Golden’s Jackie McBroom is All-Colorado baseball Coach of the Year after leading Demons to Class 4A title

Two years ago, the trophy that Golden earned at the state baseball tournament wasnt welcome on the bus ride home.The Demons had just lost a 1-0 heartbreaker in the Class 4A title round to Severance after the would-be tying run was thrown out at the plate to end the game.

So the runner-up trophy was sent back to Golden in the car of head coach Jackie McBrooms wife instead of on the team bus.The players did not want that trophy on the bus, McBroom recalled with a laugh.

We were proud of what we had accomplished, but there was a lot of disappointment that we didnt win the whole thing.So the guys who were there with us, whether they were juniors or seniors this year, they didnt forget that feeling.

It was a driving force for them to get back to that spot and finish what the team from two years ago started.The Demons did just that, capturing the Class 4A championship by beating Cheyenne Mountain on May 31 at the Air Force Academy in the winner-take-all game of the double-elimination tournament.

It gave the Demons their second title, but first since MLB all-star Mark Melancon headlined their original championship team in 2003.

It also resulted in McBroom being tabbed as The Denver Posts All Colorado Coach of the Year.Raising the trophy that the Demons really wanted was a fitting capper for Golden, which has been Colorados most dominant Class 4A program over the last four years.

In that time, theyve made four state tournaments, three Final Fours and amassed a 97-20 record.Golden High School senior Sawyer Brinkman thrusts the state championship trophy up to show fans with his teammates just after beating Cheyenne Mountain to win the CHSAA Class 4A state baseball championship at Erdle Field at the Air Force Academy on Saturday, May 31, 2025.

(Eli Imadali/Special to The Denver Post)Thats a long way from what McBroom inherited in his first season leading the Demons in 2016.

The year before McBroom took the job on 24th Street, Golden was 6-13 and finished tied for last in the Jeffco League.

Now, theyve won the league five years in a row.I give a lot of credit to that first group that I had, said McBroom, whod previously been a Golden assistant coach and head coach at Abraham Lincoln.

We finished 10-9 and didnt make the playoffs, but those seniors started to change the culture, and then the talented sophomore class we had that year carried that on.

We made the state tournament in my second year.

The baseline (for perennial success) was set.This spring, the Demons lost only one regular-season game to a 4A opponent a 3-2 setback to Denver North on April 1.

After that, Golden rattled off 20 straight wins before losing to Cheyenne Mountain in eight innings in the championship round, which the Demons entered in the drivers seat.In the winner-take-all game that followed, Golden didnt flinch under pressure in a 5-1 victory to secure the title.(McBroom) really didnt even say much after that loss to Cheyenne Mountain it was more about the way he was holding himself, senior first baseman Luca Casali explained.

He didnt seem stressed, he didnt seem worried.

The players saw that and we believed we were fine.

We were ready to go take it.Four seniors fueled Goldens title run: Casali (Western Oklahoma State commit), shortstop Jaydon Stroup (Mesa Community College), right-hander Sawyer Brinkman (Dodge City) and left-hander Taden Svendsen (Trinidad State).Brinkman was Goldens ace all season, winning 10 games with a 1.52 ERA, but it was Svendsen who pitched the decisive win over Cheyenne Mountain via 6 1/3 innings of one-run ball.Casali noted that McBroom, who coaches with tough love, found the right balance of knowing when to let the seniors take over the leadership in a situation, and when he should step in.Golden High School baseball coach Jackie McBroom was named All-Colorado Coach of the Year for leading his team to 2025 Class 4A title.

Coach McBroom stands for a photo in Golden on June 10, 2025.

(Photo by RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post)That played a big role in having our team mesh, Casali said.

After that loss to Denver North, he let us hear it after the game.

He was hard on us.

But he also (empowered) us seniors with taking ownership of the team, and consistently solicited input from us about what we needed to work on, and what to focus on to keep bringing the younger players along.Related ArticlesCherry Creeks Connor Larkin named Gatorade Colorado Baseball Player of the YearGolden finds redemption, holds off underdog Cheyenne Mountain for Class 4A state baseball crownCherry Creek wins 10th baseball title with dominant performance vs.

Regis Jesuit in Class 5A championship gameCharlie Scofield does it all to help Cheyenne Mountain sweep its way into Class 4A state baseball championship showdownRegis Jesuit edges Grandview, advances to Class 5A baseball championship rematch against Cherry CreekCoaching continuity has also been key in Goldens rise as a 4A force.Around McBroom, Charlie Stevens is the Demons longtime pitching coach.

Assistant Chip Glass, the 1994 College World Series MVP with Oklahoma, coaches the outfield.

And Chad Sigg, Roy Halladays catcher at Arvada West who has now won five state titles as a player and assistant coach, is also a key part of the varsity staff.And if the last half-decade is any indication, the trophy accumulation in Golden might just be getting going.It amazes me every year that we show up in the winter and start hitting, and weve got a whole new crop of players who are capable of elevating the program again, Sigg said.

Its like Columbine football you want to go play for programs like that.

Jackie doesnt go out and recruit kids, but they find him and want to play for Golden baseball.

Every years a reload, not a rebuild, and we expect that to continue.Want more sports news? Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denvers teams..

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