Thompson Valley's Evan Raabe realized early in the Eagles' baseball season he might need to play almost every position on the field during his senior year.
He did just that, taking a turn at every spot except catcher while ending up being the Eagles' top hitter and pitcher during the team's 11-12 season. While adding more program records to his resume, he earned all-state honors for the second year in a row, following up a first-team selection in 2024 with honorable mention in 2025.
For the second year in a row, he is the Reporter-Herald baseball player of the year.
Coming off a state tournament appearance in 2024, the Eagles had high expectations entering the 2025 season. Raabe expected to see most of his playing time at his natural position of shortstop. But just a few games into the season, it became obvious the Eagles didn’t have the pitching they were anticipating.
“We had planned to use Evan only in relief or to close out games, but we quickly realized that we were far from having the pitching we thought we had,” said Chad Raabe, Thompson Valley head coach and Evan’s father. “In our first two home games, we found ourselves down 5-0 (vs. Mead) and 8-0 (vs. Severance) before we could even swing the bat.”
After that loss to Severance, Evan said, 'Give me the start for every home game and I will make sure we stay in it,' so that’s what we did.
Evan Raabe ended up going 7-1 on the mound with a school-record ERA of 2.29 and 70 strikeouts, also a school record.
True to his word, he kept the Eagles in most of their home games after becoming part of Thompson Valley’s starting rotation. When he wasn’t pitching, he filled in wherever he was needed.
Pretty much right off the bat I knew that I would have to play wherever if we wanted to win," Evan said. "I couldn’t just stick to one spot. I’d help on the mound, at the plate, anywhere on the field.
I used to pitch a lot. I stopped pitching when high school started. Having to pick it back up was fun, and it kind of brought me back to the old days. It was a blast.
He added that getting back into pitching wasn’t a big adjustment. He just had to stretch and care for his arm more, as well as put in extra work in practice and with bullpen sessions. As far as the other positions on the field, he said some feel natural and some feel awkward, but he doesn’t mind playing anywhere on the diamond.
Raabe began rewriting the Thompson Valley record book during his junior year, reaching single-season program highs in runs (40), hits (50), home runs (nine), and RBIs (44). In his senior year, he added single-season records in triples (six), stolen bases (28), strikeouts, ERA, and wins.
He led the area this past season in batting average (.519), slugging percentage (.951), hits (42), RBIs (34), home runs (six), triples, and stolen bases.
Whether it was his hitting, pitching, or stealing bases making sure he was always in scoring position, Evan did everything he could to give his team a chance," coach Raabe said. "He takes pressure off his teammates and puts it all on himself because he can.
Evan actually got off to a slow start this season. He didn’t hit his first home run until the Eagles’ 10th game, an 18-6 victory over Northridge. Two days after hitting his first, he hit two in the second of the teams’ back-to-back games against each other. In the two games against the Grizzlies, he drove in 10 runs.
He had another five-RBI game in an 18-4 victory over Greeley Central on May 3.
The beginning of the season was pretty slow," Evan said. "I started picking it up about halfway, and then it was pretty much lights out from then on.
While his decorated high school career had its share of accolades and big moments, Evan is ready to move on to college. He has signed to play at St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn.
He went to a camp at the University of Minnesota where they had him play first base, telling him he was an inch too tall to play shortstop. St. Thomas was there and offered him a scholarship as a first baseman before finding out his natural position is shortstop.
Just like he did at Thompson Valley this past season, he said he will play wherever the team needs him.
I'm looking forward to grow, get better with good coaching," he said. "It's going to be a blast. I'm super excited.
Best of the rest
Vaughn Green, Resurrection Christian: The Cougars senior pitcher was a first-team all-state selection after going 6-1 with a 2.01 ERA and 86 strikeouts in 59 1/3 innings. At the plate, he batted .337 with three doubles and 21 RBIs.
Wyatt Barmes, Berthoud: The Spartans junior earned all-state honorable mention after batting .417 with six doubles, three triples, a home run and eight RBIs to go along with 16 stolen bases. On the mound, he was 4-2 with a 2.49 ERA and 92 strikeouts.
Alex Martin, Loveland: The Red Wolves senior pitcher/third baseman led the team with a .456 batting average, including six doubles, two triples, 24 RBIs, and six stolen bases. On the mound, he was 3-1 with a 1.42 ERA and 36 strikeouts.
Braedyn Budd, Resurrection Christian: The Cougars sophomore pitcher/first baseman earned all-state honorable mention after batting .368 with five doubles, three triples, a home run and 23 RBIs. On the mound, he was 4-2 with a 2.20 ERA and 50 strikeouts.
Jayden Goode, Mountain View: The Mountain Lions senior earned all-state honorable mention after batting .304 with four doubles, two triples and 11 RBIs. On the mound, he recorded a pair of saves.
Caleb Lettieri, Berthoud: The Spartans senior had a .371 batting average, second highest on the team, along with three doubles, two triples, and 17 RBIs.
Charley Wilson, Resurrection Christian: The Cougars senior infielder led the team with a .383 batting average to go along with 12 doubles, a home run and a team-high 29 RBIs.
Sam Engelland, Thompson Valley: The Eagles' senior batted .422 with five doubles, a home run, and 18 RBIs. He also stole 12 bases.
Will Dunbar, Loveland: The Red Wolves senior infielder batted .333 with six doubles, a triple, six RBIs, 18 runs scored and three stolen bases.
Bennett Ruby, Resurrection Christian: The Cougars senior catcher earned all-state honorable mention after batting .348 with five doubles, a home run, and 15 RBIs.
Elisha Mosher, Berthoud: The Spartans senior batted .339 with three doubles, a triple, eight RBIs and 16 stolen bases. On the mound, he struck out 24 in seven appearances and had an ERA of 1.79.
Tristan Gilbert, Mountain View: The Mountain Lions' senior catcher batted .310 with three doubles, a triple, and 11 RBIs.
Brayden MacAlmon, Resurrection Christian: The Cougars' senior outfielder batted .355 with four doubles, two triples, and 12 RBIs.
Beau Heaton, Thompson Valley: The Eagles' senior batted .356 with seven doubles, three triples, and a home run. He also stole 15 bases.
© 2025 Loveland Reporter-Herald, Colo. www.reporterherald.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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