Prairie View baseball’s put itself on the map.
The Thunderhawks are in the Class 5A Final Four this weekend amid their first appearance at the state tournament, one that’s been years in the making considering the majority of Prairie View’s lineup started since their freshman years.
“We had a true commitment and dedication to each other over the past two, three years,” ninth-year Prairie View head coach Mark Gonzales said. “That started changing the culture of the program, and we went through a youth movement. That, along with everyone playing club together (through the Thunderhawk Diamond Club), got us to where we are now.”
The Thunderhawks went 6-5 in 2021, then 13-10 in ’22 and 13-8 last year. This spring, all those youngsters seeing the field has paid dividends, as Prairie View is 23-5 entering Friday.
Second baseman Noah Hernandez, center fielder Giovanni Tarin, first baseman/right-hander Jerry Stone, left fielder/southpaw Favi Gaeta and shortstop/right-hander Romani Perez are all three-year starters as juniors. Add in a couple of four-year letterwinners in third baseman Wyatt Waterhouse and right-fielder Javi Gaeta, and it’s no wonder the Thunderhawks were able to win twice in the consolation bracket to force their way into the Final Four.
On Friday, Prairie View gets a rematch against Grandview, which beat them 13-5 in the state tournament opener. That game was tied 4-4 through six innings before the Wolves broke it open with a crooked number thanks to three successful bunts as well as a two-out grand slam by junior right-hander/first baseman Jax Pfister.
Grandview coach Scott Henry called that seventh frame “one of my favorite innings I’ve ever been a part of,” and his Wolves look to replicate that result after an up-and-down regular season in which they went 14-9. This is Grandview’s second Final Four showing under Henry.
“We’ve had some big wins and some big losses this year,” said Henry, in his ninth season on East Arapahoe Road. “These past two weekends, our pitching has come through, our defense has been great and we’ve executed in the small details of the game.”
In addition to Pfister, Grandview also features senior catcher Collin May, junior second baseman Chase Chapman and senior shortstop Tony Crow. While the Wolves’ starting pitching for Friday is to be determined, Prairie View is rolling out Favi Gaeta.
Gaeta is one of three Prairie View aces. He threw a complete game in a 5-2 win over Chaparral in Game 2 last weekend, then Perez replicated that feat in a 5-2, extra-innings win over Cherokee Trail in Game 3. This was after Stone went toe-to-toe with Pfister in the opener before the Prairie View bullpen and defense unraveled in the seventh.
“Those two wins to advance to this weekend say a lot about our resiliency and perseverance and the makeup of our team,” Gonzales said. “We’ve got hard-nosed, gritty baseball players who want to get it done for each other before themselves. With the three arms, the relief pitching we have and the supporting cast, I love our chances against Grandview in a rematch.
“It’s going to be a great game. Anybody can play with anybody in this Final Four, and there’s going to be a bounce here and bounce there. We have to continue to show our mental toughness to keep advancing.”
The Class 5A favorites. Regis Jesuit is in control of the bracket after beating Cherry Creek in the semifinals last weekend, a 3-0 triumph where junior right-hander Luke Reasbeck tossed a gem. In a complete-game shutout, Reasbeck allowed just two hits and walked three while racking up nine strikeouts.
Head coach Matt Darr will have all three of his aces available Saturday — Reasbeck, senior right-hander Liam Mosley and sophomore right-hander Hudson Alpert — while needing one more win to secure the program’s fourth title.
“We are happy with the level we’re playing at, but by no means satisfied with where we are it,” Darr said. “There is much work to be done.”
Regis Jesuit will meet the winner of Cherry Creek versus Prairie View/Grandview. The Bruins are trying to send the retiring Marc Johnson, CHSAA’s all-time winningest coach, out on a high note.
Cherry Creek has won eight titles under Johnson, and the last one in 2012 came from the consolation side of the bracket. Following the conclusion of the tournament, associate head coach Joe Smith will take over the program.
Class 5A, Friday at All Star Park
No. 8 Prairie View (23-5) vs. No. 16 Grandview (18-10), 10 a.m.
No. 5 Cherry Creek (22-5-1) vs. PV-Grandview winner, 12:30 p.m.
Championship, Saturday at All Star Park
No. 2 Regis Jesuit (22-6) vs. Consolation bracket winner, 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. (if necessary)
Holy Family in 4A pole position. The Tigers won the Class 3A title in 2010, ’13 and ’14, but are one win from claiming their first Class 4A crown. Holy Family made the 4A championship in 2021, but lost to Ponderosa 11-2.
Head coach Marc Cowell’s squad is led by senior catcher Finn Lavelle, who is hitting .444, as well as junior outfielder Logan Seifarth, who is hitting .352. The Tigers have collective power, with 13 homers overall, including four by Seifarth.
Two of the three remaining teams, Falcon and Pueblo County, have never won a title. Golden, the runner-up last year in a 1-0 loss to Severance, captured its lone championship in 2003. The Demons, the Jeffco League champions, are headlined by junior outfielder/first baseman Luca Casali (.467 average, 10 doubles, eight homers) plus four pitchers with an ERA of 2.60 or less.
Class 4A, Friday at Air Force Academy
No. 2 Golden (26-3) vs. No. 3 Pueblo County (22-6), 10 a.m.
No. 6 Falcon (22-5) vs. Golden-PC winner, 12:30 p.m.
Championship, Saturday at Air Force Academy
No. 5 Holy Family (21-5-1) vs. Consolation bracket winner, 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. (if necessary)
Eaton seeks four-peat. The Class 3A juggernaut Reds haven’t lost a game in over two years, and are 105-3 over the past four seasons. Eaton’s had two close calls in the state tournament — a 6-5 win over Forge Christian in the opener and a 2-0 triumph over University in the semifinals — but is once again the favorite entering the final weekend.
Eaton’s led by senior left-hander/outfielder Lucas Stone (team best .638 on-base percentage), senior catcher Gunnar Duncan (team-best .532 average) and senior right-hander Mitch Haythorn (11-0 with 1.28 ERA), among a multitude of other talent.
Can anyone play spoiler to keep Eaton from a fourth straight title? Beating them twice in one day will be extremely difficult. The Reds have won 68 games in a row.
Class 3A, Friday at Butch Butler Field
No. 4 Resurrection Christian (23-5) vs. No. 5 Coal Ridge (25-3), 10 a.m.
No. 3 University (23-5) vs. RC/CR winner, 12:30 p.m.
Championship, Saturday at Butch Butler Field
No. 1 Eaton (27-0) vs. Consolation bracket winner, 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. (if necessary)
Denver Christian going for back-to-back. After beating Limon 5-3 in last year’s title game, Denver Christian is one win away from a second straight crown. The Thunder’s lone loss to an in-state team came to the Badgers on March 23, an 8-6 defeat.
Denver Christian, the Mile High League champion, is led by Asher Hawes. The senior catcher/outfielder is mashing, hitting .523 with eight homers, nine triples, 45 RBIs and a 1.079 slugging.
Class 2A, Friday at CSU-Pueblo
No. 1 Limon (26-1) vs No. 8 Buena Vista (19-7), 10 a.m.
No. 12 Lyons (18-8) vs Limon/BV winner, 12:30 p.m.
Championship, Saturday at CSU-Pueblo
No. 2 Denver Christian (23-4) vs Consolation bracket winner, 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. (if necessary)