Class 5A Granite Peaks League

Teams: Broomfield, Erie, Fairview, Horizon, Legacy, Monarch.

Broomfield Eagles

Coach: Kale Gilmore

Last season’s result: Finished 16-7 and reached the first round of their regional.

Testing 1-2-3: Senior C and Davidson commit Brendan Fritch returns after leading the team with a .452 batting average, 34 RBIs and 33 hits.

The tea: After a bit of an early exit last year, the Eagles’ goal is to reach the quarterfinals “and see what happens,” according to Gilmore. He hopes that Fritch, senior RHPs Ethan Zufall and Nate Wochner, and senior CF Caden Williamson can help them get there.

Erie Tigers

Coach: Eric Dillinger

Last season’s result: Finished 10-13.

Testing 1-2-3: Junior BYU commit Maddox Burnett comes back after a knee surgery in 2024 kept him limited on the mound. Dillinger expects his return to lift the whole team.

The tea: “The Tigers expect to have a bounce-back year with what now is a fully healthy roster. The expectations are that we will be a playoff team,” Dillinger said. He believes that seniors 2B Taylor McMaster, SS Ronin Ward and OF Austin Muir can help them get there.

Fairview Knights

Coach: David Castillo

Last season’s result: Finished 12-12 and reached the first round of their regional.

Testing 1-2-3: Senior C Jack Espiritu-Niswonger hit .469 with a 1.376 OPS (in 64 at-bats) and had 13 stolen bases last year.

The tea: The confidence is high among the Knights with much of last year’s varsity squad returning. Castillo believes they will compete well in the newly formed Granite Peaks League and thinks that Espiritu-Niswonger, senior P/OF Oliver Peterson, and juniors 1B/OF Tanner Craytor and INF/C Isaac Waymire can help them achieve the goal of a deep playoff run.

Legacy Lightning

Coach: Ty Giordano

Last season’s result: Finished 12-12 and reached the first round of their regional.

Testing 1-2-3: Senior RHP Christopher Jewett threw a team-high 31 innings last year to reach a 3.84 ERA.

The tea: The Lightning boast an experienced roster with 11 seniors and will look to improve upon last year’s finish with some of their top hitting talent like senior Ethan Sanchez (.373 batting average, 28 RBIs, 28 hits) and junior Kellen Reiser (.350 ERA, 21 RBIs, 21 hits).

Monarch Coyotes

Coach: James Thompson

Last year’s result: Finished 12-13 and reached the championship game in their 5A regional.

Testing 1-2-3: “Our expectation is to get back to the postseason,” the fourth-year coach said. “We were able to win our first game in regionals and every returning player wants to get back to that spot, to be one game away from getting to the state tournament.”

The tea: Senior P/INF Charlie Pearce returns after throwing the most innings for the Coyotes in 2024. Through 45 frames, he owned a 2.80 ERA with 60 strikeouts. He’s joined in the rotation by seniors Max Webb, Landon Resch, Evan DiCarlo and Diego Guerrero, and sophomore Brody Montemayor. Others to watch include senior OF Zander Belland and C/UTL Preston Hutchings.

Class 5A/4A Rocky Mountain League

Teams: Boulder, Brighton, Mountain Range, Northglenn, Prairie View, Riverdale Ridge, Westminster.

Boulder Panthers

Coach: John Whitehead

Last season’s result: Finished 6-17.

Testing 1-2-3: Sam Skubic excelled a freshman pitcher last year and will double up as the team’s ace and starting catcher for his sophomore encore.

The tea: “Our goal this year is to find ways to be competitive on every pitch and give ourselves a chance in every game,” said Whitehead, who added that the team this year will be young after saying goodbye to 10 seniors. He believes that Skubic, seniors OF Gavin Nguyen and INF/P Daniel Melvin, junior INF Maks Matheson and sophomore INF/P Finn Torvik will help build the foundation for the future.

Class 4A Granite Peaks League

Teams: Centaurus, Frederick, Holy Family, Longmont, Mead, Niwot, Silver Creek, Skyline.

Centaurus Warriors

Coach: Doug Kinney

Last season’s result: Finished 13-10.

Testing 1-2-3: Senior LHP Zack Young will serve as the team’s ace after finishing his junior campaign with a 3.42 ERA through 28 2/3 innings.

The tea: “We will have to play our best ball every day and look to do little things to help us (in the Granite Peaks League),” Kinney said. He said he’ll lean on Young and seniors INF Carter Nelson, Sam Kean and RHP/2B Tavian Gomez to lead the team forward.

Frederick Golden Eagles

Coach: Colin York

Last season’s result: Finished 5-18.

Testing 1-2-3: Senior P Nate Rapp will serve as the team’s ace this year after building up a 3.84 ERA through 31 innings last season.

The tea: “If we can (find our identity early) and minimize mistakes, both mental and physical, we will be able to compete at our highest potential,” York said. He said that the loss of some of last year’s varsity players will throw others into the spotlight and believes that Rapp, seniors SS Alex Clapp, INF/P/OF Dom LeFevre and C/INF/P Bryson Satterly will be their greatest guides forward.

Holy Family Tigers

Coach: Marc Cowell

Last season’s result: Finished 22-5-1 and were 4A state champions.

Testing 1-2-3: Western Nebraska Community College commit Logan Seifarth, a senior OF, led the team in runs (33), doubles (nine), home runs (four) and was second in RBIs (26).

The tea: The Tigers lost a lot of top talent, including their two biggest arms in Cole Kuszak and Brady Hudson, but Cowell believes that if they can get their feet under them early, they can have another successful run. They’ll rely on seniors Brendan Ward, Josh Grenzenbach and sophomore Gavin Brunner to take over the mound responsibility.

Longmont Trojans

Coach: Tom Fobes

Last year’s result: Finished 9-14.

Testing 1-2-3: The Trojans are led by two-time all-conference C/P Collin Pool. Last year, he held a 2.39 ERA through 29 1/3 innings and hit .476 with 15 RBIs and 13 extra-base hits.

The tea: The Trojans had a tough finish to last spring, in part due to injuries. This year, they’ve started the season 4-0 and are led by returning starters Pool, 1B Travis Check, P/INF Tyson Hagen, OF Corbin James, SS/P Robbie Sekich, P/INF Bryce Smaic and OF/P Zayden Villela. Their pitching staff is out to a strong start in 2025, holding a 0.27 ERA through 26 innings. “We are excited to get back with a healthy group,” their 25th-year coach said.

Mead Mavericks

Coach: Shawn Macaluso

Last year’s result: Finished 12-11 and reached the first round of the Class 4A regional tournament.

Testing 1-2-3: The Mavericks, 4-1 through five games this season, are eager to take another step forward as they’re in the “process of establishing our culture.”

The tea: The Mavericks have gotten a nice start on the mound this season from junior P Kaleb Walter, who is 2-0 with a 0.70 ERA and 18 strikeouts through 10 innings pitched. Last year, Walter had a 6.39 ERA in 15 1/3 frames. Senior INF Charlie Baker, meanwhile, has started the spring 12 of 16 from the plate with six RBIs. “We have seven returning position starters from last season,” Macaluso said, “and 10 seniors overall.”

Niwot Cougars

Coach: Ken Rosales

Last year’s result: Finished 13-11 and reached the first round of their 4A regional tournament.

Testing 1-2-3: Senior C Haden Shaw returns after hitting .507 last season and had an on-base percentage of .600.

The tea: Haden and Charlie Shaw (OF) led the team with 27 and 24 RBIs last spring. They’re back, along with a talented veteran crew that includes seniors P Jagger Kilpatrick, 1B Drew Stapp, OF Arlo Richards, P Kaige Kennedy and junior INF Henry Noblin. Kennedy had a 1.69 ERA last season and hit .471 with 16 runs driven in. He’s started the spring 7 of 12 from the plate. Others to watch include sophomores P John O’Hara and C Preston Peterson.

Silver Creek Raptors

Coach: Brad Steward

Last year’s result: Finished 15-9 and reached the first round of their 4A regional.

Testing 1-2-3: Senior OF Connor Lopez returns after he led the team with 26 RBIs last season.

The tea: Seniors Lopez, INF Nate Spiegel and OF Henry Pendergrass are back after each had double-digit RBIs in 2024. And so is senior C Jake Oster and junior P/INF Nolan Gaccetta, who is the school’s starting quarterback in football. Gaccetta was tied for the most innings pitched last season with grad Jake Bator at 54 2/3 frames. He finished 6-2 and owned a 2.69 ERA. Others to watch include juniors C/INF Nathen Canfield and seniors INF Jake Jensen and P/INF Noah Richardson.

Skyline Falcons

Coach: Travis Schlagel

Last year’s result: Finished 12-12 and reached the first round of their 4A regional.

Testing 1-2-3: Senior P/OF Jack Knapp is back after he threw a team-most 54 innings last spring. He finished the year with a 4.67 ERA and 68 strikeouts.

The tea: Knapp is joined in the pitcher’s room by seniors OF/1B/P Matt Lanier and SS/P JD Wright, who combined to throw 11 2/3 frames a year ago. They’ll have senior C Brody Hufford behind the plate. “We graduated six seniors last year and expect some younger guys to step up” this season, their 10th-year coach said. Others to watch include senior P/1B Junior Rodriguez, juniors P/OF Malachi Roberts and C/INF Wyatt Rickman, and sophomores 3B/C Sam Wright and OF Jackson Stanich.

Class 3A/2A Metro League

Teams: Colorado Academy, Denver Christian, Forge Christian, Jefferson Academy, Kent Denver, Peak to Peak, Prospect Ridge Academy, The Academy.

Jefferson Academy Jaguars

Coach: Gino Carbajal

Last season’s result: Finished 12-12 and reached the first round of their 3A regional.

Testing 1-2-3: The Jaguars boast an upperclassman-heavy roster with eight seniors and five juniors.

The tea: The Jaguars return their top ace in senior RHP Austen Bauer, who held a 4.06 ERA through 58 2/3 innings last year. He’ll be joined by some top hitting talent with senior C/3B/RHP Riley Prevost (.368 batting average) and sophomore UTIL/INF Ben Pederson (.310). “The players believe that we are a team, no player will be lifted up, recognized, or exalted over others,” Carbajal said.

Peak to Peak Pumas

Coach: Matthew Castilleja

Last year’s result: Finished 14-11 and reached the championship game in their 3A regional.

Testing 1-2-3: The Pumas have their most starting seniors in recent memory, led by P/1B Owen Branscum, P/1B AJ Greene, C/2B Brendan Hartley and P/OF Jacob Strong.

The tea: In 2024, Greene hit .400 with 15 RBIs and Branscum hit .352 with two home runs and 18 runs driven in. The seniors are accompanied by juniors CF/P Drew Kraft, 2B/OF Dane Hirt and OF Gray McCune, and sophomores 3B/P Cooper Campbell and SS/P Easton Urban, who also had 18 RBIs. “There is a promising wave of young talent in our program, and we look forward to seeing how good we can be by the end of the year,” the seventh-year coach said. Part of that youth includes sophomore catchers Riley Day and Reed Adelman.

Prospect Ridge Miners

Coach: Mark Knudson

Last year’s result: Finished 13-12 and reached the championship game in their 3A regional.

Testing 1-2-3: Senior SS Zeke Bote, fresh off helping the school’s basketball team reach its first state semifinal, is the Miners’ star on the diamond. Last season, he hit .529 with two home runs, 31 RBIs and he stole 20 bags. He also had five wins on the mound.

The tea: The Miners have a talented infield led by Bote and senior 3B Liam Schilling, the Miners’ leading scorer in basketball who hit .318 and stole 20 bags last spring in baseball. Those two will also pitch, Knudson said. The Miners are hoping for good production from seniors Brady McKenney and Ethan Ribordy, sophomores Sean Graham and Avery Stark, and freshmen Josiah Bote and Austin Huffman. “We have more talent and experience returning than we’ve ever had before,” Knudson said.

Class 2A Mile High League

Teams: Belleview Christian, Bishop Machebeuf, Clear Creek, Dawson, Dayspring Christian, Denver Academy, Estes Park, Front Range Christian, Lyons, Skyview Academy.

Dawson Mustangs

Coach: Troy Siegler

Last season’s result: Finished 17-5 and reached the second round of their regional.

Testing 1-2-3: Sophomore Darren Sebek P/OF/1B threw the second-most innings on the team with 30 2/3 IP, picking up a 2.74 ERA along the way.

The tea: The Mustangs field a small and young team this year, but return a strong pitcher in Sebek as well as three seniors to lead them through the MHL: LHP/OF Declan Noonan, 1B Dawson Kusel and Henry Cox.

Lyons Lions

Coach: Kale Olson

Last year’s result: Finished 18-9 and reached the second weekend of the Class 2A playoffs.

Testing 1-2-3: The Lions bring back four starters from their third-place finish in 2A, starting with sophomore P/SS Zack LaCrosse who had a 0.50 ERA in 41 2/3 innings pitched in 2024. He also led the team with a .434 batting average and 23 RBIs.

The tea: Zack LaCrosse and his brother P/SS Jake LaCrosse, a junior, were vital in leading the team deep into the postseason a year ago. Jake hit .409 and owned a 1.65 ERA through 34 innings pitched. They’re joined by returning starters in junior CF/P Kaion Kishiyama and sophomore C/INF Calvin Russell. And they’ll lean on the growth of senior 3B/P Wyatt Fitzgerald to possibly help them make another run.