'I'm all in': Fossil Ridge baseball's Marc Wagner back in dugout for top-ranked SaberCats

When first-year Fossil Ridge baseball coach Marc Wagner looked across the diamond Tuesday, he saw his past.

A Fort Collins team featuring several players he coached in the final seasons of his nine years (2014-22) as the Lambkins' skipper.

Once the first pitch hit leather for the SaberCats' decisive 5-1 win in a top-five city battle, though, that was all out the window.

"There’s emotions obviously going against your former team, but I’m all in with Fossil Ridge now," Wagner said. "We couldn’t be in a better spot."

Fossil Ridge (11-1) is off to the best start in program history and owns the top ranking in CHSAA's Class 5A seeding index.

The SaberCats have tossed six shutouts and scored double-digit runs in seven games, dominating opponents by an average score of nearly 12-2.

Here's how it's all coming together this season for the SaberCats, combining an ultra-talented roster with Wagner's wealth of experience:

'He wasn't coming here to mess around'

Wagner came to Fossil Ridge already a city baseball staple.

He played at Rocky Mountain, coached Fort Collins to a Final Four and seven postseason bids, led Colorado travel club teams and was an assistant at numerous collegiate stops.

Trading the Lambkin purple for SaberCat green was an adjustment at first. Especially for some Fossil Ridge seniors who had played against his Fort Collins squads.

"It definitely was weird after being our rival," senior Shane Crough said. "Once they hired him, we had total confidence. He wasn’t coming here to mess around."

"He looks good in green," said fourth-year Fossil Ridge assistant coach Brandon Wakefield.

Wakefield lobbied athletic director Dave Walck to hire Wagner, knowing the coach's well-earned reputation of winning and developing talent.

Wagner's path to Fossil Ridge was also heavily influenced by longtime close friend and former SaberCats manager Chris Moddelmog, who led the program's best-ever season in 2022 before becoming Rend Lake College's head coach.

"They're very similar coaches, for sure" said Fossil Ridge senior star Easton Miller, an Air Force commit.

After a year out of full-time coaching, though, Wagner wanted to be sure.

"The main reason I’m here is because of Mogs," he said. "Chris showed what was possible at Fossil.

"And then he was in my ear telling me that I could succeed here coaching baseball how we like to do it. That gave me the push."

Talent meets leadership for Fossil Ridge

Let Wagner tell it, and the story is always the players.

"I’ve done this long enough to know good players make you look way better," he said.

He's not off base with this SaberCats club, which features nearly a dozen college signees or commits, including arguably the state's best pitcher in Miller.

The junior and senior players had largely been together for a while. Good enough to host a home regional in 2022 with a Fossil-record 18 wins before dipping slightly to 17-7 with a first-round road exit last year.

"Fossil baseball's always had the capacity but maybe hadn't always reached the potential," Walck said.

"We had a lot of talent and depth returning, so finding a coach with Marc’s experience was a priority."

Ability wasn't lacking, but stability was. Wagner entered as Fossil's fourth head coach in four seasons.

"We have a great group of guys who bought in with Coach Wagner right away," Crough said. "Because we know he's the best."

Wagner has brought a loose but high-level intensity to everything Fossil Ridge does. Wakefield said it's "college style," with a fast pace to keep players focused.

"I absolutely love his energy," Miller said. "He gets you having fun in practice but learning a lot."

The SaberCats aren't just talented, they're well-rounded everywhere and have a "tight-knit" crew of eight seniors who have been through all the coaching turnover.

The pitching staff — led by Miller, Brek Benedict, Braeden Fritz and Vedant Sharma (a Harvard commit) — has a 1.53 ERA with a strikeout-to-walk ratio well over 4:1.

"We have better arms than some staffs I had coaching junior colleges," Wagner said.

Owen Morgan is also an elite shortstop and Oregon commit, hitting .550 so far this spring. Jensen Planansky has crushed the ball, recording 24 RBIs with two homers.

Teammates tabbed Crough (a team leader at catcher) and Mason Griffin as two of the most improved players, both hitting around .400 while combining for 30 RBI, 10 doubles and three homers.

Miller is even matching his sensational pitching, batting .471 with eight extra-base hits. Ethan Moran and Luc Gaca-Thiele have been outstanding.

With a cupboard that stocked, Wagner hasn't coached as much in a traditional sense this season.

"It’s really just been organizing a super-talented bunch, not constantly teaching them the skills," he said.

SaberCats' rise the latest in continued ascent of baseball in the city

Fossil Ridge's recent rise and Wagner's hiring was perfect timing.

Not just for the SaberCats, who are working on a special season.

But it's emblematic of where Fort Collins and Northern Colorado baseball are right now.

Gone are the days of Rocky Mountain's state-championship and city-title dominance.

Instead, the city is deeper than it's ever been. Fossil Ridge is ranked No. 1, Fort Collins is in the top 10 and has made five straight postseason appearances. Poudre is steadily improving under head coach Joe Fontana. The Lobos are still strong under legendary longtime coach Scott Bullock.

"The baseball in this city is pretty stout right now," Wagner said. "We're in a good place."

Around the region, Windsor's held the No. 1 ranking during each of the past two seasons, Eaton is three-time defending 3A state champ and Severance won the 4A crown last year.

"In the old days, it was 'We don’t want to see the Denver teams.’ Now? The Denver teams don’t want to see us," Wagner emphasized.

But the coach and Fossil players alike all said owning No. 1 now is not the goal. Nor is the city title, which would be a program first.

"It's a constant battle to keep looking forward, not behind us," Wagner said. "We want to be No. 1 when it matters."

"We want that dogpile at the end of the year," Crough said. "I think we got the right guys to do it."

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Colorado baseball: Fossil Ridge's Marc Wagner back coaching in Fort Collins