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.
Holy Family High School’s Conor Stanley dumps water on head coach Eric Nakayama after winning the 3A state championship. Photo by Jeremy Papasso/ Daily Camera
“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.
Photo by Jeremy Papasso/ Daily Camera
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