Baseball: Our 2024 all-state team

Holy Family’s Cole Kuszak and Lyons’ Wyatt Waters were first teamers as 28 local players made the Colorado High School Activities Association all-state baseball list.

Kuszak was 7-1 with a 3.48 ERA in 56 1/3 innings, helping lead the Tigers to the 4A title. Fellow-senior pitcher Brady Hudson had similar numbers on the mound (7-2, 2.78 ERA) and made the 4A second team. Outfielders Logan Seifarth and Rylan Cooney were honorable mentions, while Daily Camera player of the year Jayden Watts, even after his monster postseason (14 RBIs in four double-elimination games), was left off. Marc Cowell was 4A’s coach of the year.

Waters won seven games and had a 2.81 ERA with a state-most 130 strikeouts, leading Lyons to the final weekend of the 2A baseball double-elimination tournament. Freshman teammate Zack LaCrosse made the second team (.434 BA, 0.50 ERA in 41 2/3 IP). Jake LaCrosse and Finn Oetting were honorable mentions for the Lions.

Broomfield’s Dane Most was the lone 5A local to make one of the teams as his .347 batting average, 32 runs and 16 RBIs helped land him on the second team. Catcher Brendan Fritch and pitcher Ethan Zufall were honorable mentions for the Eagles.

Dawson’s Milo Richtel, a freshman, was a 2A second teamer after hitting .561 with 39 runs and 27 RBIs. He also stole 16 bases. Charles Heathwood and Jimmy Leuchten were honorable mentions for the Mustangs.

Other honorable mentions in 5A included Monarch’s Riley Hall, Christian Mittleman, Erie’s Taylor McMaster, Fairview’s Jack Espiritu-Niswonger and Legacy’s Ethan Sanchez.

Mead’s Dalton Berg, Ike Campbell, Longmont’s Collin Pool, Niwot’s Haden Shaw, Silver Creek’s Jake Bator and Skyline’s Jonathan Canar were honorable mentions in 4A.

Left in 3A’s HMs were Jefferson Academy’s Riley Prevost, Peak to Peak’s Eddie Castilleja and Prospect Ridge Academy’s Zeke Bote.