Erie, Erie, Erie. Year in, year out, it is all about Erie in Class 3A softball.
The Tigers have won six consecutive state titles, the third-longest active streak in Colorado behind Cherry Creek girls tennis (13 in a row) and Regis boys swimming (12), and Erie is a favorite to win No. 7 this fall.
But every preseason, it seems, the competition sees some cracks and is itching to scratch the Tigers from the top spot. This year is no different, with the graduation of all-everything pitcher Holly Jordan presumed the main weakness.
“I’m praying that Erie doesn’t have anyone like Holly Jordan coming back,” Limon coach Rocky Rockwell said. “It felt like we got dominated both times we played (Erie last season), and I thought we were one of the best teams in 3A.”
Limon has lost to Erie in the state semifinals the past two seasons, but the Badgers are one of the few teams that returns an experienced lineup.
Shortstop Amanda Brown is 15 hits away from the school record and heads the list of returners along with Ashley Campbell, a home run-hitting first baseman, and Nikki Holmstedt, catcher and defensive leader. Sophomore pitcher Kelsey Dutten is just shy of 6-feet and went 13-0 as a freshman before running into Erie in the semifinals.
Erie. Many across the state say the name like other, unprintable four-letter words.
“Every time you think their run is over, they find a stud pitcher and an infield filled in behind her,” Holy Family coach Glen Ramos said.
Holy Family, which lost just one starter to graduation, has two pitchers of No. 1 quality – Sara Baumberger and Megan McGinness – and a talented trio of infielders in Lara Mathewson, a sophomore, and seniors Lindsey Halligan and Caitlin Hollick.
The Tigers lost to Erie 2-0 in the state championship game last season, and Ramos said “that didn’t sit very well with the girls, or with the coaches.”
There it is again. Erie.
Platte Valley’s 2005 campaign ended in the state quarterfinals against Erie. The Broncos lost seven starters, including the battery, but seniors Whitney Smith and Stacey Erbes return, giving them a shot in the Patriot League, home of …
“Erie,” Platte Valley coach Eric Dumler said. “They are the fourth game on our schedule, so that should tell us about where we are sitting.”
Erie, which has played in every 3A championship game since 1998 with seven titles, seems to be sitting pretty. Again.
“With Holly and four other very good seniors gone, I’m sure people are looking at it as an opportunity,” Erie coach Bob Bledsoe said.
The loss of Jordan, who pitched four shutouts in four playoff games last season, will be felt equally on the mound and at the plate. Jordan and the other four graduates helped put up 27 runs in the postseason.
Juniors Janay Rahrich and Axie Estrada, along with sophomore shortstop Ashlie Ortega, anchor an always-sound infield. Megan Parker is a big bat and can play anywhere, and senior Katie Smith heads a short list of pitching candidates.
“We have a lot of athletes, and we’ll take advantage of their versatility,” said Bledsoe, who credited the program’s foundation and a difficult nonleague schedule as reasons for Erie’s success.
One of the few teams to avoid stepping on the field against Erie the past few seasons is Middle Park. With 33 victories over the past two seasons and a state quarterfinals appearance last year, it’s a bit of surprise the Granby school and Erie have not met.
Robbie Cheesman is entering his fourth season as coach of Middle Park, and nearly the entire team has been with him during that time. Five starters return after earning at least all-conference honors, including senior pitcher Whitney Young.
So … Erie?
“Holy Family is our nemesis. We have trouble with all those parochial schools,” Cheesman said.
