3A, 4A and 5A state baseball tourneys postponed to avoid rain this weekend

Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com

Note: This story was updated at 4:25 p.m. to reflect the postponements in 4A and 5A in addition to 3A.

The Class 3A, 4A and 5A state baseball state tournaments have adjusted their schedules to avoid wet weather forecast for the weekend.

Each tournament’s first two dates have been moved from this Friday and Saturday to next Monday and Tuesday, CHSAA assistant commissioner Bert Borgmann said. The second weekend was shifted by a day, and is now scheduled for May 26 and 27, a Saturday and Sunday.

In Greeley and Niwot, sites of the 3A state tournaments, the National Weather Service is predicting a 50 percent chance of rain on Friday, and a 60 percent chance of rain at both sites on Saturday.

In Denver, where host sites are located for the 4A and 5A tournaments, the National Weather Service is forecasting a 50 percent chance of rain on Friday, and a 80 percent chance of rain on Saturday.

A desire to ensure both sites completed all games in the same time frame was a factor, Borgmann said.

“To have one team or two teams play games on Friday and use up a pitcher, and have others not have to use a pitcher until Monday undermines pitch counts and interferes with the competitive integrity of the tournament,” Borgmann said.

If fields are not playable on Monday due to moisture that remains from the rain, the tournaments would at that point move to a May 25 and 26 start, and shift their schedules one week, finishing up on June 1 and 2.

Should that happen, further updates will be posted on CHSAANow.

Borgmann sent the following communication to schools on Thursday afternoon:

Good afternoon:

CHSAA has been monitoring the following weather online sites to make its determination on playing games this weekend: National Weather Service, Weather Bug, Weather Underground and Weather.com. All have provided less than promising forecasts for Friday and Saturday. The most promising forecast shows a 40% chance of precipitation after 2:00 p.m., while others are noting 50%-80% chances of precipitation Friday and Saturday.

I surveyed all 4A and 5A schools this morning for graduation dates next week and discovered that, while many have already graduated, there are no graduations scheduled for Monday and Tuesday.

The main goals of this tournament are to maintain the health and safety of the players (pitch counts) and to maintain the competitive integrity of the tournament. With the dicey forecast, we have determined to move the tournament. The following schedule will be put into place:

All 4A and 5A games have been moved to Monday, May 21 and Tuesday, May 22 – Same schedule and site. If those games are played, then we will play Saturday, May 26 (Semifinals) and Sunday May 27 (Finals), if possible. This schedule also allows for a day for fields to dry and be ready for play.

If we cannot get games in on either Monday or Tuesday, then we will move the tournament to Friday, May 25 and Saturday May 26, with Semifinals and Finals on Friday June 1 and Saturday June 2.