Kyle Mills / Post Independent
Following regular seasons that saw the Glenwood Springs and Rifle baseball teams reach the state playoffs, the two rival schools landed 3 players each earn 4A Western Slope League all-conference first-team honors, as voted on by the league’s coaches.
Glenwood Springs seniors Dylan Lee, Tyler Dollahan, and Chano Gonzalez earned first-team accolades for the Demons, while Rifle seniors Eddie Medina and Randy Starks, and junior Derek Wagler landed on the first team for the Bears.
The 3 Glenwood Springs seniors led the Demons to a 14-10 record on the year, including a 9-3 mark in the 4A Western Slope League. Glenwood reached the regional playoffs for the second straight year, but the Demons were bounced by the Golden Demons, 5-2, in the first round.
On the year, Lee hit .329 for Glenwood, driving in 21 runs on 6 doubles, 1 triple, and 2 home runs, one of which was a walk-off against Eagle Valley to close the season at home. The senior right-hander also worked 28.2 innings on the mound for Glenwood, going 4-1 with a 4.88 ERA, adding 21 strikeouts and 22 walks. Dollahan hit .371 on the year with a team-high 5 home runs. The senior also drove in 20 runs, adding 5 doubles and 2 triples. Gonzalez, a two-way standout for Glenwood, hit .265 on the year, driving in 21 runs on 10 doubles. On the mound, Gonzalez worked a team-high 44.2 innings, striking out 65 and walking 45. The senior right-hander finished with a 1-3 record and a 4.07 ERA.
Rifle’s trio helped the Bears finish the year 14-9 overall, including a 6-6 mark in the 4A Western Slope League. The Bears reached the regional playoffs as well, where they fell to Skyview, 7-3, in the first round.
In 23 games, Wagler led the Bears with a .545 average, driving in 36 runs with 10 doubles, a school-record 10 triples, and 2 home runs. On the mound in 9 appearances, Wagler went 2-3 with a 6.68 ERA in 14.2 innings, striking out 16 while walking 11. Medina hit .403 in his final season with the Bears, driving in 33 runs on 5 doubles, 1 triple, and 1 home run – a Grand Slam. The senior right-hander was a workhorse on the mound for the Bears, working 45 innings, striking out 35 and walking just 23, finishing 5-1 record and a 5.13 ERA on the year in 15 appearances. Starks formed a strong duo with Medina, working a team-high 51.2 innings, striking out a team-high 46 on the year. Starks finished with a 5-5 record and a 3.93 ERA in 12 appearances for Rifle. At the plate, Starks hit .300 with 13 runs batted in and 2 doubles on the year.
Aside from the first team, Glenwood Springs saw 4 players earn honorable mention accolades in the league, while Rifle saw 2 players earn honorable mention.
Juniors Ash Stolley, and Cole Houston, and sophomores Garrett Dollahan and Wheatley Nieslanik earned honorable mention accolades for the Demons.
Stolley hit .315 on the year for Glenwood, driving in 9 runs, while Houston hit .291 with 14 RBIs, adding 3 doubles, 1 triple, and 1 home run on the year. Dollahan hit .353 with 12 RBIs for Glenwood, while Nieslanik hit .367 with 15 RBIs. The sophomore right-hander also worked 29 innings on the mound for Glenwood, going 4-2 with a 4.10 ERA, striking out 36 and walking just 13.
For Rifle, senior Wyatt Warfel and junior Levi Warfel earned honorable mention accolades. Wyatt Warfel drove in 13 runs while leading the Bears in fielding percentage with a .959 mark, while Levi Warfel hit .243 with 9 RBIs, adding a perfect 23-for-23 mark in steals.
Palisade swept the individual accolades as Nate Porter was named Coach of the Year, while Stevenson Reynolds was named Player of the Year and Cavan Powlowski was named Pitcher of the Year.