It was a healthy season on the baseball diamond around Aurora, as the 2023 season came to an end with two city programs (Cherokee Trail and Regis Jesuit) among the last four teams standing in the Class 5A Championship Series.
The Cougars — who finished as the 5A runner-up to Valor Christian — and the Raiders (who were eliminated with a loss to Cherokee Trail), plus Centennial League regular season champion Grandview have plenty of representation on the 2023 Sentinel Colorado All-Aurora Baseball Team, which is picked by the Sentinel in conjunction with voting of city coaches.
Cherokee Trail’s run to the 5A state championship game included the development of some young players coupled with a steady backbone of experience from seniors Bowen Tabola and Tommy Munch. Coach Jon DiGiorgio’s Cougars were filled with contributors, though they didn’t earn an abundant amount of postseason accolades.
Munch earned a spot on the All-Centennial League first team as a utility player as he saw some time behind the plate until he got nicked up, pitched on occasion and played primarily at first base. He led the Cougars in batting average (.378) and hits with 31.
Tabola assumed the full-time catching job for the stretch run for Cherokee Trail and his play was pivotal to its success. The Western Carolina University signee led his team in RBI with 23, while his six home runs were second among city players.
The Cougars also went so far because of their stable of arms, including two of the best pitchers around in junior Logan Reid and sophomore Carter Wilcox. Reid and Wilcox were special in the postseason, as they threw back-to-back complete games in Region 8 play against Legend (Reid) and Pine Creek (Wilcox) to get a team seeded 25th into the Championship Series.
Reid — who brought a major feeling of confidence to his team every time he took the mound — defeated top-seeded and defending state champion Broomfield in the postseason opener and kept the Cougars in a game it would eventually win against Rock Canyon in a game that sent them to the state championship game. He finished 4-2 with a 3.99 ERA and 44 strikeouts in 45 2/3 innings.
Wilcox pitched in relief and started as well and was particularly adept at striking hitters out, as he whiffed an Aurora-best 72 hitters in a team-high 57 2/3 innings. He finished 3-4 on the season (with a 3.64 ERA) and two of the wins came in the postseason with his victory against Pine Creek (which included 11 strikeouts) and a complete game shutout of Regis Jesuit in a Championship Series elimination game (with nine Ks).
Regis Jesuit had the area’s top pitcher in Hudson Alpert, who had a fantastic freshman season in which coach Matt Darr never hesitated to deploy him against the toughest teams.
The right-hander finished with an unblemished 7-0 record — with a win total that tied him for fourth in all of 5A — and he also led Aurora pitchers in ERA with 1.78. He yielded just 11 earned runs in 43 1/3 innings pitched.
In his only 5A Championship Series appearance, Alpert threw a one-hit complete game in a 7-1 win over Chaparral and he would have gotten the call had the Raiders made it through their elimination game against Cherokee Trail.
On the infield, Regis Jesuit featured junior shortstop Andrew Bell, who was one of the state’s top offensive threats. The All-Continental League first team selection hit .436 with a team-high 41 hits (20 for extra bases), which ranked fourth in 5A. Eight of his extra base hits were home runs, which easily led city sluggers and tied him for fourth in 5A. He also tied for first in the state with 44 RBI, which included seven in a Championship Series win.
In one torrid six-game stretch late in Continental League play, Bell hit 13-for-22 (.591) with five home runs, five doubles, 13 RBI and 15 runs scored.
Sophomore Christian Lopez put his legs to good use to cover ground in the outfield for Regis Jesuit, but he was also the area’s most dangerous table setter offensively. Lopez finished with a team-best batting average of .448, which came with the help of 39 hits, which tied him for fifth in the classification.
He led Aurora players in both runs scored (46) and stolen bases (25), which put the All-Continental League first team pick second and third in 5A, respectively. One of Lopez’s outfield teammates, junior Brody Chyr, also played at an All-Aurora first team level.
The lefty-swinging Chyr complimented Bell in the heart of the Raiders’ batting order and he produced 34 hits, including 11 for extra bases (six doubles, three triples and two home runs), while his 30 RBI ranked third among city players. Showing speed, Chyr swiped 17 bases and scored 31 runs to also finish in the top four in Aurora in both categories.
Grandview (which finished 17-7) had the Centennial League’s Pitcher of the Year in sophomore Jax Pfister, whose 49 1/3 innings pitched topped Aurora hurlers. In those appearances, he finished with a 5-2 record to go with a save. Pfister finished behind only Alpert in ERA among Aurora starting pitchers at 1.84, which saw just 13 earned runs cross the plate.
Pfister started and won the biggest game of the regular season for coach Scott Henry’s Wolves as he scattered three hits and struck out seven in a complete game 4-2 win over Cherry Creek that landed his team the regular season league title.
The Wolves’ infield was a definitely strength as three players — seniors Clifford Goldy and Tanner Pachorek and junior Tony Crow — made the All-Centennial League first team.
Goldy fills the All-Aurora role at designated hitter with a sparkling batting average of .444 that led his team, while 10 of his 28 hits went for extra bases, including five triples that tied him with Pachorek for best in the city. Goldy also finished second among Aurora players with 34 RBI, which led Centennial League players.
Pachorek also had an outstanding season at the plate with a healthy .429 average and had some memorable defensive plays, including one in the Wolves’ visit to Coors Field.
Eaglecrest finished with an 11-12 mark, but had a very competitive season for coach Tory Humphrey.
Junior outfielder John Rossi was a tone-setter for the Raptors, as he hit a sparkling .460 on the season, which led all Centennial League regulars by a decent margin. Rossi had eight extra base hits — including two home runs, both of which came in a victory over Northfield — and 29 hits in all.
Rossi — who had a 10-game hitting streak in the middle of the season — finished with 12 stolen bases and scored 25 runs (tied for seventh-most in the league) in addition to driving in 17 runs.
Smoky Hill senior Jackson Van Luit served as a jack-of-all-trades during his prep baseball career, as he appeared on the mound, at catcher and in various places in the field.
The Augustana College signee earned a spot on the All-Centennial League first team this season as he led his team with .328 batting average and 15 RBI, while he also stole 13 bases. On top of that, Van Luit pitched the second-most innings for the Buffaloes (33 2/3) and had a 1-2 record with a 3.53 ERA.
Courtney Oakes is Sentinel Colorado Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
2023 SENTINEL COLORADO ALL-AURORA BASEBALL TEAM
FIRST TEAM
Pitcher: Hudson Alpert, fr., Regis Jesuit; Jax Pfister, soph., Grandview; Logan Reid, jr., Cherokee Trail; Carter Wilcox, soph., Cherokee Trail; Catcher: Bowen Tabola, sr., Cherokee Trail; Infield: Andrew Bell, jr., Regis Jesuit; Clifford Goldy, sr., Grandview; Tommy Munch, sr., Cherokee Trail; Tanner Pachorek, sr., Grandview; Outfield: Brody Chyr, jr., Regis Jesuit; Christian Lopez, soph., Regis Jesuit; John Rossi, jr., Eaglecrest; Utility: Jackson Van Luit, sr., Smoky Hill
SECOND TEAM
Pitcher: Conner Brennan, soph., Eaglecrest; Jack Carey, sr., Regis Jesuit; Nick Martensen, jr., Grandview; Ethin Woltz, soph., Cherokee Trail; Catcher: Anthony Porras, sr., Vista PEAK; Infield: Noah Brown, soph., Eaglecrest; Brody Ceyrolles, soph., Cherokee Trail; Tony Crow, jr., Grandview; Braedan Reichert, jr., Cherokee Trail; Outfield: Braylan Bell, sr., Eaglecrest; Akoi Burton, soph., Cherokee Trail; Spenser Smock, sr., Grandview; Utility: Connor Geiss, sr., Overland; Connor Angelini, jr., Vista PEAK
HONORABLE MENTION
Heber Almeida, fr., Gateway; Andrew Aragon, sr., Aurora Central; Connor Bass, sr., Overland; Charlie Boyd, sr., Cherokee Trail; Ethan Brennesholtz, sr., Gateway; Chase Dahir, sr., Grandview; Dash Deavers, jr., Smoky Hill; Chris Delatorre, fr., Gateway; Anthony Gall, sr., Eaglecrest; Hudson Gibbens, sr., Rangeview; Brian Herrera, jr., Vista PEAK; Brien Kenny, sr., Regis Jesuit; Nate Lewis, sr., Regis Jesuit; Collin May, jr., Grandview; Max McGinnis, sr., Rangeview; Micah McPhail, jr., Rangeview; Emilio Morales, fr., Vista PEAK; Luke Reasbeck, soph., Regis Jesuit; Steven Reaux, jr., Vista PEAK; Anthony Rubio, fr., Gateway; Brayden Stufft, jr., Eaglecrest; Edgar Alejos Torres, sr., Aurora Central; German Villalobos, sr., Aurora Central