CLASS 1A BASEBALL REGIONAL PREVIEW by Kerry Sherman

CLASS 1A BASEBALL REGIONAL PREVIEW

BY: KERRY SHERMAN

Sixteen teams each find themselves just two wins away from reaching the Class 1A state baseball semifinals next Thursday at All-Star Park in Lakewood. Following heavy rain and/or snow in many areas of the state, all of those teams are scheduled to hit the diamond on Saturday in the regional portion of the state bracket. Here is a look at how each of the four regionals shape up. Regional hosts are listed in parenthesis.

REGION ONE (HOLLY HIGH SCHOOL)

The top seed in the tournament, Holly will be looking to make a third consecutive title game appearance and the Wildcats get to start the run on their home field. After winning the crown in 2021, Holly finished second to Merino last season.

Holly began the season by dropping two of its first three, but then strung together 13 straight victories. That run was followed by losses in two of the next three outings, before the Wildcats won three in a row to claim the District 4 crown last week.

Five regular members of the lineup are hitting .500 or better, led by Dylan Tamayo at .589, and he’s one of six players with double digit extra bases with 13. Truman King leads in that category with 21, including a team-high 15 doubles. King also has three home runs, one behind Julian Terrazas for the team lead.

On the mound, Terrazas has posted an 8-2 mark with a minuscule ERA of 1.39 in 40.1 innings. The lefty has struck out 75 and only walked 11, while also issuing 19 hits. Tamayo, Andre Salgado, and Devin Eaton all have sub-4.00 ERAs, and have combined for seven victories. Eaton also has one of the team’s two saves.

Holly opens against #16 Cotopaxi, who got in as the last wild card after being bounced in the semifinals of District 2 by Evangel Christian Academy. That loss snapped a five-game winning streak for the Pirates, who also began the year by winning five straight.

Ty Coleman leads the Pirates with a .571 average and 30 RBI, but Cotopaxi has plenty of other run producers. Gary Jarvis has driven in 26 runs and has a team-best nine extra base hits, one ahead of Coleman. Zach Winkler also has more than 20 RBI, with 23 on the season to date. Three more Pirates are in double figures.

Coleman has been even more impressive on the bump, posting a 9-1 record and an ERA of 1.13 in 43.1 innings. He’s struck out 95 batters while allowing 15 hits and 33 walks. Winkler is the only other pitcher on the squad with an ERA under 9.00 (7.00) and has a pair of saves to go with a victory.

The other semifinal of the day in Region 1 has #8 Cheyenne Wells squaring off against #9 Otis. The Tigers finished runner-up to Holly in the District 4 tournament, dropping the title contest by a 10-7 count. They also dropped two more to the Wildcats during the regular season, accounting for almost half of their losses on the year. The semifinal against Otis will be the third meeting of the year between the two squads, with Cheyenne Wells taking a 16-12 shootout and then winning the nightcap by forfeit.

Alex Mitchek leads the Tigers at the plate with a .615 average, 27 runs scored, and nine doubles. Twin brother, Paul, is not far behind at .533 with 16 runs scored. They’ve combined to drive in 29 runs. Ty Scheler is tops with 21 RBI.

Scheler and A. Mitchek are the two main workhorses for the squad, combining to work just over 55 innings. Mitchek has accumulated an ERA of 2.69, just ahead of Scheler’s 3.58, and they’ve paired up to strike out 79 while walking 28.

Otis reached the semifinals of the District 5 tournament, where the Bulldogs fell to Haxtun 10-4. It was their third loss in four games, with the other two coming against Cheyenne Wells. All six of their losses against 1A opponents were to teams that qualified for regionals.

The Wells brothers, Peyton and Carter, lead the Bulldogs at .569 and .558, respectively, and they’re tied for the team-lead with 29 hits apiece. Carter has scored 31 runs and driven in 30, while Peyton has 23 RBI. JJ Ward is right there with 29 RBI, and his 12 XBH (10 doubles) are tops on the team.

Ward and Tayte Smith are the only two arms on the staff to work more than 10 innings so far, combining for just over 53 between them. They’ve been roughed up a bit, allowing 89 runs, but 30 have been unearned.

Games are slated for 11am, 1:30pm, and then 20 minutes after the completion of the second contest.

REIGON TWO (AKRON HIGH SCHOOL)

Akron secured the #2 seed in the bracket by taking out the top two teams in the Selection and Seeding Index on the way to claiming the District 5 crown. The Rams, who had dropped all four meetings with Haxtun and Merino during the regular season, took out Merino 11-3 in the semifinals and then backed it up with a 6-1 decision over Haxtun. Their only other losses were to 2A Limon and Burlington, both of whom are in position to host regionals, as well.

 Anderson Filla is the lone player on the Akron squad hitting better than .400, with the sophomore checking in at .461 on the year. He also leads the team in runs (28), hits (35), XBH (11), and RBI (34). Speed plays a big role in his game, with seven of his hits being triples, and he’s swiped a team-leading 29 bags so far. Brandon Hellyer isn’t far back, with 23 thefts to date.

The Rams have five pitchers with ERAs in the low 3.00s or lower, led by Alex Bowin (1.24), Filla (1.75), and Tucker Stahn (2.26). Those three have combined for 10 wins and three saves. Filla has struck out 49 and walked 22 in 36 innings and Stahn has 33 strikeouts and 15 walks in 31 innings. Caleb Poss, like the other three top arms, is a sophomore, who has worked 33 innings and posted an ERA of 3.18.

Akron drew #15 Elbert in the semifinals of the regional round and the Bulldogs are looking to find some consistency. They fell to Simla in the semifinals of District 2, 4-0, for their fourth loss in the last six outings. They were shutout in three of those and also had a tough 9-8 loss to ECA.

Like Filla for Akron, Logan LaFollette is a key two-way player for the Bulldogs. He leads the offense with a .517 average and 19 runs scored, and his 2.91 is best for anyone with more than 10 innings pitched. The junior has struck out 57 batters in 33.2 innings, and only 14 of the 37 runs he’s allowed have been earned. Matthew Dooley has only worked seven innings in four games, but has not allowed an earned run to score.

The other half of the bracket has #7 Merino facing #10 Stratton. As the defending champs, Merino wore the bullseye all season long. The Rams still ripped off nine straight wins to begin the year, before dropping the first game of a doubleheader against Haxtun. The second game of that series started another winning streak of six games for the Rams. However, they enter regionals having dropped three of their last four.

Pitching is the name of the game for Merino, as the squad enters with a ridiculous team ERA of 1.34. Caleb Deines is fourth with a mark of 1.97. Leading the way is Coen Schmidt at 0.39, that’s one earned run in 18 innings. Kaden Piel has given up seven earned runs in 35 innings for a 1.40 ERA, and Deacon Trenkle has a 1.62 ERA after allowing five earned runs in 21.2 frames. As a staff, the Rams have struck out 144 and walked 27 in 99 innings.

At the plate, Piel and Trenkle each have 17 RBI, one ahead of Mason Rank for the team lead. Trenkle also has eight XBH, one more than Rank and Tyler Miller.

The season has a been a rollercoaster ride for Stratton, with the Eagles having three winnings streaks of three game and a losing streak of the same length. Their last winning streak was snapped by Holly in the District 4 semifinals, 9-3. Every one of their nine losses have been against teams that are either in the 1A regionals or will be in the 2A field next week.

Cyler Notter leads the team in average (.525), runs (24), hits (32), and XBH (12). His nine doubles are tied for the team lead with Cooper Seaman, and the duo are tied for second in RBI with 19, two behind Bex Seaman. Bex has 11 XBH, including a pair of homers, and he’s second in runs scored with 22.

The defense has been shaky at times this season, with a third of the 140 runs allowed being unearned. C. Seaman, who had shoulder surgery last summer, has worked 41.1 innings, posting an ERA of 4.91 and three wins. The low ERA on the squad belongs to Charlie Tagtmeyer, who has recorded a mark of 4.67 in nine innings.

These games are scheduled for 10am, noon, and 20 minutes following the completion of game two.

REGION THREE (SIMLA HIGH SCHOOL)

Simla won the right to host a region by walking off ECA in the finals of the District 2 tournament, 7-6, giving the Cubs their second win over the Eagles in a week. They enter the bracket having won three straight and 11 of 12 overall. Their only loss of the season to a 1A opponent was to Stratton (12-10) which was the only loss in their closing run. The other four defeats are to the top four teams in the 2A Selection and Seeding Index.

Brayden Glover is the only Cub hitting better than .500, with the senior coming in at .527 on the year. His 13 XBH are almost a quarter of the 60 by the team, with his eight doubles tying for first and three homers coming in second to TJ Eurich (4). Eurich is second in average (.479), XBH (11), and RBI (25) and first in runs scored (36) and stolen bases (35). Treven Kochera leads with 28 RBI and is tied with eight doubles.

Eurich has also been quite effective on the mound, posting a 5-0 record and 1.81 ERA in 27 innings. The sophomore has struck out 45 and walked a dozen. Glover is the leader in innings pitched at 32.2 and he’s posted an ERA right at 3.00 to date.

Trying to upend the Cubs in the first semifinal of the region will be #14 Dove Creek, who fell to Nucla in the District 1 title game by a 6-4 count. It was a disappointing loss for the Bulldogs, who had already beaten the Mustangs three times during the season by a combined score of 38-8. After opening the season with a 1-6 record, Dove Creek had reeled off nine straight wins before dropping two of their final three.

Taber Dejane is among the state leaders with 10 doubles, and his 22 RBI lead the Bulldogs by one over Aiden Chadd and two over Gage Buffington. Sheldon Gardner provides some thump for the squad, accounting for two of their three home runs. Cole Taber has crossed the plate a team-leading 28 times on the season, thanks in part to a team-high 26 stolen bases.

Much of the work on the hill has been done by the trio of Hunter Davies (29.2 IP), Taber (22.2 IP), and Buffington (14 IP). They have combined to rack up 100 of the team’s 130 strikeouts. Buffington has not allowed a run on the year, while Taber (4.01) and Davies (5.90) are among the team leaders in ERA.

The bottom half of the draw will see #6 Haxtun fighting #11 Wiley for the right to advance. Haxtun ended the year #1 in the Selection and Seeding Index, but by virtue of the loss to Akron in the D5 finals, the Fightin’ Bulldogs come into the bracket as the highest seeded wild card. They started the season with an 11-game winning streak and followed that with a streak of eight straight wins.

Keegan Colglazier has been one of the big threats for Haxtun’s attack, recording team-leading totals in average (.492), RBI (28), hits (29), and XBH (11). Nine of those XBH have been doubles. He’s also scored 24 runs, which is third behind Ryland Wolff (31) and Kaiden Schelling (29). Wolff uses his speed on the bases, racking up 23 steals so far.

Five pitchers have ERAs at 3.00 or better, led by Michael Gerk who only allowed two runs all year, both unearned. Jerron Turney (1.39), Schelling (1.48), Colglazier (1.91), and Colin Cone (3.00) all help the Fightin’ Bulldogs record a team ERA of 1.85 so far. Turney has registered 74 punch-outs in 50.1 innings.

Wiley might be one of the most dangerous double digit seeds to be found, as the Panthers were incredibly close to entering the bracket with only a couple of losses. They opened the season with a tough 4-0 loss to Denver Christian, who sits #3 in the 2A Selection and Seeding Index, and they suffered a pair of one-run losses to Holly. They had their six-game wining streak snapped in the D4 semifinals by Cheyenne Wells, who they had beaten twice during that streak.

Evan Larrick begins the regional tournament with a .612 average that is fifth in 1A, but second to only Alex Mitchek for players who are still playing. He also leads the Panthers in runs (22), hits (30), RBI (18), and triples (5). The latter of those is just one ahead of James Pearson, who leads the team with a dozen XBH. Pearson has as many doubles (8) as singles.

Case Nelson, one of the players making the daily journey from Eads to play after the Eagles were unable to field their own team this season, has been the most effective arm for the Panthers this year. The sophomore’s ERA of 0.85 is fourth overall in 1A among pitchers with enough innings to qualify. He’s allowed six earned runs in 49.1 innings, with 71 strikeouts and 18 walks. Jace Parker has been a solid second option, checking in with a 3.99 ERA in 33.1 IP.

Games begin at 10am and will follow in similar fashion to the other regions.

REGION FOUR (FLATIRONS ACADEMY HIGH SCHOOL)

The final hosting spot went to D3 champion, Flatirons Academy. The Bison won their final four games, including both district games by a combined tally of 41-2. It’s their third unbeaten streak of that length, one of which included a tie.

Carson Gabbert dominates the offensive stats for the Bison, leading the team in average (.521), runs (32), hits (25), and RBI (27). The junior has done all of that damage with only three XBH, all doubles. Micah Doughty has driven in 23, while the duo of Noah Evans and Parker Wilson each has 21 RBI. Mateo Pope, who has two of the team’s three home runs, gives the squad a fifth player with at least 20 RBI on the season.

Wilson has a 5-1 record on the hill, working 25.2 innings and giving up 24 runs (nine earned). That gives the sophomore an ERA of 2.45 to go with 47 strikeouts. Gabbert’s worked the most innings for the team, 33.2, and recorded an ERA of 3.95. He’s earned three wins and two saves.

Evangel Christian comes in as the #13 seed and the Eagles will have to shake off the disappointment of last week’s walk-off loss to Simla in the D2 finals. They have not lost consecutive games since opening the season 0-2. ECA had an eight-game winning streak just prior to dropping two of its last three.

Michael Kim sets the table for the offense with his .565 average and 50 stolen bases. That’s led to him scoring a team-leading 33 runs. It’s not just about speed, though, as he also has one of the team’s two home runs on the season. Andrew Stephenson has been good for almost an extra base hit per game, racking up 11 in 12 games. Nine of those have been doubles. His 21 RBI are second to the 25 by Levi Alexander.

Alexander has also been strong on the bump for the Eagles, registering a 5-2 mark with an ERA of 2.83 in 29.2 innings. Jesse Finnegan has pitched with some bad luck, going 1-3, but has an ERA of just 2.88. He’s worked a team-high 34 innings, allowing 34 runs, but only 14 have been earned.

Nucla won its way into the regional bracket, as the Mustangs went into District 1 play sitting outside of the top-16. The tournament championship win over Dove Creek locked up the automatic qualifying spot, which removed the anxiety of waiting to see if an at large berth would be forthcoming. The Mustangs overcame a three-game skid and three two-game slides during the season, and a win in the semifinals would match their longest winning streak of the season.

Steele Arnold has been using speed to help set the tone for the Mustangs, picking up eight XBH in his team-leading total of 32 knocks, and swiping a team-best 22 bases. On the season, Arnold has an average of .525, which has the junior in the top-25 of the classification. For good measure, Arnold also leads the team with 23 RBI. Occupying the top two spots in the runs scored category for Nucla are PJ Hulst and Jake Hulst, with 25 and 24, respectively.

Those same three names show up across the leaderboard for the Mustangs on the mound. Arnold leads with a 3.03 ERA in 37 inning, while PJ Hulst has an ERA of 3.27 in 40.2 IP. Jake Hulst has appeared in the most games for the team, working 21.1 innings in 13 games. That trio has recorded 136 strikeouts.

A five-game winning streak midway through the season propelled #12 McClave into the top-10 of the Selection and Seeding Index, and the Cardinals remained there for most of the remainder of the regular season. They were upset in the D4 quarterfinals by Stratton, but had done enough work to earn an at large berth into the regional bracket. They also did something during the season that no other 1A team was able to do, beat the #1 seeded team, Holly.

Karson Roesch registered a no-hitter in the Cards’ 1-0 win over Holly. He faced two over the minimum, allowing one walk and hitting a batter, while striking out six. He went 4-1 on the season with an ERA of 1.71 in 32.2 innings. Aiden Martinez threw a pair of no-hitters during the campaign, and brings a 3-1 record with an ERA of 4.78 into the regional bracket.

Martinez has also starred at the dish, entering the tournament with a .529 average, 22 runs scored, 27 hits (15 XBH), and 26 RBI. He has 11 doubles, two triples, and two homers, and 20 stolen bases. Lawton Annen also owns a pair of home runs so far. Ayden Gomez is tied for the team lead with 22 runs, and is second with 18 stolen bases.

Both games will be played at 10am, with the championship scheduled for 12:30pm.