The field is set, and an experienced group of Durango High School baseball players are ready to take the state tournament by storm.
No. 7 DHS will open play in the elite eight of the Colorado High School Activities Association Class 4A State Championships against No. 2 Longmont at 12:30 p.m. Friday at Cherokee Trail High School in Aurora.
The Demons (13-8) have 14 players on this year’s team who reached the final four of the state tournament a year ago, and they are ready to take the next step to get to a championship game.
“I think we have a really good chance to come out as state champs if we keep putting the work in and play aggressive once we get there,” said DHS senior Blake Dunlap, son of Aaron and Julie Dunlap. “With the returning kids from last year who were up there with us, they know what it is all about. State is a whole different kind of ballgame; it is a lot more intense and a battle the whole time.”
The Demons reached the elite eight after winning District 6 with a 3-1 win against No. 26 Eagle Valley and an 11-3 win against No. 10 Ponderosa. Longmont entered the district tournament as a No. 15 seed and won District 5 with a 4-3 win over No. 18 Thomas Jefferson and a 4-3 win against No. 31 Broomfield, who knocked off No. 2 Windsor in the first round of districts. Longmont was reseeded as the No. 2 team in the bracket after winning the No. 2 seed’s district tournament.
The Longmont Trojans (14-7) have had an up and down season after starting 5-1, going on a six-game winning streak before dropping three consecutive games to end the regular season. The Trojans’ team batting average stands at .316, and they have eight home runs this season. Longmont’s pitchers have combined for a team earned-run average of 5.05. The Demons likely will face either Will Amen, who carries a 6-3 record with a 2.80 ERA, or Brett Sterkel, who is 5-4 with a 4.68 ERA.
Longmont averages nearly seven runs per game, while the Demons have averaged 8.5 runs per game this year. The Demons boast a team batting average of .352 with eight homers of their own.
Blake Dunlap, Casey Dunlap, Isiah Mayberry, Jeremy Szura and Tyler Worley all are hitting for an average better than .400 this season.
“Our bats definitely are our strongest asset; we are a good hitting team for sure,” said Szura, son of Kari and Matt Szura. “When we put everything else together with our hitting, we are a pretty good squad.”
A pair of Longmont seniors could give DHS problems. Cameron Yee is hitting .443 this season, and Andrew Bladt is hitting .412 with three home runs, eight doubles and 27 runs batted in.
Durango’s team ERA stands at 5.60, but the Demons’ pitching staff has come on strong in recent weeks behind quality starts from Blake Dunlap and Lawrence Mayberry. Casey Dunlap also could see a start on the mound with Chris Jaworsky, Dayne Rowley and Ben Wiley all capable of throwing long innings when the Demons need them in the double-elimination tournament.
“Our pitching has really come around, and that is going to help us a bunch,” Blake Dunlap said. “We just need to focus up a bit on throwing strikes. With the way our defense is playing lately, if we just throw strikes and trust those guys, we don’t need to paint every corner.”
If the Demons can advance past the Trojans, they would face the winner of No. 3 Valor Christian and No. 6 Wheat Ridge. After No. 1 Montrose and No. 2 Windsor lost in district tournaments, Valor Christian is the top-seeded team remaining in the tournament. No. 4 Delta and No. 5 Pueblo East also lost in districts, making Wheat Ridge the second highest seed remaining.
If the Demons lose to the Trojans, they will face the loser of the Valor Christian-Wheat Ridge game. If they win, the game will be played at 3 p.m. Friday at Cherokee Trail High School. If they lose, the Demons will play at 10 a.m. Saturday at All-Star Park in Denver.
“We aren’t planning on losing,” said Isiah Mayberry, son of George and Tonya Mayberry. “We just have to keep our heads and play like we’ve been playing. This is a game of going on runs, and hopefully we can go on a run.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
