Reigning 5A softball player of the year Hunter Huser of Mountain Range. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)
It should come as no surprise that the defending Class 5A state champion is one of the final 16 teams headed into this weekend’s state softball tournament.
Yet somehow Mountain Range punching its state ticket – by winning a regional title no less – was one of the bigger upsets of last Saturday’s regional round.
That’s because the Mustangs came into the Region 7 tournament in Arvada as the No. 26 overall seed. At times there was even a bit of doubt if the team would qualify for the postseason, but there is something to be said for experience and for confidence.
“I think we actually proved that a low seed can move forward,” Mountain Range coach Dane Craig said. “When teams can get hot … good things are going to happen in this tournament.”
The state softball tournament gets rolling Friday morning at Aurora Sports Park with a 10 a.m. start. The title games in all three classifications will take place Saturday afternoon.
It wasn’t just the Mustangs though who proved that if age is just a number, the same could be said for seeding. Rock Canyon, the No. 20 seed in 5A, won the Region 4 tournament. No. 25 Cherry Creek won a pair of elimination games to qualify as the second team from Region 2.
In Class 4A it was 24th-seeded Falcon that disrupted the field, claiming the Region 2 title with victories over the Nos. 8 and 9 seeds.
“We kind of set this goal before we came into this weekend, saying this was kind of our tournament to forget about our first 19 games because we were up and down,” said Falcons coach Kerri Millikan, whose squad finished the regular season with a 9-10 record.
“We came out with an intense attitude and put together two great wins.”
The eight regionals in 3A pretty much played out as expected, with 22nd-seeded Platte Valley the only surprise. The Patriots eliminated No. 11 seed Burlington to advance to state.
Mountain Range – which is now the No. 8 seed in 5A and opens with Douglas County – had perhaps the most interesting path to state in regional play. After storming their way to the first-ever state title in 2015, the Mustangs endured a trying regular season that led to a seventh-place finish in the Front Range League.
What hurt the team most was an early injury to 2015 Player of the Year Hunter Huser, who sustained a deep ligament bruise on her wrist after being hit by a pitch.
Huser was never quite herself during the regular season, including a rough showing against Fossil Ridge on Oct. 4 that saw the senior allow 10 runs on 18 hits.
(Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)
A little rest proved to be the right tonic though, as Huser allowed only four combined runs in victories over No. 7 Arvada West and that same Fossil Ridge team in the regional title game.
Sophomore Rachel Colwell and junior Ellery Sherman each had three hits in the 10-3 victory over the Sabercats.
Craig said his team was more than prepared after going through the gauntlet of the Front Range League. Six of the final 16 teams in 5A are from the Front Range, and league champion Broomfield is the No. 1 seed and a potential quarterfinal opponent for Mountain Range.
“I think these girls are not looking ahead,” he said. “We’re excited for the opportunity to defend our state championship, and I’m really looking forward to it.”
Falcon, which is the No. 8 seed in 4A and faces No. 9 Pueblo West on Friday, also has a challenging schedule to thank for getting the squad prepared for the postseason. The Falcons have already played three of the top seven seeds at the 4A state tournament, and also faced defending 3A champion and No. 1 seed Strasburg as well.
The Falcons broke a late tie to defeat Elizabeth in the regional opener last weekend, and the bats got hot in a 16-5 triumph over Conifer. Senior Tierney Norris homered in both games, freshman Alexa Winter drove in four runs against Conifer and sophomore Taylor Striebel went the distance in both games.
Falcon made the quarterfinals last fall before falling 1-0 to Wheat Ridge, but the team graduated all-state hitter/pitcher Laci Lashley. Millikan returned only two players at the same position from a year ago, and the Falcons had to change from a power-hitting team to a squad that was more focused on the fundamentals.
It paid off, as Falcon has received key contributions from up and down the lineup.
“It takes everybody to get to that game No. 4 of the state tournament,” Millikan said. “We’re fighting for every single game, but our season right now is four games long.”
2016 state softball tournament
Class 5A
- Bracket
- Defending State Champion: Mountain Range
- Top 4 Seeds: 1. Broomfield, 2. Cherokee Trail, 3. Eaglecrest, 4. Loveland
Class 4A
- Bracket
- Defending State Champion: Valor Christian
- Top 4 Seeds: 1. Erie, 2. Mullen, 3. Valor Christian, 4. Wheat Ridge
Class 3A
- Bracket
- Defending State Champion: Strasburg
- Top 4 Seeds: 1. Strasburg, 2. Rocky Ford, 3. Eaton, 4. Brush