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You know, I think the electricity of the high school baseball season is leaking into the Rockies. They have some juice, man!

For example, the dominant and aforementioned Arvada West Wildcats, who are riding a 10-game win streak, played at “Mini Rockies Field” this past weekend, which is actually Blue Sky All-Star Park, home to Colorado Christian University. It’s also the venue for this year’s Class 5A baseball state championship game. The Rockies then beat the Dodgers for the second time in a row. Coincidence?

The unexpected snowstorm on Friday night made the fields difficult to prepare for baseball, so a quick phone call to the Gold Crown Foundation and CCU pulled some strings to host Arvada West’s latest league game against Lakewood on its all-artificial turf.

I think I speak for Rockies fans everywhere when I say A-West MUST play at All-Star Park the rest of the season. Make it happen!

And see why the team calls itself “African wild dogs” (???) in our Weekly Spotlight below.

It seems that Arvada West High School’s 2026 baseball squad is unbeatable in Colorado.

The No. 1-ranked team in the 5A Baseball CHSAA Selection & Seeding Index hasn’t lost to a team in its home state. A-West’s three losses this season came against Hamilton (Arizona), Basic (Nevada), and Reno (Nevada) during the Boras Classic in Arizona back in March.

The Wildcats haven’t lost since, and are riding a 10-game win streak, including a perfect 5-0 record against 5A Jeffco League opponents. You could say they have a “hunting mentality” on the diamond.

“That is what I like about our team. We call ourselves the African wild dogs,” Head Coach Danny Vais said after beating Lakewood on Saturday. “They are the most lethal hunters on Earth, and it takes a bunch of them to be able to win a game.”

QUICK HIGHLIGHTS VS. LAKEWOOD:

The Wildcats … er … African wild dogs … (doesn’t really roll off the tongue, but I like it) hopes to end their season at All-Star Park again on May 30 for the Class 5A state title game. But there’s still a month of baseball left. Lucky us!

SPORTSLAND is thrilled to partner with Dennis Pleuss, the Sports Information Director for Jeffco Public Schools, to bring you the best whip-around athletics coverage of all your Jeffco schools’ sports teams.

WHY SPORTSLAND? Sportsland is the go-to high school sports newsletter in Colorado, covering athletics across Jefferson and Adams Counties. We give you all the game updates, yes, but we also go deep behind the scenes to give you context to some of the best sports stories in our coverage areas. The best part? It’s FREE!

While other news stations prioritize Denver’s professional and college sports teams, we keep our eyes on the high school athletics landscape, providing key updates and legislative news from CHSAA, hard-hitting feature stories and connecting generations of families through sports.

The Brighton Bulldogs have QUICKLY become a team to circle on opponents’ baseball schedules in 2026, led by a rowdy and hungry group of seniors looking to make their last mark.

Off to a red-hot start, Brighton is 11-4 and a perfect 6-0 in the tough 5A/4A Rocky Mountain League, just ahead of Riverdale Ridge (5-1) and Boulder (4-1). The Bulldogs beat Riverdale Ridge 4-2 on April 14 and take on Boulder tonight at 6 p.m.!

Head Coach Pat Tabor credits his seniors for setting the tone in 2026.

“We’ve got great leadership with this group of seniors,” Tabor said. “When you’ve got that, you’re going to get some wins. It gives you something to really build on to be a good team, and that’s what we’re really striving for.”

Austin Sickler leads the senior squad. I watched the University of Evansville commit show off his athleticism with a filthy double-play against Westminster late last week. He snatched up a ground ball, took three strides to step on second base, then fired the ball to first in time.

HIGHLIGHTS VS. WESTMINSTER:

“Our goal from the beginning is to win the conference,” Tabor said. “We set that on the first day of tryouts. The second goal was to put us in a position where we could get to districts and put ourselves in a good spot. That’s what we’re jockeying at right now.”

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Last week’s poll: Is Nikola Jokic already the best Denver athlete of all time?
Yes, he’s the GOAT (51.7%) - Close one!

All records current as of April 20

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📅 2026 SPRING SPORTS SCHEDULE:

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