New Mexico and Oral Roberts can thank Colorado for their berths in the NCAA baseball regionals.
Both the Lobos and Golden Eagles, based in bordering states, drew a large portion of their rosters from graduates of Colorado high schools — a combined 13 between the two teams. As the NCAA’s Division I baseball regionals get underway today, a total of 34 Colorado high school graduates will take part in the action.
“Oral Roberts and New Mexico seem to be sitting in here pretty strong,” said Cherry Creek Marc Johnson, who has five former players participating.
The state has been a major draw for New Mexico, “especially since Ray Birmingham has taken over,” Johnson said.
Birmingham, now in his third season, has brought in four Colorado players since he was named coach. The Lobos have a total of eight Colorado prep products on the roster, second only to New Mexico natives (11).
Included in that bunch is right-handed senior Willy Kesler, a former Northglenn (and Lamar Community College) pitcher who has six victories in 15 starts with a team-high 92 strikeouts and 95 1/3 innings pitched.
Grandview’s Alex Allbritton starts at shortstop for the Lobos as a freshman. He’s hitting .308 with 30 RBI. ThunderRidge’s Max Willett, a senior, leads New Mexico with 15 stolen bases. Willett’s also hitting .324 with three home runs and 35 RBIs.
Two more Colorado products will join the Lobos next season. Pueblo East’s Michael Fabrizio and Regis’ Logan Know have committed to New Mexico.
Oral Roberts, which calls Tulsa, Okla. home, boasts five Colorado players, including Brett Sowers, a redshirt junior who played under Johnson at Cherry Creek. Sowers is hitting .331 with eight home runs and 38 RBIs.
Jared Schlehuber, a redshirt sophomore out of Grandview, plays first base and pitches for the Golden Eagles. He’s hit .313 with three home runs, while also appearing in seven games as a reliever (12 strikeouts, seven walks).
Other Colorado products have already had major impacts on the postseason.
T.J. Shantz, a freshman from Cherry Creek, hit a solo home run in the 11th inning of the Sun Belt Conference semifinals to lift Florida International over Florida Atlantic — and former Cherry Creek teammate Corey Keller. Shantz then went 4-for-6 in the championship game win over Troy.
Chris O’Dowd, another freshman, leads Dartmouth in hitting (.382), home runs (six), slugging percentage (.664) and on-base percentage (.489). The Regis Jesuit grad has made 31 starts at catcher.
Danny Brock, out of Mountain View, is St. Louis’ most feared hitter. The senior first baseman has led his team in home runs (17), RBI (73), slugging percentage (.648) and on-base percentage (.470) while starting all 60 games.
Mitchell’s Mychal Roby leads Grambling State in home runs (10) and RBI (41) as a senior.
Cole Leonida, from Grandview, starts at catcher for Georgia Tech as a junior. He’s hit 11 home runs and has 55 RBI this season.
Gregg Glime, now a senior, is in his second season captaining Baylor’s squad. The Smoky Hill grad has seven home runs and 39 RBI.
But it’s pitching that continues to be a huge draw from the state, with 17 hurlers dotting postseason rosters.
Dexter Price, out of Air Academy, is 3-0 with a 4.39 ERA for Auburn, while Fort Collins’ Ryan Daniel is 5-4 with 31 strikeouts for Kansas State. Mountain Vista’s Joe Allison has made 13 appearances for Arizona, and Spencer Roberts (Chatfield) has made 14 appearances for Oral Roberts, notching 16 strikeouts.
“I think what it really is is that they don’t pitch as much as the other states,” said Johnson, who just finished his 37th season at the helm of Cherry Creek. “And they throw more fastballs, and less breaking balls and changeups, until they get older, so I think their longevity level is a little bit longer.
“Colorado has long had a history of good pitching.”
Ryan Casey: 303-954-1983 or rcasey@denverpost.com
