Holy Family High School’s baseball team took its second consecutive state championship over Eaton High School last weekend.
The Broomfield team won the Class 3A title by 8-2 May 24 at Butch Butler Park in Greeley.
First-year head coach Eric Nakayama led the team to its win and a nearly perfect season. Holy Family finished with a 24-1 record and often closed games with an average margin of more than 10 runs.
“We knew these seniors, when they were coming in as freshmen, were going to be a special group of kids,” Nakayama said.
The highlight of the game came when pitcher Austin Brown “shut down a really good offensive power in the Eaton Reds,” Nakayama said. “He was on a mission that day.”
The coach said the team was mentally and physically prepared after pressure from the season and a state title win last year.
Holy Family also won the championship last year under coach Marc Cowell. Nakayama served as assistant coach that year, a position he held for 10 years.
“I’m very fortunate to keep the tradition of Holy Family baseball going,” he said.
Next season, Holy Family will compete in Class 4A.
