The back of the Widefield baseball shirts says “We>Me.” It’s not just a motto, it’s a lifeline. 

Widefield is 15-4 this season to putting the team at No. 18 in 4A and tying it for first with Canon City in the CSML South league (6-1). It’s a very different team than the one that went 9-13 in the 2022-23 season, and one that could see the Gladiators in the state playoffs for the first time since 2009. 

Widefield’s rise in success can be attributed to several factors, the most significant being a shift to a team-focused mindset. In the past, selfish players created a hostile environment. This year, the team is playing as one. 

“That’s one of the biggest things we’ve worked on, is how to be a team,” head coach Joe Monroe said. “Understanding that we are going to make mistakes. You don’t beat your teammate up; you pick them up. We are a family. We may not like each other all the time, but we root for each other.”

“People are buying into what we are trying to build here,” senior Nick Prantl added. “If people aren’t buying in, we are in the same boat as past years.”

The team has worked hard to increase its camaraderie, from bowling nights to celebration dinners after wins. The senior class in particular has developed a close bond, with most of them having grown up together. 

It’s been a dream of theirs since childhood to make an impact on the high school baseball team, and now they are closer than ever to making school history. 

“As seniors, knowing it’s our last year, we wanted to win a lot more than we have before,” senior Zak Kawakami said. “We have worked harder, practiced harder, played harder. Ever since I was a freshman, I’ve wanted us to get our numbers on the banner in the gym. It’s been fun. I don’t want it to end.” 

It’s difficult to pinpoint a turning point in Widefield’s season, but there were flashes of success that foreshadowed a special year. 

In March against Pueblo East, the Gladiators rallied from a 4-0 deficit on their way to an 8-4 win. A week later, against Severance, a team they weren’t supposed to beat, the Gladiators held the Silver Knights to zero runs until notching three in the fifth inning and gutting out a 3-2 win. 

“Dealing with adversity has been one of the biggest things the guys have learned,” Monroe said. “That’s the biggest part that’s changed, is accepting those things we don’t have control over and changing the things we do have control over.” 

Widefield has two games against Mesa Ridge next week that could determine the league title and an automatic bid to regionals. If they don’t win the title, they will have to hold out hope for a spot in the top 32. 

With the playoff picture so tight, the Gladiators can’t afford to slack off in the home stretch. 

“The seniors want to finish doing something the school hasn’t done in a long time,” Monroe said. “To do that, there are certain things you have to do. Fortunately, we’ve had more ups than downs, but there are things we can improve every day to keep us going in the direction we want to go and show the younger ones how to move forward, so you don’t have to start over.”

As someone who didn’t attend Widefield, Monroe has had to earn the trust of the players but feels the team is finally in sync. Despite missing out on the playoffs by one or two spots the last two years, he believes his team can beat anyone.

All they have to do is get in. 

“We can’t be satisfied,” Monroe said. “It’s not going to be perfect or pretty, but you have to keep going and not be selfish. Since it’s been so long, it would be all the more special for them. They get to say they started that trend.

“So I ask them, who’s going to be next?”