The 2014 all-state girls soccer 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 coaches, and then a vote of coaches.
Players of the year were also selected by a vote of the coaches.
The 2014 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 coaches, and then a vote of coaches.
Players of the year were also selected by a vote of the coaches.
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.
Raccoon Creek Golf Club, the site of the two-day, 36-hole tournament, is Columbine’s home course.
Tait has even more of an advantage. Her father, Pat, is the club’s head pro. She even works at the course. And, as expected, she plays a lot of rounds there.
Her round on Monday of 3-over-par 75 put her in a tie for first place with Grandview’s Morgan Sahm.
“It’s a total different feeling than coming out with my friends,” Tait admitted of playing with a state title on the line.
In actuality, “The scores were higher coming in than I expected,” she said.
(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Denver East’s Sarah Hunt held the lead at the mid-point at 2-under and made the turn at even par. She lost four strokes on the final three holes to finish at 4-over 76.
Still, “This has been my best day,” Hunt said of her best round of the season. At one behind the leaders, she’ll be in the lead threesome on Tuesday.
Tait at one point was one over. She was hoping to finish at least in the top six, which would put her in the top two groups heading into Tuesday. She thought she might have lost that chance when she double-bogeyed 17.
At 3-over, “I didn’t putt as well as I had liked,” she said.
With rain and snow on the course within the previous week, it was softer than she was used to. In addition, she normally plays Raccoon Creek from the blue or black tees. The tournament is being played from the white tees and she had to club down on many tee shots.
Tait has qualified for the state tournament in each of her four years. Her best finish was 13th as a sophomore. Last year she won the regional tournament but did not play well at state, something she is hoping to rectify this year.
Course conditions might differ in the afternoon, when she plays half her round.
“As far as how the course changes, that should be all right,” she said.
It’s packed at the top in the battle for the team title.
Legacy, Regis Jesuit and Rock Canyon are all tied for first place at 29-over. Legacy is the only one of the three with just three golfers competing, so all three count toward the team score.
Hunt’s score helped Denver East stay close to the leaders; the Angels are in fourth at 250, six strokes ahead of Arapahoe.
Defending champion Calli Ringsby of Cherry Creek ended her first round at 6-over, as did Arapahoe’s Hannah Wood, an expected challenger for the title. The two played in the same group Monday. Dakota Ridge’s Sydney Merchant, another challenger, is 5-over.
Chaparral sophomore Addison Kaasch, second from the right, is greeted by teammates Paul Green, Andrew Thomas, Keenan Eaton and Gage Gerken after Kaasch’s grand slam home run Saturday afternoon at Paul DeAngelis Field at Columbine High School. The Wolverines took a 12-3 victory to advance to the state tournament next week. (Dennis Pleuss)
LITTLETON — Chaparral rode a wave of momentum Saturday to win the Class 5A District 3 baseball title and a berth into the eight-team double-elimination state tournament next week.
Behind a remarkable outing on the mound by senior Brad Brown, the fifth-place team out of the tough Continental League shocked Columbine with a 12-3 victory on the Rebels’ home field.
“This season has been up-and-down and all around,” Chaparral coach Tony Persichina said. “We just battled back. It’s a testament to those guys. They are phenomenal kids.”
Chaparral sophomore Addison Kaasch forces out Columbine junior Michael Tait (23) and throws on to first to get out Columbine senior Donny Ortiz on a double play in the first inning Saturday. (Dennis Pleuss)
The Wolverines dug themselves a 6-0 hole in the district semifinal at Frank DeAngelis Field at Columbine High School against Prairie View. Chaparral (13-8) battled back for an 11-8 victory to advance to the district title game against Columbine (19-2).
“I knew my guys would pull it out,” Brown said about his team’s comeback against Prairie View. “We’ve done what we’ve needed to do all year long to get to where we are at now.”
Chaparral started off against the Rebels right where it left off. The Wolverines put up four runs in the top of the second inning and added another pair in the fourth inning to take a 6-0 lead.
Sophomore Addison Kaasch started the damage with an RBI double in the second inning off Columbine pitcher Isaish Montoya. A pair of Rebel errors, along with RBI singles by Spencer Olwell and Paul Green gave the Wolverines a quick 4-0 advantage.
Columbine senior Austin Anderson reacts after striking out in the fourth inning Saturday. Anderson did have an RBI double and RBI single in the final two innings, but it wasn’t enough as the Rebels lost the Class 5A District 3 championship game 12-3 to Chaparral. (Dennis Pleuss)
“I wasn’t surprised how our team hit today,” Kaasch said of Chaparral’s 12 runs against the Rebels, a team that hadn’t given up double-digit runs in a game all season. “We had a good game today.”
Kaasch put the exclamation point on for Chaparral with a grand slam home run in a six-run top of the seventh inning for the Wolverines.
“Chaparral got the upper-hand with some early runs,” Columbine coach Chuck Gillan said. “We just couldn’t figure it out. We are a momentum-type team. Usually if we start hitting everyone gets it going. He (Brown) mowed down the top of our lineup that first go-around and it was kind of a slow start for us.”
Brown actually had a no-hitter going through five innings. Columbine senior Donny Ortiz broke up the no-no with a single in the bottom of the sixth inning. Senior Austin Anderson followed up with an RBI single and sophomore Tommy Gillman drove in a run on a groundout to close the deficit to 6-2.
However, Kaasch’s slam in the top of the seventh and Columbine’s fourth fielding error of the game pushed the deficit to 12-2 going to the bottom of the seventh.
“(Chaparral) played well. The credit goes to those guys over there. Our kids didn’t quit. They just couldn’t get any momentum today,” coach Gillman said. “The fourth, fifth and sixth it looked like we were starting to wake up. Then (Chaparral) put it away by scoring a bunch of runs.”
Columbine had its bats going against Legacy senior pitcher Lucas Gilbreath. The lefty had a 6-1 record and 1.20 ERA going into the district semifinal against the Rebels. Columbine cruised to a 10-0 victory in six innings to open the district tournament.
The Rebels’ ace, senior Blake Weiman had 11 strikeouts in the complete-game shutout to grab his seventh victory on the mound this season.
It was Brown’s turn to shine on the mound in the district championship game. The senior lefty had an ERA of 4.15 and suffered four losses this season, including a 13-0 loss to Regis where he gave up eight runs in the first inning.
“I put in the work all week,” said Brown who gave up three runs on just three hits for the complete-game victory. “I knew I’d come out with some good stuff.”
The Wolverines will face conference rival Mountain Vista in the opening round of the double-elimination state tournament at 12:30 p.m. Friday, May 16, at All-City Field. Mountain Vista edge Chaparral 2-1 in their league meeting back on April 21.
“I think we are one of the more talented teams out here,” Brown said. “As long as we play our best ball I think we’ve got a pretty good shot.”
Chaparral senior Brad Brown fires to the plate during Saturday’s District 3 championship game Saturday against Columbine. Brown had a no-hitter through five innings and eventually got the complete-game victory against the Rebels. (Dennis Pleuss)
