Creek boys’ varsity baseball lost 7-2 against Mountain Vista in the regional finals on Saturday, May 20. The Bruins took a 2-0 lead in the second inning, but Mountain Vista came back, scoring four runs in the fifth inning and three runs in the sixth.

In 2022, varsity didn’t make it to the playoffs, making this 2023 quality run important for the team. But the unsuccessful playoff bid this season was even more devastating, especially for seniors.

“It was a tough loss to end the season,” multi-position senior Ryan Jones said. “We all had hopes of going all the way and the talent was definitely there, we just didn’t play how we normally did and couldn’t pull it together”

Despite the loss, baseball head coach Marc Johnson noticed improvement in the team over the course of the season; he especially saw change in their chemistry and teamwork. 

“The team bonding was as good as it’s been. I was very, very pleased with that,” Johnson said. “They practice hard and I couldn’t have asked for any more from them than what they gave. We just had a very bad day.”

Junior pitcher Paul Hughes saw the same dynamic, seeing the team as a friend group, not just a lineup. 

“My teammates were my absolute best friends,” Hughes said. “I wouldn’t want to spend everyday with anyone else and we had great chemistry.”

Mountain Vista was Creek’s second opponent of the day, after facing Arvada West just hours earlier. They fell behind 7-0, but scored 10 runs, featuring a four RBI performance from sophomore shortstop Sean Goldy. 

According to Hughes, the double-header made them ever more vulnerable for a loss against Mountain Vista. “The energy and momentum was still there for the next game against Vista,” Jones said. “Yet we couldn’t get anything to work like we normally did, which was tough to watch.”

Players like Goldy and Hughes are what made Johnson so proud of the 2023 roster. “We were the team who started three sophomores, probably three juniors and we had a couple of injured players that were younger as well,” Johnson said. “With the youth that we had, we really have something to look forward to.”

But the seniors whose high school baseball careers are over are disappointed in the end, especially leaving a group that gave them so much care in their four years. “The constant support made the program feel like a family so I’m torn about leaving it,” Jones said. “[I’m] excited to see what the team can do in the future because we have a ton of young talent.”

That promise makes the team excited for the years to come when the current sophomores will become upperclassmen team leaders. 

“No excuses,” Hughes said. “But we will come back next year with a chip on our shoulder.”