CLASS 1A STATE BASEBALL PREVIEW – FINAL FOUR
BY: KERRY SHERMAN
In less than 24 hours, the first baseball state championship will be awarded, as the semifinals begin at 10am on Thursday morning, and the final contest slated for 3pm. Merino, Dove Creek, Flatirons Academy, and Akron will be slugging it out at All-Star Park in Lakewood. Only one will be standing tall when the dust settles.
#1 MERINO RAMS (17-6) VS #5 DOVE CREEK BULLDOGS (9-11) 10AM
Merino won its only state crown in 2022, with the Rams beating Holly 4-3 in 10 innings. They missed the Final Four last year, but are back for the third time in four seasons, post COVID. The Rams won the District 5 title in a wild 20-19 walk-off over Otis, and then ran through #16 Nucla (10-2) and #9 Stratton (15-6) in last week’s regionals.
Tyler Miller leads the attack with a .478 average, 37 runs, 8 doubles, and one home run. Josiah Mackintosh (26) and Coen Schmidt (25) are the top-two RBI producers, and Mackintosh has a team-high three triples. Schmidt is tops with 25 stolen bases.
The pitching staff has an ERA of 3.09, led by Kaden Piel at 1.24 in 28.1 innings. Mackintosh (3.63) has worked 52 innings, while Schmidt (3.50) has pitched 48. Mackintosh (61 K/22 BB) and Schmidt (51 K/25 BB) are big reasons why the Rams have more than 150 strikeouts as a staff.
Dove Creek is also looking for its fourth state title, with the program earning its last one in 2015. The Bulldogs beat Granada that season. They had reached the championship game the previous season, falling to Caliche. Dove Creek had lost its final nine regular season games, but got hot during districts, winning the crown in District 1. They edged past Nucla 7-6 in nine innings to get that victory. Last week, they took care of #12 Elbert in the regional semifinals and then bounced #4 Simla 5-4 to make the Final Four.
Jonathan Purkat is hitting .400 on the season, with a team-leading 28 hits. He has the lone home run on the team, is tied for the team lead with 26 runs, and is second with 23 RBI. Gage Buffington checks in at .382, tying for the lead with 26 runs. His 10 doubles are first on the Bulldogs, and he’s tied with Taber DeJane for second in hits with 26. Purkat’s 24 stolen bases lead the team.
The Bulldogs have a collective ERA of 5.38, topped by Buffington at 3.41 in 41 innings. Hunter Daves enters play at 5.10 in a team-high 48 innings. The duo have combined for more than 100 strikeouts, with Daves at 55 and Buffington at 52.
#2 FLATIRONS ACADEMY (13-4) VS #6 AKRON (16-5) 12:30PM
Flatirons Academy has not won a state title in the sport, but the Bison have been close twice. They lost the 2021 championship game to Holly in a 1-0 classic, and last season they led Haxtun 6-5 through three. Pitch counts caught up with the Bison, and they were outscored 14-1 over the last two frames to fall by a 19-7 score. This season, the Bison won District 2 by taking care of Rocky Mountain Lutheran 8-4. They run-ruled #15 Sierra Grande (17-1) and then rallied to beat #10 Holly (15-11) to make the state semifinals for the third time in four seasons.
The Bison have two hitters at .600 or better, Caleb Doughty (.600) and Jude Meyer (.623). Meyer has 33 hits, including six doubles and four triples, a team-high 28 RBI, and 22 runs scored, which ties him for third on the team along with Aidan Lambrecht. Those two only trail Carson Gabbert (34) and Doughty (23). Noah Evans brings some thump to the lineup with a team-leading three homers and 11 total XBH, and he’s second with 27 RBI. Right on his heels with 26 RBI is Lambrecht. Parker Wilson has added two home runs. Gabbert leads the Bison in a painful stat with 13 HBP.
Flatirons Academy brings an ERA of 4.04 into the match-up, headlined by Mateo Pope’s 2.29 mark in a team-best 33.2 innings. The sophomore has struck out 40 and walked 11. Jayden Martinez is the only other arm below the team average, checking in at 3.00 in just over 16 innings. Gabbert’s worked 24.1 frames.
Akron limped into the regional round, dropping four of its last six, including an 8-5 defeat by Otis in the District 4 semifinals. But, the Rams regained their mojo last weekend, eliminating #11 Evangel Christian Academy (11-1) and blanking #3 Eads (11-0). A win in the semifinals finals would give Akron its first title game appearance since 2002. The Rams lost the 2A championship game that year to Wiggins. Akron is 0-3 all-time in championship games.
Anderson Filla’s average of .486 is the only eye-popping number in the Akron lineup, but the Rams have five others hitting at least .300 on the year. Filla tops the squad with 34 hits (eight doubles, four triples), and 24 RBI, and he’s second with 25 runs. Brandon Hellyer (.353) is second with 24 hits including six doubles and three triples, and 23 RBI. Brock Swedlund leads the team in runs scored with 27. Hellyer (27) and Filla (24) have combined for 51 stolen bases. The Rams have 140 as a team.
Even with their late-season struggles, the Rams still only have a team ERA of 2.20 on the year. Tucker Stahn (1.37), Filla (1.56), and Alex Bowin (1.68) all have sub-2.00 marks. Caleb Poss is also below the team’s number at 2.17 for the season. Those four have worked a combined 118 innings, led by Stahn (46), and Filla (36). As a group, Akron’s pitchers have recorded 142 strikeouts against 65 walks.
Looking ahead to potential championship game match-ups, Akron swept a doubleheader over Merino, 7-3 and 7-1, during the regular season. There were no other games during the regular season between any of the four teams.
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