Out in Leftfield

BASEBALL

Jack Brooker (Niwot) signed to play baseball at Queens University of Charlotte, a Division I program. Brooker, who graduated from Niwot High School in the Class of 2022, played in the Mile High Collegiate Baseball League All Star Game last summer held at Scott Carpenter Park in Boulder. He played in the collegiate league this past summer and was the only 2022 high school graduate on his team. He not only represented his team in the All Star game but also in the Home Run Derby.

Skyler Messinger (Niwot) began his pro career with the Colorado Rockies Arizona Complex League team after being drafted in the 19th round. Messinger, a third baseman, hit .375 in 10 games for the Rookie League team, scoring four runs and adding three RBI. He is back in Niwot for the offseason, and will report to spring training in Arizona in March 2023.

David Bote, son of longtime NHS baseball coach Bob Bote, finished the season with the Chicago Cubs with a .259 batting average in 41 games, with four home runs, 12 RBI and 15 runs scored. Bote spent most of his time in the field at second base and third base, but also appeared in several games at first base. His season was hampered by injury as he recovered from off-season surgery. Bote's contract was assigned to the Iowa Cubs after the season to allow the team to protect younger prospects from the annual Rule 5 draft. Bote remains on the Cubs' payroll and is signed through the 2024 season.

CROSS COUNTRY

Curtis Volf (Niwot) finished second on the team for the St. Mary Gaels at the Bronco Invite in mid-October. Volf finished in 64th place overall with a time of 24:39.6, a personal best by nearly 40 seconds for the 8K distance. At the West Coast Conference Championships Oct. 27, Volf helped the Gaels to an 8th-place finish, with Volf, a sophomore, again running the second-fastest race for his team. HIs time of 24:16.1 was a new personal best, and 49th out of 84 runners.

Lucca Fulkerson (Niwot) finished 17th for Princeton women at the IC4A/East Coast Athletic Conference Championships at Fordham University on Oct. 14, 2022. Fulkerson, a sophomore, was the top runner on the Princeton squad. A total of 338 women competed in the event. She posted a time of 21:52.1 in the 6K run, helping Princeton finish 10th out of 24 teams competing.

HOCKEY

Reilly Herbst (Niwot) played over five minutes in goal for Ohio State in a 9-2 win over Bentley Oct. 20. Herbst, a sophomore goalkeeper, allowed one score and posted three saves in the third period.

VOLLEYBALL

Audrey Richard (Niwot) is a senior defensive specialist for Colorado State University. Richard set a season high with 13 digs against Adams State Sept. 30. She has 35 assists on the season to go with 158 digs for the Rams, while playing a total of 97 sets this season. Colorado State is 21-7 for the season.