LaChance died Monday at the age of 56 at his house off Horsetooth Reservoir in Fort Collins. He was surrounded by family and friends.

The Evergreen High School and CSU alum debuted “Fishful Thinker” in 2009, after taking a leap of faith by quitting his job in the mortgage industry to pursue fishing full time. He became well-known in the Colorado outdoors community for his accessible and knowledgeable videos on how to fish in the state and beyond.

The show ran nearly 400 episodes and underscored LaChance’s legacy of outdoor education.

He announced in June that he had Stage 4 pancreatic cancer, which metastasized throughout his abdomen. His final interview came on June 14 on 104.3 The Fan, where he said on Terry Wickstrom Outdoors that he achieved his goal “to motivate and inspire other people to go and catch fish.”

A native of Jupiter, Fla., LaChance became renowned for his use of jerkbait lures. He also served on the Larimer County Parks Advisory Board and mentored young fishermen. That included the Legacy High School tandem of Ryan Wood and Turner Mason, whom LaChance coached to the 2016 Costa Bassmaster High School National Championship in Tennessee.

There are currently no memorial services planned for LaChance. In his final interview with Wickstrom, he encouraged people to follow their dreams, no matter how out-of-the-box they may seem.

“I’ve followed my heart all the time, and that’s my advice,” LaChance said on June 14. “Follow your folly, follow your passion, because if you do that, the rest will work itself out.”

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Guardians DH David Fry took Rockies southpaw Kyle Freeland deep for a two-run homer in the first, and Cleveland never looked back to beat the Rockies 5-0 and take the series, too, at Progressive Field.

After rallying to beat Cleveland with a four-run ninth on Monday, the Rockies got crushed 10-4 on Tuesday and then showed little life on Wednesday to finish their road trip 2-4. Colorado also won the series opener in Baltimore to begin last weekend, before losing the next two to drop that series.

Wednesday’s defeat dropped the Rockies to 28-80 on the year, pacing the Rockies to finish 42-120. After winning consecutive series at home to start the second half, a suboptimal road trip has the club continuing to flirt with the modern loss record of 121 set by the White Sox last year.

Freeland only lasted three innings because he was ill. The Rockies’ bullpen mostly held the fort for the bulk of the game, but the offense was nowhere to be found as the Rockies struck out 10 times and only mustered three hits.

“(Freeland) honestly gave us everything he had in the tank,” interim manager Warren Schaeffer told reporters. “Even sending him back out for the third was honestly pushing it.”

Jaden Hill yielded a sacrifice fly to Brayan Rocchio in the fourth to extend Cleveland’s lead to 3-0. After that, Juan Mejia turned in a strong long relief performance, with three shutout innings, no hits, no walks and four strikeouts.

With that, Mejia became the first Rockies reliever to pitch at least three innings and not allow a run, hit or walk since Chad Bettis did so in April 2019. It was a career-long outing for the right-handed rookie.

“That was unbelievable (by Mejia),” Schaeffer said. “That kept us right in the game. He was nasty, and he’s only gone two-plus innings once this year. He showed some real guts, and he was efficient with his pitches.”

Cleveland finally scored again off Victor Vodnik in the eighth. Kyle Manzardo, who homered twice on Tuesday, had an RBI single. Then the next batter, Carlos Santana, doubled to plate another run to push the score to 5-0.

Unlike in the series opener, there would be no ninth-inning magic. Cade Smith, who blew the game on Monday, set down the Rockies in order. It sealed the 11th shutout for the Colorado offense this year.

Rookie corner infielder Warming Bernabel had one of the Rockies’ three hits as he continues his hot start to his career after debuting in Baltimore last Saturday. He is hitting .389 with two homers, two doubles, three RBIs and a 1.254 OPS in five games.

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Cleveland dominated Colorado in Game 2 of the series at Progressive Field — a 10-4 Guardians victory in which the home team scored in each of the first six innings. The Guardians lit up Rockies right-hander Tanner Gordon for seven runs (six earned) over three innings, and the Colorado bullpen was ineffective.

Gordon, who was coming off six shutout innings in a home win against the Cardinals last week, pitched up in the zone and got hit around. That, plus runs off relievers Angel Chivilli and Jimmy Herget, negated a trio of Colorado homers.

“I saw (Gordon) living on the outside part of the plate with the fastball and changeup, and not much slider today,” interim manager Warren Schaeffer told reporters. “He didn’t have the ability to run a ball inside on them, and he couldn’t keep hitters honest. … That’s not really a recipe for success.”

Jordan Beck went deep in the fourth, Michael Toglia went deep in the seventh and Kyle Farmer took one out in the ninth, but they were all solo shots that didn’t matter much as Cleveland led from the opening inning.

In the first, Gabriel Arias’ RBI single gave Cleveland a 2-0 advantage. Brayan Rocchio’s single in the second added one more, then in a third, a two-run homer by Kyle Manzardo and a two-run triple by Rocchio made it 7-0.

Beck finally got Colorado on the board in the fourth, but Cleveland never relinquished the momentum. The Guardians tagged Chivilli for a run in both the fourth and fifth, and Manzardo hit another dinger off Herget in the sixth to make it 10-1.

Meanwhile, Guardians southpaw Logan Allen turned in a quality start with seven innings of two-run ball while working around some traffic.

“I saw a good changeup (from Allen), and a heater that was beating guys at times,” Schaeffer said. “He was keeping us off-balance, forward and backward.”

The Rockies outscored the Guardians 3-0 over the final three innings, with an RBI double by red-hot rookie Warming Bernabel sandwiched in the inning between homers by Toglia and Farmer. The Rockies finished with 10 hits, but were also 0 for 4 with runners in scoring position. Cleveland rapped out 15 hits and was 5 for 15 with runners in scoring position.

With the loss, the Rockies dropped to 28-79. They are on pace to finish 42-120, one game better than the modern loss record of 121 set by last year’s White Sox.

Colorado still has a chance to take the series on Wednesday as the Rockies look for just their third road series win in 18 tries this season.

Freeman, dealt from the Guardians to the Rockies for Nolan Jones in March, came up clutch in his return to Progressive Field in Monday’s series opener. The designated hitter had two hits and three RBIs, including the game-winning single in the top of the ninth as the Rockies put up four in the frame for an 8-6 comeback win.

“They were the enemy today, and it was fun putting it to them,” Freeman told Rockies TV.

The rally, punctuated by Freeman’s first career go-ahead RBI in the ninth inning or later, erased a disastrous seventh inning in which the Rockies turned a 3-0 lead into a 5-3 deficit in a matter of 15 minutes.

“That was a big-time character win for the boys,” interim manager Warren Schaeffer told reporters. “To be down 3-0, then go down 5-3, and then keep going those last two innings with some really good at-bats, with some small-ball getting the job done — that’s a huge character win.”

Prior to the Rockies’ rise from the canvas, starter Bradley Blalock put the club in a great position with a career-best outing. The right-hander threw six shutout innings, with seven strikeouts.

And beyond Freeman, rookie Warming Bernabel and catcher Hunter Goodman each had a homer and a double. Those two hitters underscored how the Rockies’ offense, which has consistently wilted in clutch moments this season, did the opposite on Monday.

After a two-and-a-half-hour rain delay pushed the game back, Blalock took the mound and delivered. He scattered six hits and had zero walks, while the Rockies offense did its part early to give him some cushion.

“I saw him commanding the ball, and I saw his changeup being really good tonight and being a difference-maker against a left-handed (dominant) lineup,” Schaeffer said.

Freeman, who entered the game ranked fourth in the majors in average at .302 among players with at least 200 plate appearances, continued his consistent season by driving in the Rockies’ first two runs. Freeman hit a sacrifice fly off Slade Cecconi in the third, then singled home another run in the fifth for a 2-0 Rockies advantage.

Then in the sixth, Bernabel took Cecconi deep 386 feet to left field. Bernabel, who debuted on Saturday in Baltimore, became the fifth Rockies player ever with two or more homers in his first three MLB games.

But the Rockies watched that 3-0 lead go up in smoke in the seventh.

Jake Bird, one of the best relievers in baseball through June, continued his recent fall-off. Bird ballooned his July ERA to 19.91 in nine games by walking two batters, then giving up a pinch-hit homer to Josh Naylor and another single before being pulled. The Guardians plated two more runs off Vodnik before he finally got the Rockies out of the jam.

But just when it appeared that Colorado was headed toward another letdown loss, the offense roared back.

Goodman hit his 19th homer of the season in the eighth off Hunter Gaddis, cutting the deficit to 5-4. Then came the fireworks in the final frame as the Rockies batted around to win the game. Cleveland was without its closer, Emmanuel Clase, who was placed on non-disciplinary paid leave earlier in the day as part of an MLB investigation into sports gambling.

The red-hot Bernabel started the frame against Cade Smith with a ground-rule double to left. The next pitch, Brenton Doyle laid down a sacrifice punt that Smith threw away down the right-field line, scoring Bernabel. After Smith drilled Kyle Farmer, Freeman delivered an RBI single to right that swung the lead back to Colorado, 6-5.

Freeman was pumped up going back into the dugout after the hit, doling out aggressive high-fives and hyping up his teammates with some yelling.

“We didn’t quit, and we kept picking each other up,” Freeman said.

Freeman’s knock ended Smith’s night, but not the damage. With Tim Herrin in, the Rockies added on with Mikey Moniak’s sacrifice fly and then Goodman’s RBI double to make it 8-5. Seth Halvorsen finished the game off with the save, yielding an RBI single to Jones before striking out Brayan Rocchio to end it.

Colorado improved to 28-78 with one of its better victories in a historically futile season. The Rockies are on pace for 120 losses, one short of the modern-day loss record of 121 set by last year’s White Sox.

The Freeman-Jones Trade

Comparing how Tyler Freeman and Nolan Jones have performed this season following the one-for-one trade in March. All stats are entering the game on Monday.

Tyler Freeman: .302 average, .386 on-base percentage, .788 OPS, 1 homer, -0.5 bWAR, 61 games

Nolan Jones: .217 average, .308 on-base percentage, .615 OPS, 3 homers, -0.8 bWAR, 95 games

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After rallying for a 6-5 win over the Orioles on Friday at Camden Yards to start the first road trip of the second half, Colorado got pummeled 18-0 on Saturday and then lost 5-1 on Sunday to drop the series.

The pair of weekend defeats sank the Rockies to 27-78. Colorado is on track to go 42-120, which would narrowly avoid the distinction of being the worst team in modern baseball history, set by the 121-loss White Sox last year.

“It’s disappointing every time we lose a series,” interim manager Warren Schaeffer told reporters. “But we’ve won two out of three series now to start the second half, so we’re looking to go into Cleveland now and get us another series.”

On Friday, the Rockies carried over the momentum from their 4-2 homestand that featured the first two series wins at Coors Field this season. Things were looking up as Colorado looked like a competitive club for an extended stretch for the first time in ’25.

That upward trajectory continued in the series opener, when the Rockies erased an early 4-0 deficit and had an array of offensive bright spots in a season that’s been short on such moments.

Mickey Moniak, the 2016 No. 1 overall pick by the Phillies, whom the Rockies took a one-year flier on, continued to look like a guy who Colorado should consider holding on to when he homered Friday to spark the Rockies’ rally.

Thairo Estrada followed with a two-run homer, all-star catcher Hunter Goodman had an RBI double to tie the game, and in the sixth, Ezequiel Tovar’s solo homer put the Rockies ahead for good as the back end of the bullpen shut down Baltimore.

But those vibes quickly dissipated on Saturday, when Baltimore pummeled Colorado 18-0.

The Rockies only mustered two hits, one of which was by rookie Warming Bernabel. The third baseman was called up from Triple-A Albuquerque earlier in the day to make his MLB debut after Ryan McMahon was traded to the Yankees on Friday.

In the annihilation that ended with utilityman Kyle Farmer pitching the eighth, Antonio Senzatela got lit up again. His ERA stands at 6.68, and opponents are hitting .350 against him. He’s one of just six pitchers to allow an average over .340 with 20 or more starts since the turn of the century.

The Orioles tagged Senzatela for six runs over four innings with two homers, then the bullpen fared even worse. In all, it was the club’s second-worst loss of a historically futile season, behind a 21-0 blowout at the hands of the Padres on May 10 at Coors Field.

On Sunday, Austin Gomber took the mound to try to get the Rockies their third road series win this season, and fifth overall. The Rockies gave the southpaw an early lead when Bernabel launched his first career homer 385 feet to left off Tomoyuki Sugano in the second inning.

But that was all the run production Colorado could muster. The Rockies, who have lacked the ability to hit in the clutch all season, were 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position and stranded eight men on base.

Gomber, meanwhile, wasn’t sharp. He allowed four runs in 4 1/3 innings with three walks and a two-run homer in the third by Tyler O’Neill that gave the Orioles a 4-1 cushion.

In the eighth, Baltimore added another run off a couple of Colorado miscues. Gunnar Henderson got to second on a throwing error by Ezequiel Tovar, then Henderson scored from second on a wild pitch by Jaden Hill. The right-hander failed to cover home as Henderson raced around third to score easily.

Monday’s pitching matchup

Rockies RHP Bradley Blalock (1-2, 8.67 ERA) at Guardians RHP Slade Cecconi (5-4, 3.76)

4:40 p.m. Monday, Progressive Field

TV: Rockies.TV (streaming); Comcast/Xfinity (channel 1262); DirecTV (683); Spectrum (130, 445, 305, 435 or 445, depending on region).

Radio: 850 AM, 94.1 FM

Trending: The Rockies continue to lean into their youth movement. With third baseman Warming Bernabel’s debut on Saturday, Colorado’s had 10 debuts this season, the fourth-most in MLB behind the Athletics (13), White Sox (11) and Marlins (11).

Pitching probables

Tuesday: Rockies RHP Tanner Gordon (2-2, 3.13) at Guardians LHP Logan Allen (6-9, 4.16), 4:40 p.m.

Wednesday: Rockies LHP Kyle Freeland (2-10, 5.24) at Guardians TBD, 4:40 p.m.

— Kyle Newman, The Denver Post

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The Rockies traded the third baseman to the Yankees in exchange for New York pitching prospects Griffin Herring and Josh Grosz, the team announced Friday afternoon.

It marks the end of McMahon’s nine-year tenure in Colorado that saw the 2013 second-round pick emerge as a fan favorite and a National League All-Star last season. This year, McMahon has struggled offensively, but he still has 16 homers and is one of the best defensive third basemen in baseball.

“We’re trying to continue to build our talent base,” GM Bill Schmidt told The Denver Post. “We appreciate everything Ryan did, and wish him nothing but the best going forward. But at the end of the day, we’re trying to add to our depth (in the minors).

“… We like these two arms. Herring is a guy we think has tremendous upside in his first full year as a starting pitcher. And Grosz is a mid-90s arm who has been up to 98. They are two guys who add to what we have as we continue to try to get better.”

McMahon was well aware he was on the trading block ahead of the July 31 deadline, but Schmidt said the front office didn’t have direct conversations with him about it. The 30-year-old has two years and $32 million remaining on his contract after this season.

“I’ve loved playing here,” McMahon told The Denver Post earlier this week. “I’d love to continue playing here and hopefully win. But again, whatever the organization decides to do, I can say from the bottom of my heart, I’ve enjoyed every moment I’ve had interacting with fans here.”

In New York, McMahon will get the chance to be an impact player on a contender for the first time since 2018, his true rookie season and the last time the Rockies made the playoffs. The Yankees, the reigning American League champions, entered Friday night 4.5 games out of first place in the AL East and holding on to the top wild-card spot.

New York’s need for a third baseman was tied to the fate of another former Colorado player. The Yankees designated DJ LeMahieu for assignment on July 9 and officially released him the next day, ending the seven-year New York tenure of the ex-Rockies All-Star and batting champion. LeMahieu made 34 starts at third before his release — a move that came in tandem with shifting Jazz Chisholm Jr. back to second base.

The Yankees are looking to McMahon to bring plus defense to the position, while also betting that he will hit like he did in the first half of ’24. McMahon has struggled to consistently produce on offense since the second half of last season, when he batted .188. Earlier in this season, McMahon set a franchise record with an 0-for-35 hitless streak.

But he increased his trade value lately with a .313 average over the last two weeks and a 1.139 OPS. The advanced metrics also indicated McMahon’s pop is still there, as he ranks in the 98th percentile in baseball in average exit velocity and in the 87th percentile in barrel rate. He leads the National League with 127 strikeouts, but he also ranks in the 86th percentile in walk percentage with 49 free passes this year.

Defensively, he is fifth among NL third basemen with four defensive runs saved, according to FanGraphs. McMahon’s been a Rawlings Gold Glove Award finalist four years in a row.

In exchange for McMahon, the Rockies added a couple of starting pitchers to their farm. Herring, a left-hander, was the Yankees’ No. 8 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, while the right-handed Grosz was ranked No. 21.

Herring has a 1.71 ERA in 16 starts in Low-A and High-A this season, while Grosz has a 4.14 ERA in 16 games (15 starts) in High-A. Herring was a sixth-round pick out of LSU in 2024, while Grosz was an 11th-round pick out of East Carolina in ’23. Both pitchers will report to High-A Spokane in the Rockies organization, with the potential to advance to Double-A Hartford next season.

In his initial statement announcing the trade, Schmidt said Herring and Grosz both have “the potential to make a meaningful impact at the major league level in the near future.”

The trade underscores the Rockies’ continued push to stockpile starting pitching prospects, both via deadline trades over the past couple of years as well as through the draft.

Those trades include sending Mike Moustakas to the Angels for Connor Van Scoyoc in 2023; C.J. Cron and Randal Grichuk to the Angels for Mason Albright and Jake Madden in ’23; Pierce Johnson to the Braves for Tanner Gordon, plus reliever Victor Vodnik, in ’23; and Nick Mears to the Brewers for Bradley Blalock and Yujanyer Herrera last year. Van Scoyoc and Madden have since been converted to the bullpen.

Schmidt said the Rockies will “continue to listen” to offers for other players on the roster ahead of next week’s deadline.

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After Karros slipped to the fifth round of the 2023 MLB draft because of an ankle injury his junior season at UCLA, the third baseman was considered a middling Rockies prospect with an uncertain path to the majors.

But in his first full minor league season in 2024, Karros jump-started a breakout campaign with a walk-off homer for High-A Spokane. That moment paved the way to Northwest League MVP honors, a minor-league Gold Glove Award and a spot on the league’s postseason all-star team.

“I wasn’t a high pick, so there’s obviously always a little bit of self-doubt, but once that (walk-off) happened, a weight lifted off my shoulders,” Karros said. “It was like, ‘Alright, I belong here. I’m one of the best players in this league.’

“I started believing I was a big part of that team, a big part of this organization. I carried that with me, showing up every day and putting in the work. I wasn’t just a fifth-round pick anymore.”

The momentum from that day has carried over to this season as well. And now Karros is one step away from the majors at a time when the Rockies now have a hole at third base after Colorado traded Ryan McMahon to the Yankees on Friday.

The 23-year-old Karros started in Double-A Hartford this spring, hitting for a high average (.294) and posting a .399 on-base percentage over 55 games. That earned him a promotion to Triple-A Albuquerque on July 18.

With McMahon headed to the Bronx, that could open the door for Karros’ eventual MLB debut. Colorado’s other options at the position are 2019 second-rounder Aaron Schunk, the yet-to-debut Warming Bernabel or possibly veteran utility Owen Miller.

While Schunk remains steady in Triple-A and Bernabel’s bat is intriguing, Karros’ play over the last two summers moved him up levels and prospect boards. In MLB Pipeline’s Rockies prospect rankings, he ascended from unranked in ’23, to No. 29 in ’24, to No. 7 this year as the club’s highest-ranked third base prospect. He’s the No. 9 third base prospect in all of baseball.

“It doesn’t matter what is going on at any other levels, at my position — if I take care of myself, everything is going to unfold as it should,” Karros said. “That’s been a challenge for me this year is staying present … especially with all the (trade deadline) drama going on, but that’s where my head’s at.”

In Albuquerque, Karros is playing for the same minor-league franchise that his dad, Eric, once did in 1991 when the Isotopes were the Dodgers’ Triple-A team then known as the Dukes.

Eric hit .316 with 22 homers in 132 games for Albuquerque that season — a prelude to him winning the ’92 National League Rookie of the Year and a 14-season big-league career. That career ended with 284 career homers, 270 of which were with the Dodgers.

Though Kyle doesn’t have the power his dad did — the former’s only hit 19 homers in his minor-league career — Eric believes his youngest son has the potential to add more pop to his high-average approach.

“Kyle is stoic on the field, and I think I was very similar in that,” said Eric, now a Dodgers broadcaster. “But he’s a way better fielder than I ever was, and hitting-wise, he’s better than I was at this stage of his career.”

Kyle joked that “I’ve fired my dad probably about 10 times as my hitting coach,” but he still leans on Eric as a guide for his career.

“We’ll talk about hitting every once in a while, but at this point our relationship is way more about him being a normal dad, and helping me walk through this life rather than helping me build a hitting approach,” Kyle said.

For the past two offseasons, Kyle has lived in a beach house with his older brother Jared (pitcher in Dodgers organization), his high school teammate Chase Meidroth (middle infielder for the White Sox) and former UCLA teammate Jake Brooks (pitcher in the Marlins organization). The quartet plans on living together again in a Southern California house this offseason.

“It’s my brother and my best friends and me, going to work every day,” Kyle said. “We’re enjoying ourselves, but to have a crew to go through every offseason with is really special. We lift, throw, hit. We have a good program going and the consistency of that group has helped me a lot.”

Kyle, of course, makes time to hit the waves, too. And the same traits that have made him successful in pro ball are reflected out on the water.

“He’s a surfer just like he is as a baseball player — he goes for it,” said Keith Ramsey, Kyle’s coach from 10 years old through high school. “Waves can be big, and he’ll be out there in 58-degree water (with no body suit), and he’s a very unique soul. He has no fear of failure, just like he does when he steps into the box.

“When he’s not going good, he’s not convinced he’s not going good. He’s convinced that success is the next at-bat, the next grounder in the field. It’s an amazing quality he has, and one I think has taken from falling to the fifth round to putting him on the doorstep of the majors.”

Rockies’ third base outlook

The Rockies third base situation is now in flux after Colorado traded Ryan McMahon to the Yankees on Friday. A look at McMahon’s performance, as well as that of Aaron Schunk, Warming Bernabel and Kyle Karros.

Ryan McMahon

Stats: .217 average, .314 on-base percentage, 16 homers, 35 RBIs, 127 strikeouts in 100 games

Analysis: McMahon’s been streaky this season, including a couple of career-worst offensive droughts that featured a club-record 0-for-35 hitless streak. But he’s gotten better offensively in July and continues to play a strong third base, hence the interest from New York. Colorado received a pair of starting pitching prospects in the trade.

Quotable: “I’ve loved playing here. … I can say from the bottom of my heart, I’ve enjoyed every moment I’ve had interacting with fans here.”

Aaron Schunk

Stats: .272 average, .306 on-base percentage, 8 homers, 38 RBIs, 42 strikeouts in 55 games in Triple-A; .214 average in 11 MLB games

Analysis: Schunk continues to put up solid numbers in Albuquerque after getting cups of coffee in the big leagues each of the last two years. His defensive versatility is also a plus, as he plays middle infield in addition to third. With McMahon gone, he is likely to get another crack at the majors sometime this season.

Quotable: “It’s hard in the moment if you’re worried about this or that (with a promotion), or you’re trying to play GM in your head — you can send yourself into a bad spot doing that. It’s about continuing to stack good days where your feet are, and if you keep treating the game the right way and playing the game the right way, hopefully it pays you back.”

Warming Bernabel

Stats: .301 average, .356 on-base percentage, 8 homers, 45 RBIs, 39 strikeouts in 75 games in Triple-A

Analysis: When Bernabel’s on, he can hit for a high average with power. He’s having a strong season in Triple-A and can play both corner infield positions, though he’s not quite as good with the glove as Schunk or Karros. Bernabel, who was shot in the back in a mugging attempt in 2023, has risen his prospect stock this year.

Quotable: “When that (shooting) happened, it got me closer to my family,” Bernabel told The Albuquerque Journal in April. “It got me to a point where I needed to start working harder because there’s a purpose for me in life — to help my family.”

Kyle Karros

Stats: .294 average, .399 on-base percentage, 4 homers, 21 RBIs, 45 strikeouts in 55 games in Double-A; .250 average in 6 Triple-A games

Analysis: The bat-to-ball skills are there, and so far, his power is more gap-to-gap than over the wall. At 6-foot-5, Karros has the athleticism, arm and instincts to play third base at an elite level. Now, he has to prove himself in Triple-A.

Quotable: “A lot of what I learned in my first (full) year of pro ball, I’m putting to use this year. I’ve really bought into the mental side of baseball, which goes a long way. I’m in a good frame of mind in the box, and I enjoy showing up to the park every day.”

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That’s why Steve Atwater, the Hall of Fame safety who missed just five games in his 10-year Broncos tenure, isn’t expecting to see Talanoa Hufanga change his game despite coming off consecutive injury-marred seasons.

Hufanga, who signed a three-year, $45 million deal with the Broncos in March, was brought in to provide punch on the back end of the defense — and that’s what he’s determined to deliver.

“The effort (Hufanga) gives, the aggressiveness he has and how he can come up and hit people makes him a great addition to the defense,” Atwater observed. “I hope he stays healthy throughout the year, because he’s got a ton of playmaking ability.

“… He’s not only interested in being exceptional in coverage, but also being involved in the run game. That’s what you have to have out of your safety play. Because (past injuries) or not, you’ve got to lay it out on the line. That’s what I did. I played as hard as I could, every play. There’s no other way to play the position.”

Hufanga and returning starter Brandon Jones give the Broncos a pair of veteran safeties who are more than familiar with the requirements of the job.

P.J. Locke, who had spinal-fusion surgery in the offseason but is a full-go at training camp, should also figure in the rotation. But the chemistry between Hufanga and Jones, who both had the same college defensive backs coach in Todd Orlando at USC and Texas, respectively, will be most important to elevating the play of the Broncos’ safeties this fall.

Jones noted that the duo already has built “a lot of faith and trust in each other.”

“We can do a lot of different things, whatever is asked of us,” Jones said last month. “We can just have a lot of freedom and feel comfortable with whoever goes down (to the ball) in certain situations.”

Jones posted career highs in tackles (115), interceptions (three) and passes defensed (10) last season in helping push the Broncos to their first playoff appearance in nine years. He and Hufanga started to build a rapport together immediately upon the latter’s arrival in Denver.

“The cool thing about it is the first week I got here, he’s like, ‘Hey, do you want to get work in?’” Hufanga recalled. “And there was no hesitation. (Jones) wasn’t like, ‘Hey, you’re on this by yourself.’ He’s like, ‘No, we’re all in this together.’ So it was really cool to see him, a veteran like that, step up to lead another vet in the right way.”

The key for Hufanga is finding a way to stay on the field — because when he does, he’s productive.

After San Francisco drafted him in the fifth round out of USC in 2021, Hufanga was a first-team All-Pro for the 49ers in ’22, his first full season as a starter. He was a machine that fall while starting every game, tallying 97 tackles (66 solo), two forced fumbles and nine passes defensed. He also had a couple of sacks and four interceptions, one of which was a pick-six.

But that momentum was derailed in ’23 when he tore an ACL in Week 11. Then a wrist injury limited him last year. Over the past two seasons, he played only 17 games. But even with that, the Broncos saw him as a priority free agent in the offseason — a player who could be an enforcer alongside Jones, and add depth to a safety corps that showed cracks at times last season.

For his part, Hufanga is taking Atwater’s mindset. The 26-year-old’s intent on putting his injuries behind him and bringing shades of his standout ’22 campaign into his first season in Denver.

“It’s the same physical play for me,” Hufanga said. “(Considering the injuries), I’ve got to take care of the body even more and have no regrets in everything I do. I go out there to play the game the right way, and that’s playing fast and playing physical.

“Injuries happen, that’s part of the game. For me, I’m just going to step on that field and have confidence that I can play the game I play.”

While Hufanga is still acclimating to his first season in Vance Joseph’s scheme, the defensive coordinator said in June that he plans on “(adjusting) our system to our better players.” Hufanga falls into that category.

“I know what he is as a player — he’s a guy with great instincts. He’s a guy that’s going to chase and tackle the football for us,” Joseph said. “So I won’t give him jobs where he’s too tied up with nonsense, right? I want him to find the ball and do what he does best.”

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The club officially branded itself Denver Summit FC on Tuesday morning following a months-long vote of fans along the Front Range. The name secured roughly 75% of over 15,000 ballots to beat out five other options: Denver Peak FC, Colorado 14ers FC, Denver Elevate FC, Denver FC and Denver Gold FC.

“Summit FC was a runaway favorite, which was fortunate, because as much as ownership really encouraged and wanted the fans to have a voice in this, they really loved that name as well,” Summit FC president Jen Millet said. “It was a perfect synergetic occurrence that fans showed up strong for it and ownership also had a big affinity for it.”

The team’s primary logo is a four-color crest featuring white lettering, green-and-white mountains, and a red-and-yellow sunset. The club also unveiled two secondary logos — one featuring “5280” as well as a “D” monogram.

Millet said the decision to associate the team with Denver instead of Colorado was made because of the connection the club will have with the city. While Summit FC will play its first couple of seasons in a temporary stadium in Centennial, the team plans to build a 14,500-seat stadium at Santa Fe Yards at Broadway and I-25 that is expected to open in 2028 as the state’s first women’s pro sports venue.

“We felt a sense of pride around that and wanting to acknowledge that (connection to the city),” Millet said. “The stadium in Santa Fe Yards is going to be an amazing part of Denver’s fabric.”

The club worked in collaboration with two other teams in the state who were already using the Summit name. According to Summit FC, the Colorado Summit of the Ultimate Frisbee Association will be renamed. There is also the Denver Summit Football Club, a local LGBTQ+ flag football club.

The NWSL filed a trademark for Denver Summit FC on July 11. Millet said the club is “excited for fans to attach themselves to an identity now, and not just a temporary name.” The club’s branding was done by Matthew Wolff, a graphic designer who has created logos for many soccer clubs, including several in the NWSL.

“We want this crest to embody championships, and a community-driven organization,” Millet said.

Millet said that with a brand now established, Summit FC is discussing a potential mascot.

“We’ve got some fun initial concepts that I can’t share yet,” she said.

Fans can purchase merchandise for the newly named club at denversummitfc.com, and the team is having a brand launch party on Saturday at McGregor Square starting at 2 p.m.

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After a rough freshman season in which Middleton posted an 8.68 ERA and dealt with a foot injury, the then-sophomore right-hander pitched 3 1/3 innings and allowed one earned run against Tennessee in the Knoxville Regional.

It was only Middleton’s third college start, but he kept the Golden Eagles in the game against the Volunteers, who went on to win the College World Series. The performance foretold the pitcher Middleton became in 2025 en route to the Rockies picking him in the second round of the MLB draft.

“That game made me go, ‘This dude needs to be in our rotation next year,'” Ostrander recalled. “That was a really good team in a really hostile environment, and he wasn’t scared at all. He stared them in the face. He threw three fastballs past (one of their best hitters).

“It was moments like that that really caught my eye. The guy the year before would’ve been too timid; he wouldn’t have believed. It was a stepping-stone moment for him.”

Middleton emerged as the Golden Eagles’ Friday night starter this spring, going 10-1 with a 2.31 ERA over 16 starts. That jump was enough to convince the Rockies to draft him at No. 45 overall last Sunday.

He represents the franchise’s latest roll of the dice on a college pitcher high in the draft. Colorado expects him to emerge as a No. 2 or No. 3 starter when he gets to Coors Field, but recent history indicates that’s easier said than done.

The Rockies haven’t had a second-round starting pitcher make a significant impact in the majors since taking Aaron Cook at No. 70 overall in 1997. The club has hit on several notable position players in the round, however, including third baseman Ryan McMahon in 2013, third baseman Nolan Arenado in 2009 and outfielder Charlie Blackmon in 2008.

Taking a broader view, the Rockies have drafted 12 college pitchers in the first or second round since 2015. None of those picks have established themselves as pillars in the rotation, though 2023 No. 9 overall pick Chase Dollander debuted this season and there is hope he can break that drought.

Either way, Middleton will need to defy the franchise’s recent misses — after making a big leap in his final college season.

That jump from an underwhelming freshman campaign to being one of the top-rated college pitchers in the draft two years later wouldn’t have been possible without the mechanical adjustments he made following his junior season.

Rather than return to the Cape Cod League where he played the prior summer, Middleton hung around Hattiesburg. He and the Southern Miss coaches worked to refine his delivery, including making him more upright, less rotational, and increasing the extension on his pitches. Those adjustments were made over the course of more than a month via towel drills, box drills and other repetitive movements to go along with his work in flatgrounds and bullpens.

“I was all out of whack before that,” Middleton said. “I had a big step (to start my windup), I would get all off-balance, and could just never find any rhythm with it. … That’s why it was the best decision that we made for my career for me to stay around that summer.”

With the adjustments, Middleton increased the late break on all his pitches and upped his strike percentage, too. Ostrander said the right-hander went from about a 58% strike thrower to the range of 67% to 70% this season. Middleton had 25 walks in 37 1/3 innings as a sophomore, then had 25 walks again as a junior, this time in 105 1/3 innings.

Middleton had a few signature outings this season that underscored his leap. He threw seven innings of two-run ball with 10 strikeouts against Old Dominion on March 14, baffled South Alabama with a one-hitter and 12 strikeouts in eight innings on March 28, and again registered 12 Ks in eight innings of one-run ball against Georgia State on April 17.

“After I got past those first three or four weeks of the season, I felt like I took off and never looked back,” Middleton said.

Middleton’s mid-90s fastball suddenly had increased top-side carry, his changeup faded harder than before and his cutter and slider also improved. That earned him serious attention from the Rockies and other clubs, with hordes of scouts attending his games this season.

Colorado knew of Middleton since he pitched at tiny Benton Academy in Yazoo City, Miss., and the club’s senior director of scouting operations Marc Gustafson took note of his drastic improvement since his prep days.

Considering Middleton’s high workload at Southern Miss, it’s unlikely the Rockies will debut him in the minors this season. Middleton officially signed on Sunday at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale for $2.07 million, just under the slot value of the pick ($2.17 million).

The fact that Middleton stands at 6-foot, shorter than a prototypical right-handed big-league starter, didn’t matter to the Rockies.

“Sometimes you just have to throw away all that (talk about height) and just know that good is good,” Gustafson said. “There’s been some guys in the history of the game who are a little bit shorter in stature, but tougher in guts, and he’s got it. It’s a nice blend of stuff and repeatability.”

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