Boulder names Carmen Rivas new baseball coach

Boulder has turned to Carmen Rivas to lead its baseball program, hiring the veteran coach on Tuesday.

Rivas was the head coach at Centaurus (for seven years) and Monarch (also seven years) until he resigned and stepped away from coaching in 2009. He led both programs to a lot of success, including six league titles in seven years at Centaurus, and a 71-50 record and three more league titles at Monarch.

Monarch’s 2006 team made the Class 5A Final 4 under Rivas.

Rivas also spent two seasons as the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator for the University of Northern Colorado’s baseball program. Additionally, he was an assistant at Fairview in the 1990s.

“I am extremely excited to welcome coach Rivas back to the 5A Front Range League,” Boulder athletic director Eddie Hartnett said in a statement. “It became clearly evident that coach Rivas is well respected and well known throughout the Colorado high school baseball environment. I am confident that coach Rivas will bring a positive approach that will impact Boulder High School baseball for many years to come.”

The plan is for Rivas to meet with the team next month, and then lead the program during fall ball.

Hartnett had crossed paths with Rivas when he was coaching Monarch and Hartnett was the athletic director at Northglenn, and later the district athletic director at Adams 12.

“I’ve seen him coach before, and the way he teaches kids and coaches his kids is a way to win with class, and lose with dignity,” Hartnett said in a phone interview. “The guy’s a winner, but he also teaches the game the right way and what we want to stand for at Boulder High School.”

Rivas replaces Colt Sedbrook, who was 26-31 in three seasons. The Panthers went 8-11 this past spring, and will return a number of key contributors next season.