Aurora – “Nobody knows us here.”
Grand Junction coach Kyle Rush has a point. Probably not too many associated with Class 5A baseball realize how good his Tigers are, a big-school team that recently completed as much of a quiet 17-2 regular season as there is.
But Rush holds no grudge, and said he understands.
“(Last) Friday, we didn’t even know if we were going to be in the playoffs,” he said.
It took an eight-game winning streak in the combined 5A-4A Southwestern League for Grand Junction to qualify, including a two-game sweep of solid Durango (in two come- from-behind, one-run games), which tied the Tigers for first place.
Consider it eventful – Grand Junction dropped its opening two league games.
“When you do that, you have to win out,” Rush said.
And by winning out, the Tigers all but assured themselves of hosting one of Class 5A’s eight four-team districts on Saturday.
At least it’s a realistic scenario for Rush and the Tigers … that is, if anyone has noticed them. Nabbing a playoff spot in a newer 5A format that requires finishing in the top half of the league has proven difficult for those on the Western Slope.
“We only get two over on this side (of the mountains),” Rush said. “There’s 30 on that side.”
Here or there, by the time you have reached this paragraph, the big-school postseason field will be in the process of being set.
Recent snow, rain, cold and wind made spring’s stretch run interesting yet again. Witness the Colorado High School Activities Association delaying the release of 5A’s 32-team playoff field until this morning. A mandate for all teams to complete regular-season play by Tuesday to set up a Wednesday seeding meeting apparently sparked enough whining to turn it into a veiled threat.
It has been that type of 5A season, hasn’t it?
There is no clear-cut favorite, as everyone has been beaten at least twice.
The defending champion, ThunderRidge, is out after finishing tied for sixth place in the Continental League, a noticeable departure in continuity. Over the past 15 years, only four defending champions (Overland, which won in 1990; Boulder, 1991; Loveland, 2000; and ThunderRidge, 2004) have failed to make significant postseason advancement toward two big-school titles in succession.
You also know it’s a different year in 5A baseball when the most compelling stories in the other three classifications easily rival the big boys for top billing. Examples: Defending 4A champion and undefeated Niwot can make a valid case for being the best team in the state. The Cougars have won 40 consecutive games. In 3A, Eaton’s Big Red Machine has won four consecutive titles and been in every final from 1998-2004. And 2A has a chance for a rare triple, small-school or otherwise, as Haxtun won 8-man football and 1A basketball.
While Jefferson County finished strong at its top and the Front Range gladly took its first turn as the state’s top big- school loop, other leagues must face the facts: The Centennial and Continental weren’t as strong as usual; the Colorado Springs Metro and Denver Prep have yet to display top-tier teams; and the hybrid 5A-4A Skyline remains a question mark because of strength of schedule.
So why not the Southwestern Tigers?
Think of it as cyclical. Should Grand Junction win its first baseball title in 30 years (the Tigers also were titlists in 1952, 1954, 1961 and 1962), it would be only the seventh non-Denver-area team to win the big-school championship since the Tigers won in 1976.
The Tigers, who lost in the second round to Cherry Creek in 2004, have the players to compete: shortstop-pitcher Dane Hamilton, infielder-pitcher Tyler Anderegg, outfielder Mark Novotny and third baseman Shay Starr, among others.
Plus, the Tigers appear to have staying power – Rush will start five juniors and four seniors or four juniors and five seniors.
At the moment, Rush said he simply wants “to get past that first weekend.”
It’s difficult, he said, as “some of the 3 or 4 seeds’ No. 1 pitchers will give teams trouble.”
Two victories means a berth in the final eight that will have consecutive weekends of double-elimination rounds.
Grand Junction has its chance to become better known.
Staff writer Neil H. Devlin can be reached at 303-820-1714 or ndevlin@denverpost.com.
