LONGMONT — If John Kinsella ever stumbles upon the baseball field near the corner of Pace and Mountain View, he will do well to ask, “Is this heaven?”
No, John, it’s Skyline High School. But if heaven is a place where dreams come true, the Falcons’ new facility certainly has them knocking on the door.
“I can’t think of a team that wouldn’t be jealous of it,” senior catcher Aaron Harms said.
The preseason No. 3 team in Class 4A baseball thanks largely to a trio of outstanding pitchers, the Falcons (4-1) are out to banish some ghosts of recent past and make a bid for their first state title since 1986.
They have a revamped coaching staff in its third season, directed by coach and former Niwot standout Mike Hoog, enthusiastic support from parents and a massive clubhouse completed late last season that is unequaled by any public or private school in the state.
Rockies owner Charlie Monfort could park one of his old 18-wheelers inside the long, red structure that runs seamlessly from Skyline’s dugout down the right-field line. Inside are four cages for hitting or pitching, a professional-style locker room complete with name plaques, a big-screen TV with surround sound, a sofa, a pingpong table, a weight room and a coach’s office with a loft and gobs of storage room.
It’s a refuge, a study hall, a place for bonding that is impervious to rain or snow, and a monument of achievement to the parents who built it. The Falcons raised the $225,000 — raffling two cars in the process — and the parents did all the labor sans the electrical.
So when Hoog talks to his players about pride, ownership and attention to detail, his players take the field with a perspective that’s hard to match. And like any good treehouse, this clubhouse doesn’t allow girlfriends.
“They’re not tolerated,” outfielder Nick Bertron said. “It’s for us.”
All things red-and-gold start with the hard-throwing staff of Shane Zaruba, Derrick Bleeker and Tyler Landwehr, who have combined for a 1.65 ERA and 60 strikeouts in five games.
“We just got to show up from the get-go and play our hearts out,” Zaruba said.
Zaruba, who took the loss Tuesday in a 2-1 defeat at Northern League rival Mountain View, has 26 strikeouts in 13 innings. The senior right-hander is hitting .526 and has committed to play next season at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix.
At 6-feet-4 and 195 pounds, Bleeker has raised eyebrows since making the varsity squad a few games into his freshman season after filling in for some ineligible varsity players. He hit too well to take him out of the lineup. The three-sport junior is 2-0 with a 2.00 ERA and 23 strikeouts, and is hitting .533 with 11 RBIs in 15 at-bats.
Landwehr has yet to give up an earned run this season and has 11 strikeouts in seven innings.
“This year there’s something about this team that is different,” Bleeker said. “We have more heart.”
And, as far as Hoog is concerned, the Falcons have more of a killer instinct and camaraderie, which, again, comes back to the clubhouse, where the movie to begin the season was “Bull Durham.”
Harms, who will travel this summer to Italy with a group of local players and take on the Italian junior national team, is a cross between Crash Davis and Nuke LaLoosh. He plays catcher and on the bus sings and plays guitar.
“They actually like me singing, which I was really surprised about,” Harms said.
Is it heaven? No, it’s still just Skyline. But the dream of bigger and better things this season is brewing in a big building next to the Falcons’ field.
Falcons firing
Skyline’s pitching staff should give the Class 4A Falcons a chance to win every time out. Here’s a look at their three standout starters through five games:
Record ERA Strikeouts
SHANE ZARUBA, SR.
1-1 2.15 26
DERRICK BLEEKER, JR.
2-0 2.00 23
TYLER LANDWEHR, SR.
1-0 0.00 11
