CLASS 1A BASEBALL WEEKLY REPORT by Kerry Sherman

CLASS 1A BASEBALL WEEKLY REPORT

BY: KERRY SHERMAN

With Spring Break wrapped up in most districts, baseball season is in full swing. A number of games have already been impacted by the weather, and a good chunk of the top contests on tap for the weekend are in danger of postponement. All rankings in the report are from Thursday morning’s release of the CHSAA Selection and Seeding Index.

THURSDAY

A relatively light slate includes two pairings that could wind up being postponed due to a blast of snow. Undefeated and third-ranked Otis hosts Stratton in one of them. The Bulldogs are 9-0, have scored double digits in eight of those wins, and allowed five runs or fewer in each. Gavin Price is hitting .545 with 21 RBI to lead the offense, and Paxton Davis is right behind with 19 RBI and a team-leading seven XBH. Mitchell Stivers is one of four Bulldogs with double digit steals, topping the squad with 21. JJ Ward has struck out 38 hitters in 17 innings.

Stratton has only been able to get one game in, as a doubleheader earlier this week with Granada was called off due to high winds. In their opener against Baca County, the Eagles got a nice day from Brody Webb, who went 2-2 at the plate with a double, two RBI, and two runs scored. The senior also swiped four bases. He reached base in all five plate appearances, adding two walks and a hit by pitch. Grady Steerman got the complete game victory, allowing two earned runs in the 9-3 win.

Eighth-ranked Haxtun takes the show on the road to face Prairie, ahead of Saturday’s big clash with Otis. The Fightin’ Bulldogs just swept a doubleheader against #4 Merino on Tuesday, winning both by 10-4 scores. Ryland Wolff is raking at a .533 clip, and leads Haxtun in almost every category. Colin Cone tops the team with nine RBI. Kanin Koberstein is averaging more than a strikeout per inning, and has thrown a complete game.

Prairie is coming off a doubleheader sweep by Otis, in which the Mustangs were outscored by a total of 26-5. Prior to those losses, Brennan Bringelson was hitting .636 through four games. Tyler Troudt and Derek Dollerschell both picked up wins in an earlier doubleheader sweep of Weldon Valley.

FRIDAY

If the weather holds, Friday’s scheduled is highlighted by a clash between #5 Eads and #11 Baca County. Eads improved to 5-0 with a sweep of #13 on Tuesday. Case Nelson tossed a no-hitter in the opener, leading the way to a 4-0 win. He’s 3-0 with 19 K in 13 innings. Adyn Hough is 2-0 and has punched out 11 in nine innings. Spencer Uhland has started the season on a tear, hitting .846, with 11 hits in 13 AB. He’s scored 11 runs.

Baca County just split a DH with #6 McClave on Monday. The Wolverines dropped the opener by a 10-5 count, but won the nightcap 8-3. Grady Mundell went 3-4 with a double and three RBI in the win. Hudson Gourley got the win after allowing one earned run in three innings.

SATURDAY

The aforementioned Otis and Haxtun clash is one of the highlights on the Saturday slate, but a top-10 DH tilt between #2 Akron and Merino just might take top billing. Akron has won six straight since losing its season opener to #1 Flatirons Academy. The Rams have allowed 12 runs in that winning streak, and posted a pair of shutouts in a sweep of Sedgwick County. Merek Charney leads the offense with 10 RBI, nine hits, and nine stolen bases. He’s also tied for the team lead with eight runs scored. Jax Kusel and Anderson Filla have both recorded 15 K on the bump, leading a staff that has a collective 1.29 ERA.

Merino’s losses to Haxtun snapped a five-game winning streak for that group of Rams. Half of Coen Schmidt’s 10 hits have gone for extra bases, including two triples and a home run. He’s driven in a team-high 13 runs. Schmidt has also worked a team-leading 18 innings, striking out 24.

Ninth-ranked La Veta hosting #12 Sargent also moves the needle, with the Redhawks and Farmers entering the contest at a combined 7-2. La Veta has won its last two, including a big 10-4 victory over Sanford last Friday. Logan Cortez had a pair of hits, including a double, and scored three runs in that win. Logan Tenorio got the win, striking out six in six innings.

Sargent lost its season opener and then reeled off four straight wins. The Farmers gave up a total of three runs in those four wins. Tytus Atencio is hitting .778, while Paul Neal is at .727 with a team-leading 13 runs and 13 RBI. He’s also smashed two home runs. Atencio and Kade Temple are both 2-0 on the season.