Arvada – Matt Skipper is the guy everybody outside Ralston Valley wants to talk about.
People love to talk about his 6-foot-9, 215-pound frame, or the fact the right-hander is only a sophomore and should grow even more in the next two years.
Coaches like to talk about his bat speed and ability to comfortably govern such a long strike zone. After hitting better than .500 as a freshman, Skipper is batting .476 in the cleanup spot this season and leads the Mustangs’ baseball team with 28 RBIs.
Of course, his 6-0 pitching record is worth talking about, too. As he stretches out and powers off the mound, Skipper is fluid, fast and naturally intimidating.
For a 16-year-old who is starting to garner attention from NCAA Division I schools, it’s no wonder some players outside Arvada have likened Skipper to former Niwot star Sean Ratliff, now at Stanford.
But when it comes to Ralston Valley, ranked No. 1 in The Denver Post/9News Class 4A poll, Skipper isn’t the only Mustang his coach and teammates are talking about.
The Mustangs (14-4) believe they have grown into title contenders after finishing third in 2005 and advancing to the Connie Mack final over the summer.
The Mustangs have been ferocious at the plate, leading off with a Murderers’ Row of power, and then using their speedy contact hitters in the bottom half of the order to keep the lineup moving.
The pitching staff has been as strong as expected with Skipper, ace Jake Wood and Casey Schmidt, a trio coach Shane Freehling calls his Three Amigos. Throw in Derek Rowe, and Freehling throws out another tag – the Four Horsemen.
After defeating No. 10 D’Evelyn 15-7 on Wednesday, the Mustangs have won 10 in a row and beaten teams by 10 or more runs on seven occasions.
“We’re really kind of a blue-collar bunch,” says Freehling, who coached South for eight years before landing his dream job when Ralston Valley was built near his house.
But what about Skipper?
When Skipper was 12, he moved to Arvada from the sunny world of year-round baseball in Las Vegas and caught enough attention that about 10 high schools inside and outside Jefferson County tried to pry him away.
It seemed everyone saw the potential, the gifted athlete inheriting a man’s body and blessed with a malle- able maturity. Those coaches also probably heard the kid lives and breathes the sport and is determined to refine his game through superior work ethic.
“I think kids like this don’t come around very often in your coaching career,” Freehling said. “You might be lucky to have a kid like this show up at your doorstep maybe once every 20 years if you’re fortunate enough.”
So what does Skipper have to say about all this?
“You kind of take it in and embrace it,” he said.
And what does Skipper have to say about being compared to the dauntless Ratliff, a left-hander who last year blew smoke by Skipper en route to winning his second consecutive state title?
“Yeah, it’s possible,” Skipper says with measure. “It’s two years away. How much more I need to improve is tremendous, to be up to the level he was at. Yes, I have the potential to do it, but I have a ton of work for it to happen.”
And Skipper doesn’t speak of work lightly.
With the help of his father and assistant coach Ken, the Skippers have built three batting cages (one indoor, two outdoor) and three lighted pitching mounds. Skipper spends no less than 30 minutes a night working on drills and usually follows up a game by hitting another 300 to 400 pitches.
Skipper will continue to bulk up and get stronger. He throws in the low to mid-80s and has every reason to believe that will only increase. An all-state selection as a freshman, Skipper could join the list of Colorado’s best prep prospects.
When he wants to get away, Skipper likes helping his dad coach his brother’s 11-year-old team. Skipper even hits the books hard. He has a 3.5 grade- point average and likes math because it comes easiest.
Math comes in handy when figuring Ralston Valley’s offensive numbers this season. The team has 35 home runs, breaking the previous program high of 26.
The Mustangs lead off with catcher Adam Young (.511 batting average) and then continue to pulverize opponents with shortstop Brian Chritz (.500, six home runs), Wood (.492, eight home runs) and Skipper (seven home runs).
After that gauntlet of power, pitchers must face the speed and contact portion of the Mustangs’ lineup that includes Jason Alvarado and Brandon Brym.
“Offensively right now is where they’re getting people,” Alameda coach Derek Van Tassel said. “They are so strong one through nine, but you can’t pitch around anybody, you don’t have that option.”
Wood, who is one home run shy of tying the school record set by all-state standout Levi Tapia, has been Freehling’s most valuable player this season.
Wood and Young will play at Independence Community College in southern Kansas. But before those seniors go, they feel pretty bullish about making the next step and bringing home a state title.
At the least, that would give everyone outside of Ralston Valley something else to talk about.
