The Colorado high school baseball season kicks off on March 7, opening day for regular season action under CHSAA regulations. Leading up to opening day, we’ll be publishing our team previews ahead of the 2024 spring season, touching on programs spanning all state classifications, counting down through the official Prep Baseball Colorado Preseason Power 25 Rankings.

Perennially, we’ve submitted a preseason questionnaire to high school head coaches across the entire state. Their responses have been flooding in and we’re using the detailed insight they’ve provided in our team-by-team preseason analysis.

Our 2024 preseason coverage continues today:

High School: Fruita Monument
Head Coach: Casey Sullivan (3 years)
Classification: 5A
League: 5A/4A Southwestern
2023 Record: 19-3

Top Seniors: 
Hunter Smolinski, SS (Grand Canyon): .606 BA, 4 HR, 1.752 OPS in ‘23
Keenan Oxford, 1B (Lamar): .478 BA, 1 HR, 1.320 OPS, 9 SB in ‘23 
Kolton Hicks, C (Southern Idaho): .358 BA, 1 HR, 1.137 OPS in ‘23
Lucas Weaver, RHP (Cowley County): .405 BA, 1.004 OPS, 56.2 IP, 1.73 ERA, 18 BB, 82 Ks in ‘23
Carter Hines, OF (Des Moines): .517 BA, 1.309 OPS, 12 SB in ‘23
Parker Noah, OF: .362 BA, 1.005 OPS, 10 SB in ‘23
Masen Lopez, MIF: .350 BA, .854 OPS in ‘23

Top Juniors: 
Karson Reed, UTIL: .389 BA, .920 OPS in ‘23
Hunter Williamson, P
Dean Marsh, UTIL: .389 BA, .950 OPS in ‘23
Jimmy Hawkins, MI

Impact Underclassmen: 
Gavin Cardoza, OF (2026): .286 BA, .902 OPS in ‘23

2024 SEASON OUTLOOK:

The Fruita Monument program has quite a few contributors returning from their 19-3 season last spring. Coach Sullivan expects around 7-8 everyday starters back in this lineup again for 2024, and they also return Lucas Weaver on the mound who helped carry them in 2023. Weaver can eat up plenty of innings, comes with high pitch-ability, and has quality swing and miss stuff while also being a more than capable hitter in the box. Another carrier for this Wildcats’ group is senior Hunter Smolinski. The Grand Canyon commit is one of the best left-handed bats in the state, showcasing an elite hit tool along with plenty of power. There will be at least five players on this squad who are committed to playing college baseball in spring 2025, making them an interesting team if they can make some noise in the postseason. 

UPCOMING EVENTS:

SHOWCASE	STATE	DATE	LOCATION
Northern Colorado Preseason ID	CO	02/04	The Sports Stable - Boulder, CO
Super 60 Pro Showcase	NATIONAL	02/04	The MAX - McCook, IL
Colorado Springs Preseason ID	CO	02/11	The Farm Sports
Denver Preseason ID	CO	02/17	Marucci Clubhouse
2024 Colorado Preseason All-State (Invite-Only)	CO	02/25	The Farm Sports - Colorado Springs, CO

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