LAKEWOOD — Somebody better check the RPI machine, because in no baseball universe is Valor Christian a No. 15 seed.
The Eagles played like the Class 5A favorite through the first weekend of the state tournament, beating Rocky Mountain 12-7 in Friday’s opener before routing Regis Jesuit and Rock Canyon, 11-1 in both Saturday games, to advance to next weekend’s championship.
It puts Valor Christian, which won three straight 4A crowns from 2016-18, in the driver’s seat to win the program’s first 5A title.
“We’re not done,” asserted senior second baseman Carson Tinney, who homered in both of Saturday’s games. “We’ve got a job to finish.”
The Eagles used a nine-run second inning to uncork the blowout against Rock Canyon in Saturday’s semifinals at All-Star Park, a frame fueled by a pair of three-run homers from Tinney and junior first baseman Keegan Waters. Tinney, a Notre Dame pledge, is one of six college commits on Valor Christian’s roster.
Defensively, Eagles No. 3 starter senior Hunter Smith threw a complete game, as the South Mountain Community College commit worked around 10 hits to limit Rock Canyon’s damage to just one run. In addition to Smith, Valor Christian’s rotation also features senior left-hander Ben Leikam (Wichita State) and junior left-hander Athan Kroll (Dallas Baptist).
“We’ve got three guys who can all get the job done, and that gives this team a lot of confidence,” first-year Valor Christian coach Travis Cruz said. “All three have been on a roll.”
Valor Christian started its season with four straight losses in a tournament in Florida, and then lost its second in-state game to defending champion Broomfield on March 22. That made the Eagles, who were battling injuries, 1-5. Three straight losses to Grandview, Heritage and Regis Jesuit followed from April 8-13, at which point Valor Christian was an unimpressive 4-8.
But the Eagles haven’t lost since, reeling off 15 straight victories to propel them into the final weekend of the season.
“(The No. 15 seed) put a little chip on our shoulder because everyone doubted us a little bit after the beginning of the season,” said senior catcher Cashel Dugger, a UCLA pledge. “We came out this tournament and we’re trying to prove everybody wrong — we’re playing loose, believing in our brotherhood and beating everybody with relaxation. We’re in a good spot.”
Despite Rock Canyon’s sound defeat on Saturday afternoon, don’t count out a Jaguars rally next weekend. Rock Canyon features two of the state’s top players in senior shortstop Chase Jaworsky (Utah Valley commit) and right-hander/outfielder Sean Barta (Pima Community College).
Also advancing to the Class 5A Final Four were Regis Jesuit and Cherokee Trail. After the Raiders were walloped by Valor Christian, they bounced back to eliminate Mountain Vista, 15-5, and move on. Meanwhile, the Cougars fell 7-2 to Rock Canyon before defeating Chaparral, 9-4, in a weather-delayed game at All-City Stadium to set up a showdown against Regis Jesuit next Friday.
Valor Christian, which won all three of its 4A crowns coming from the consolation bracket on the final weekend, believes it can bottle its momentum heading into the pivotal final day of the season. Whoever comes out of the bottom bracket will have to beat the Eagles twice. Valor Christian is making its second 5A championship game appearance after losing to Mountain Vista in that game in 2021.
“As long as we stay focused within us, we can do great things next weekend,” Cruz said. “Everybody will be after us and gunning for us, but it’s no different than everybody gunning for us all the time, because of the V (on our hats).”
In the Class 4A bracket, Severance is in command after beating top-seeded Holy Family 6-5 in the semifinals at UCCS. Golden and Lutheran also advanced to next weekend; those two teams will play first next Friday, with the winner meeting Holy Family. The winner of that game will then need to beat Severance, which is seeking its first state championship, twice for the title.
