Colorado 4A Final Four Preview

May 30, 2019
Neil Devlin
Senior Writer

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The Class 4A title is open and there for the taking.

Previously owned by Valor Christian for the past three seasons, it’s a crown now available to Fort Morgan, Holy Family, Pueblo West and Silver Creek.

To be contested Friday-Saturday at Vibes Park in Colorado Springs, we have an interesting mix of survivors.

Holy Family (22-6), for example, has ridden sound pitching. Head coach Marc Cowell’s guys have been getting outs when needed, led by Wes Siefken (7-0, 1.58 earned-run average in 12 appearances) and Jordon McFarland (7-2, 2.55 ERA in 11 appearances). Collin Kringlen (4-1, 2.73 ERA in 11 appearances) also has been efficient.

Kringlen is at the front offensively, too, with a .476 average, 25 RBIs and 15 extra-base hits, including six home runs.

Incidentally, the Tigers have given up double figures in runs just once, in an 11-7 setback to Silver Creek in the Series.

The Tigers will meet Pueblo West (25-3) on Friday, 11 a.m., a Cyclones group hungry to bring home a title to arguably the last, great high-school sports town in Colorado.

Brodie Blackford, Jayden Cordova and Kyle Jameson have combined for a .460 avg., 112 runs scored, 88 RBIs and 33 extra-base hits. Nate Denniston (8-0, 1.43 ERA in 11 appearances), Devon Neff (6-1) and Dalton Davis (6-2, 2.46 ERA) have handled most of the pitching duties.

The Cyclones have lived in the top five of the Prep Baseball Report-Colorado Power 25 all season.

If there’s a favorite here, it’s Silver Creek (26-2), which will have to be beaten twice in the double-elimination format and has won 20 games in succession.

The Raptors’ Spencer Rich, a senior, and Michael Wegleitner, a junior, each are batting .505. Rich includes 51 hits, 45 runs scored, eight doubles, seven triples and seven home runs among his numbers. Also recognize Charlie Jackson (.491, 18 extra-base hits). For pitching, Wegleitner is 8-1 with a 1.81 ERA and Tanner Regan is 7-0, 3.00 ERA.

Fort Morgan (19-9), which will meet the Raptors in the second game on Friday at 1:30 p.m., finished fourth in the Tri-Valley League, but has been good enough to make the 4A final four.

Credit the Mustangs, who count the late, great Glenn Miller (Big Band Swing King) as their most famous alumni – they began the season 1-3, but have won six of their past seven games and repeatedly bounced back like a rubber ball off a wall.

J.P. Hamer leads the way with a .395 avg., five homers among 17 extra-base hits, 32 hits and 37 runs scored. Alex Ortega has rapped 10 doubles. On the mound, Jacob Ortega is 8-2. Alex Ortega and Mateo Salcido each have won five games.