The Greeley West softball team is about to take the field against Rifle after finishing their season with a record of 15-5, going 3-0 to end the season after losing to nationally-ranked Holy Family. In their last three games, West has averaged 14 runs a game with a 16-0 shutout against Mountain View and a 19-2 win over cross-town rival Greeley Central.
The Spartans, who were seeded 13th by CHSAA for their RPI, have had a dominant season, finishing with their best record since 2009. This season, they hit a batting average of .382 and tallied 267 runs through 23 games. On the defensive side, the Lady Spartans allowed an ERA of 3.95 with 192 strikeouts and a fielding percentage of .815.
Head Coach Kaylyn Kingman reflected on the season. “This program has had a long period of adversity since Coach (Don) Wagner retired, but we are on a climb towards the top. Since taking over the program, the girls have learned how to have short-term memory and move on from bone-shaking plays with a growth mindset in addition to speaking kindly to themselves to encourage a positive mindset.”
As the Spartan approach the post season, Kingman wants them to keep the same focus. “We keep setting the bar (higher). We are fully capable of our expectations,” Kingman said.
The Spartans look to regionals as they placed second in their conference behind Holy Family and are ranked 8th in 4A for Colorado. Last year in regionals, the team won their first game against Pueblo South but then lost and got eliminated in a rematch against Pueblo South.
“Regionals was last year, but the goal for this year is to go to state. I think the approaches that we had offensively and defensively have made this season feel like when we get to regionals we are going to feel more confident,” Kingman said.
