Usually, making it to the Aurora Sports Park means a successful season for a prep softball team, as it’s the site of the state tournament.
Cherokee Trail and Eaglecrest will play in those friendly confines on Oct. 15, but it will take two wins for them to get back there for real the following week.
The Cougars and Raptors each posted big wins in the final week of the regular season and both earned hosting duties for regionals. There is certainly an advantage to playing just a few minutes from home.
“It will be nice to sleep in,” said Eaglecret coach Yvette Hendrian, whose team played regionals in Arvada last season, in Fort Collins in 2014 and in Brighton in 2013.
“Most of our players have played at the Sports Park in summer ball and they are comfortable,” she added. “It’s nice and close to home, so hopefully we can build a bigger fan base. The kids like to play in front of big crowds.”
Coach Caley Mitchell’s Cougars (16-3) and Hendrian’s Raptors (15-4), Nos. 3 and 5 in the final RPI standings used to determine the playoff field this season, have played at a level that deserves to be seen by big crowds.
Cherokee Trail — which beat Eaglecrest 8-1 in its regular season finale Oct. 5 — has been on a determined quest to end a four-year drought since the program’s last appearance at the state tournament in 2012.
Besides a potent offense led by senior Chloe Knapp and others, the double-barreled pitching tandem of seniors Emily Bell and Audrey Pickett give the Cougars plenty of ammunition to get through tournament play, especially with the double-elimination format of regionals.
Cherokee Trail is the host team for Region 5, which begins at 10 a.m. at the Aurora Sports Park. The Cougars face 30th-seeded Pine Creek in their opener, while No. 19 Columbine and No. 14 Brighton square off in the other first round game. Winners and losers play again at 12:15 p.m. with the game for the final state tournament spot scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
Hendrian has similar talent to work with in the Raptors, who have a strong order keyed by sophomore Rachel Sabourin and features a very complimentary pitching staff of senior Kathleen Ingram and juniors Braelyne Crenshaw and Mackenzie Hochstetler.
Eaglecrest hasn’t had problems reaching the state tournament in recent years and Hendrian believes this team has all the right ingredients to earn another trip.
The Raptors host Region 3 at the Aurora Sports Park and open with a 10 a.m. contest against No. 28 Chatfield, while No. 21 Mountain Vista and No. 12 Ralston Valley meet in the other early game. The schedule is the same as the other regional. Both are in Complex A.
Grandview and Smoky Hill — both 5A state tournament qualifiers last season — head out on the road for their chance to make it back to the Aurora Sports Park.
The 23rd-seeded Wolves must navigate a difficult Region 7 field, starting with an opening matchup against No. 7 Arvada West, while the 27th-seeded Buffaloes head to Region 6 and take on No. 6 Legend to open things up.
Coach Dave Thies’ Grandview team and coach BJ Kingsbaker’s Smoky Hill squad have talented rosters and made it through difficult schedules, so they have the tools they need to win twice — despite tough fields — and get into the state tournament.
Vista PEAK finished just outside of the 4A regional playoff field, as the Bison were bumped out by an automatic qualifier.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Aurora Prep Sentinel
2016 CLASS 5A SOFTBALL REGIONALS
Oct. 15
REGION 3 (At Aurora Sports Park — Complex A, Fields 2 & 3 — EAGLECREST host)
Game 1: No. 28 Chatfield (7-12) vs. NO. 5 EAGLECREST (15-4), 10 a.m.; Game 2: No. 21 Mountain Vista (12-7) vs. No. 12 Ralston Valley (11-7), 10 a.m.; Game 3: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner (winner qualifies for 5A state tournament), 12:15 p.m.; Game 4: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 12:15 p.m.; Game 5: Loser Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4 (winner qualifiers for 5A state tournament), 2:30 p.m.
REGION 5 (at Aurora Sports Park — Complex A, Fields 1 & 4 — CHEROKEE TRAIL host)
Game 1: No. 30 Pine Creek (10-8-1) vs. NO. 3 CHEROKEE TRAIL (16-3), 10 a.m.; Game 2: No. 19 Columbine (9-10) vs. No. 14 Brighton (16-3), 10 a.m.; Game 3: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner (winner qualifies for 5A state tournament), 12:15 p.m.; Game 4: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 12:15 p.m.; Game 5: Loser Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4 (winner qualifiers for 5A state tournament), 2:30 p.m.
REGION 6 (At Salisbury Park — Fields 3 & 4 — Legend host)
Game 1: NO. 27 SMOKY HILL (10-9) vs. No. 6 Legend (14-4-1), 10 a.m.; Game 2: No. 22 Poudre (10-9) vs. No. 11 Dakota Ridge (11-8), 10 a.m.; Game 3: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner (winner qualifies for 5A state tournament), 12:15 p.m.; Game 4: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 12:15 p.m.; Game 5: Loser Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4 (winner qualifiers for 5A state tournament), 2:30 p.m.
REGION 7 (At Lutz Sports Complex — Fields 1 & 2 — Arvada West host)
Game 1: No. 26 Mountain Range (10-9) vs. No. 7 Arvada West (13-5-1), 10 a.m.; Game 2: NO. 23 GRANDVIEW (9-10) vs. No. 10 Fossil Ridge (15-4), 10 a.m., 10 a.m.; Game 3: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner (winner qualifies for 5A state tournament), 12:15 p.m.; Game 4: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 12:15 p.m.; Game 5: Loser Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4 (winner qualifiers for 5A state tournament), 2:30 p.m.
