Let’s win two.
That will be the mantra for the 64 Class 5A and 4A baseball teams if they want to play after Saturday, the first day of the 2005 playoffs.
Both 32-team brackets are split into eight, four-team districts, and two victories will be required to advance to the double-elimination brackets, to be played May 13-14 and May 20-21.
In 5A, a new state champion will be crowned as ThunderRidge failed to make the postseason. That opens the door for any number of teams, including top-seeded Rocky Mountain (15-4) and Nos. 2-4 Bear Creek (16-2), Smoky Hill (15-4) and Arapahoe (16-3).
Rocky Mountain, which opens against North, has plenty of big bats and is battle-tested after winning the competitive Front Range League.
Brian Eggers and Taylor Maul have combined for 18 home runs this season, but they will face North’s Rey Garramone and his state-best 100 strikeouts.
“Usually you feel pretty good about a No. 1 vs. a No. 32, but I’ve heard nothing but good things about Rey,” Rocky Mountain coach Scott Bullock said. “On the other side of that, we are excited about facing him. … Once you get to the postseason, you have to be absolutely fearless.”
Columbine and Adams City play the second game in that district.
Second-seeded Bear Creek won 16 straight games before dropping one to Dakota Ridge two weeks ago. The Bears, who will face West in the early game, are loaded. Pitchers Adam Berry and Steve Johnson are a combined 12-0 this season, and Nick Arguello is batting .550.
Either Coronado or Green Mountain will play the winner.
Smoky Hill, the third seed, will face Boulder for the second time in two weeks. The Centennial Conference champion Buffaloes won the first game 9-6, but ended the regular season with a loss after winning 12 of 13 games.
The winner will play Fort Collins or Rangeview.
Fourth-seeded Arapahoe, winner of 14 of the past 15 games after opening the season 2-2, faces Dakota Ridge in the first round. Regis, with pitch-crusher Tito Martinez, will play Brighton for a shot at the second round.
Elsewhere in 5A, Mullen, Monarch and Doherty will travel to the Western Slope, where Grand Junction stands tall with a 17-2 record. In District 2, Pomona will take on East, and Legacy will face Mitchell.
Seventh-seeded Cherry Creek, which won five titles from 1995-99, will play Heritage, while Durango makes the trip over the mountains to play Ponderosa. Arvada West hosts District 6 action and will meet Chaparral. Northglenn or Air Academy will play the winner.
In 4A, defending state champion and top-seeded Niwot is riding a 40-game win streak with no signs of slowing down. If the Cougars can get past Manual (3-12), they will play the Evergreen-Montrose winner.
Second-seeded Pueblo South (18-1), state champion in 2001, hosts District 8 and will play Elizabeth in the first round. Cheyenne Mountain and Mountain View play the second game.
“Everybody has their work cut out for them. You can’t worry what anybody else has,” Pueblo South coach J.R. Crowell said. “Our pitching has been good throughout the year, and one of the strengths has been hitting the ball. So hopefully we can combine those two.”
No. 3 seed Thomas Jefferson and No. 4 Ralston Valley host the opening two rounds, but have difficult challenges to reach the double-elimination rounds.
Thomas Jefferson will play Palisade, with Sterling (14-4) or D’Evelyn waiting in the second round. Ralston Valley will see Ranum in the first round, and Centaurus (14-5) and Pueblo County will play the late game.
Colorado Springs Metro Conference champion Sand Creek (12-7) missed out on hosting a district and will play Golden in the first round. The honor went to Cherokee Trail, a team in its first varsity season that will face Moffat County.
In District 3, host Delta (16-3) will play Pueblo Central, with Broomfield and Liberty playing the second game. District 6 will be at Longmont, which will face Woodland Park. The winner will play Widefield or Thompson Valley.
Finally, No. 7 seed Rifle will play Greeley West for a chance to face the winner of Pueblo Centennial and Northridge.
