Kyle Freeland, a 2011 graduate of Thomas Jefferson, was selected by the hometown Colorado Rockies in the first round of the MLB Draft on Thursday.
The Rockies took Freeland, now a junior at the University of Evansville in Indiana, with their No. 8 overall pick. He is the tenth Colorado product taken in the draft’s top-10 — and the third from Thomas Jefferson.
“Beyond blessed to now be part of the Rockies organization!” Freeland wrote on Twitter on Thursday night. “Thank you for the opportunity! #hometownkid”
Freeland, a 6-foot-3, 170-pound left-handed pitcher went 10-2 with a 1.90 ERA in 99.2 innings this season. He struck out 128 against just 13 walks, and didn’t allow a home run. According to an MLB.com scouting report, he has a fastball in the low-90s and a “plus” slider.
Freeland was 8-2 with a 1.39 ERA as a senior at TJ. He was also a four-year letter-winner in golf. After he graduated, he was picked by the Phillies in the 35th round of that year’s draft. But Freeland didn’t sign out of high school, and instead decided to head to Evansville — where his stock has since skyrocketed.
Thursday, he became the third Spartan to go in the draft’s top 10.
TJ alum John Stearns, a catcher who graduated in 1969, was taken No. 2 overall by Philadelphia in the 1973 draft out of the University of Colorado, back when the Buffs had a baseball program. And former Spartans pitcher Tyler Green, a 1988 grad, was the No. 10 pick by Philadelphia in 1991 out of Wichita State.
Colorado’s other top-10 MLB Draft picks are:
Rampart alum Jeff King, a third and first baseman (No. 1 overall in the 1986 draft out of Arkansas)
Former Fowler pitcher Luke Hochevar (No. 1 overall in the 2006 draft out of Tennessee)
Northglenn’s Kyle Sleeth, a pitcher (No. 3 overall out of Wake Forest in 2003)
Grandview alum Kevin Gausman, a pitcher (No. 4 overall out of LSU in 2012)
Cherry Creek alum John Burke, pitcher (No. 6 overall out of Florida in 1991)
Columbine alum Darrel Akerfelds, pitcher (No. 7 overall in 1983 out of what was then Mesa State)
Cherry Creek’s Matt Brunson, a middle infielder (No. 9 overall straight out of high school in 1993)
Other high picks who went to high school in Colorado include:
Lamar’s Doug Brocail, a pitcher, at No. 12 overall in 1976 out of Lamar Community College.
Cherry Creek product Brad Lidge, a pitcher, went No. 17 overall in the 1998 draft out of Notre Dame.
Arvada West product Roy Halladay, a pitcher, was also the No. 17 overall pick. His selection came in 1995, straight out of A-West.
Former Bear Creek pitcher Dennis Rasmussen, also at No. 17 overall, in 1980 out of Creighton.
Rocky Mountain’s Marco Gonzales, a pitcher, went No. 19 overall in 2013 out of Gonzaga.
The draft features the first, second and compensation rounds on Thursday. Rounds 3-10 are Friday, and rounds 11-40 are Saturday. A number of other local products figure to be selected.
Jeffco School District inducted its Class of 2014 at its 29th annual Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony Wednesday, June 4, at Mount Vernon Country Club. The three new inductees, pictured left to right, were Ed Stevens, Don Osse (widow Marie Osse pictured) and John Musciano. (Dennis Pleuss)
GOLDEN — The Jeffco School District held its 29th annual Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony Wednesday.
The Class of 2014 includes longtime principal John Musciano and coaching legends Ed Stevens and Don Osse. Jeffco has inducted 88 members into its Athletic Hall of Fame since the hall’s inception in 1986.
John Musciano
Musciano’s nearly 30-year career in Jeffco started at Bear Creek High School as a teacher along with coaching basketball and baseball. He later became the principal at Bear Creek before moving on to being the principal at Pomona High School and later Standley Lake High School.
“We always talked about the importance of athletics,” Musciano said. “Extracurricular activities are the glue to complete the academic experience.”
Ed Stevens
Stevens was a graduate of Arvada High School in 1970. He began his teaching and coaching career at Alameda High School in the mid-1970. His major coaching success came in the 1990s at Wheat Ridge High School. Stevens coached the Farmers to state football titles in 1994 and 1996, along with guiding the baseball team to a state championship in 1992.
“His influence over his players was remarkable to watch,” said Tom Dowd, former assistant football coach under Stevens. “What I learned from Ed was the love and loyalty his players had for him.”
Don Osse
Osse is credited for the tremendous growth in track and field in Jeffco during the 1970s and 1980s. He began the first organized Jeffco track club in 1972. He was a teacher, track coach and cross country coach at Lakewood High School for nearly 20 years. Osse passed away of brain cancer in 1985, but influenced many future Jeffco teachers and coaches.
“He was more than a track coach,” said Bill Wright, current track coach at Lakewood High School who was a student and assistant coach under Osse. “He was a philosopher. A teacher.”
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Jeffco Athletic Hall of Fame Members
1986 (Charter)
Darrel Hafling
Tom Hancock
Vernon Heaston
Bill Lewis
Mel Schwartz
1987
Hugh Bradley
Joyce Davisson
Tom Nicholls
Paul Phillips
1988
Harvey Moore
Dean Pilcher
Don Solem
1989
Irv Brown
Paul Davis
Stan Pivic
1990
Angelo Bruno
Leslie Sabey
Bill White
1991
Red Coats
Bill Nicholas
Don Pyle
1992
Alice Barron
Ken Larson
Bob Meisner
1993
Pat Druggan
Max Osborn
Mike Pappas
1994
Fred Bradley
William Doig
Lou Rillos
1995
Robert McKendry
1996
Bob Brown
Lo Hunter
Joe Romig
1997
Vince Greco
1998
George Colbert
Don Cooper
Frank Palmeri
1999
John Hoskins
Brian McGregor
Mike Winant
2000
Jayne Gibson-McHugh
Al Morris
Dennis Shepherd
2001
Sheila Hasenkamp
Mary Kvamme
Gary Goings
2002
Rob Binford
Bob Ottewill
2003
Dennis Eckley
John Groninger
Don Shaw
2004
Tanya Haave
Dennis Hastings
2005
Byron (By) Hanson
Gary Klatt
Colleen Stradley
2006
Tom Beeson
Betty Krueger
2007
Freddie Joe Steinmark
2008
Laura Haase
Ed Kintz
Dr. H.H. Maruyama
Bob Stokes
2009
Christine Bullard
Carl Churches
George Heath
Dave Logan
Sherm Pruitt
2010
Kevin Land
Duane Lewis
2011
Sara Anundsen
Amy McDonnell
Rebekah McDowell
Gary Osse
2012
Ray Baker
Mark LaGrone
John “Jack” Ponis
Marilyn Wilcox
2013
Wendy Braye Davies
Jerry Madden
C. Thomas McCormick
John McGuire
Brian Schneider
G. Stanley Ward
Missy Franklin, the 2013 graduate of Regis Jesuit, won the ESPY Award for Best Female Olympian in mid-July.
Franklin won four gold medals and a bronze at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London — her first. She beat out other nominees Aly Raisman and Gabby Douglas, both gymnasts, for the award.
During the winter CHSAA season, Franklin won the 200 individual medley and 500 freestyle, and also helped Regis to relay wins in the 4×200 and 4×400.
She holds individual Colorado state records in the 50 (22.41), 100 (48.45), 200 (1:43.15) and 500 (4:41.72) freestyle races; the 200 individual medley (1:56.85), the 100 backstroke (52.30); and was part of a record in the 4×400 (3:22.42).
Franklin has signed with Cal and will enroll there this fall.
