CENTENNIAL — Luke Muller and his Arapahoe Warriors had their end-of-the- season baseball banquet Monday night in the school cafeteria.
Keep in mind the Warriors are one of four teams alive in the Class 5A championship series, which will climax this weekend at All-City Field.
“It was actually a lot more fun,” the 28-year-old said in comparing it to past seasons, when the Warriors had been eliminated, hosted their version of the rubber-chicken circuit and were preparing for summer play.
Rather than a lack of foresight, the squeeze in May that is the wild-and- crazy end of the school year, including final examinations, graduation and prom, is modified by a ridiculous amount of Colorado spring championships, all in a short window. It’s standard procedure to scramble for dates, just like for high-schoolers with pimples and bad breath.
Muller, a true Warrior and formerly one of the program’s best-ever players, doesn’t seem to mind.
Ask him: Which is more enjoyable, playing or coaching?
“To be honest, I have a lot more fun coaching,” Muller said. “I had fun when playing, but coaching is a lot more rewarding, especially when you see the kids.”
Consider Muller, who handles strength and conditioning at The Yard, a rare breed. He was a two- time All-Colorado third baseman by The Denver Post, the player of the year in 1998 as a senior, and competed at a high level in college, but he’d just as soon teach a teenager at his alma mater how to take a throw at a bag or hit a cutoff man.
It’s a special time for Arapahoe, which has won one baseball flag, in 1980. The Warriors (18-6) are 17-3 in Colorado and here for the first time since 1993. The Continental League champions, winners of 14 of their past 16 games, may not have the most star-studded cast, but they’re batting .367 as a team with a .479 on- base percentage, including more walks than strikeouts.
As opposed to everyone’s draft pick, Muller said he has “a lot of good baseball players who are smart and know the game, and I think it’s showing.”
Sophomore Brian Guymon and a 13-strong senior cast including Justin Byrd, Geoff Collins, Brendan Davidson, Dave Holland, Derrik Overton and Ryan Whittemore are among Muller’s first set of young men to go through the program. He’s in his third season in command after beginning as an assistant to Had Bradbury.
Muller, who spent time playing for Ron Vlasin, used to fill up a lot of box scores for the Warriors as a gifted third baseman who hit for power and average. His tools, good enough to warrant selection by the Minnesota Twins, took him to Nicholls State, where, as a senior, he suffered a career-ending injury to the left side of his face. While sliding into second base, a thrown ball caused a living nightmare of problems — broken bones, severe sinus and nose injuries, the insertion of plates and screws, and months of headaches.
It occurred during a hotly contested game against Northwest Louisiana and the incident, which resulted in a player having his intent challenged, “went through the court system,” Muller said.
He petitioned for a fifth year, was denied, made sure he was healthy, then got into coaching.
“Everything happens for a reason,” he said. He has no side effects, even from not playing.
And he remembers where he came from and where he’ll be — just off University Boulevard and Dry Creek Road.
“Most definitely, I’m in it for the long term. I don’t have any other aspirations,” Muller said. “I like what’s going on with Arapahoe.”
Besides, he said, “most players want to coach where they played.”
Neil H. Devlin: 303-954-1714 or ndevlin@denverpost.com
