A Year of Optimism Continues at Denver Academy with Upcoming Baseball Season

You don’t need to look very far to see that change, either. With only one infielder remaining from last year’s team, the quest to find another shortstop, second baseman, and third baseman is in full swing. Mustang fixture Nolan Monasch graduated, and so did third baseman Jonathan Hemenway. Also, Spencer Gosch, the heir apparent to the shortstop position, left DA at the end of last year. A week in, it seems that sophomore Teddy Peterson is going to inherit the most critical position on the diamond, with senior Brendan King likely to play the hot corner at third base. There are numerous candidates for the second base position, including the most likely options of junior Matthew Welch and sophomore Noah Altberger. 

There’s been less change in the outfield with the return of Mason Nutter and Chris Janssen locking up the corners, and again, Matthew Welch looks like he could be a good replacement for Parker Lord in center field.

While there is a lot of change defensively, the offensive side of the ball has given the Mustangs a lot to be excited about.

“This is a great-hitting squad, guys!” Captain Josh Ortman has said at the end of nearly every practice, and he’s not wrong. Josh had the third-highest batting average in the Mile High League last year with an outlandishly high .486, and rookie senior Brendan King has been hitting rockets in practice. Players like Austen Winchester and Noah Altberger have been getting in on the fun as well. There won’t be an outstanding measurement of how good this team really is at the plate until opening day.

The area with the most uncertainty is on the mound. Mustang workhorse Nolan Monasch isn’t here anymore and it’s going to be interesting to see who steps up. There is likely going to be a more even spread of pitchers than there was last year, keeping pitch counts up and rest key for this team.

The season gets going officially on Tuesday, March 11 against DSST Montview. The early stretch of games has Mustang captains Josh Ortman and Jack Wood quietly confident about what this team could produce this year. Other early games include a doubleheader against Weldon Valley on April 4, as well as a long-awaited matchup versus Cripple Creek-Victor on April 7. The familiar foes of the Mile High League are still there as well with games against tough foes like Front Range Christian, Lyons, Estes Park, and SkyView Academy. Assuming that some of these games don’t go the way of the Mustangs, two pivotal late-season matchups await in Dayspring Christian and Arrupe Jesuit. Those games, which wrap up the season, will likely determine the ultimate fate of this squad. 

For the third consecutive year, the Mustangs finished within five spots of the playoffs last year. That continued heartbreak from the last three years will no doubt light a fire under the team to finally break through. For this to happen, however, they would need to win more games than in the past, likely seven at a minimum. Is it doable? Absolutely, but it will be a long, hard road to get there. While the offense isn’t as inconsistent as it has been in the past, the defense is the biggest question mark. If it can back up a pitch-to-contact style staff, the team absolutely has the right ingredients to go far.