Head Coach: Scott Goldsberry
JV Coach: Mike Ruhland

Athletic Director: Jason Frederick
Cedarcrest Principal: Clarence Lavarias
Assistant Principal: Ray LaBate

 This year’s Junior Varsity team was a very young and energetic bunch with a good mix of abundant freshman talent and a few sophomores and juniors that supplied much needed leadership.  The team finished the season 7-10-1 overall and 7-7-1in Cascade League play.  The team was lead by junior  who hit .476 for the season and was appropriately voted the team MVP by his teammates.  Cyle Potter, who started the season on varsity, played like a varsity player on JV by hitting .419, playing excellent defense, and leading the team with hustle and attitude.  Cyle was rewarded for his hardnosed approach to the game by being voted Most Inspirational by his JV teammates.  Ivar Pedersen was a newcomer to the Cedarcrest baseball program and to the game of baseball this season.  Ivar had very little experience with the game of baseball but worked incredibly hard this season to improve.  Ivar turned out to be a natural at the sport and his hard work toward learning the game and getting better paid off with a .458 batting average and the team’s first home run of the season against Nathan Hale High School.  Not surprisingly Ivar was unanimously voted as the Most Improved player for the JV squad this season.  With more than half of the JV team consisting of freshman who showed some excellent athletic talent, the future definitely looks bright for the Cedarcrest baseball program.

The Varsity team enjoyed its most successful season in 10 years by finishing over .500 and winning a league title for the first time since 1995.  This years senior dominated varsity squad finished the year 13-7 overall and 11-4 in Cascade League play, good enough for first place.  Possibly more impressive than winning the league title is the fact that Cedarcrest did so by holding on to first place from start to finish throughout the season, and beat Lakewood High School (the other first place team) 2 out of the 3 games we played them.  As with any championship season there were a number of outstanding personal and team performances that contributed to the overall success of the team.  A total of Seven Cedarcrest players were recognized by the coaches of the Cascade League as either 1^st Team or 2^nd Team All-League selections this year for their outstanding achievements on the field.  Furthermore, three seniors were selected to participate in the All-State feeder game for District 2 that is held at Joe Martin Stadium in Bellingham.

Chris Brouillette was an offensive machine and finished the season, literally, with MVP like statistics as he hit .415 with 23 RBI, 10 doubles, and 5 home runs.  Chris was also one of the best catchers in the league this season and because of his offensive and defensive dominance, he was unanimously selected as the Cascade League MVP by the other coaches in the league.  Chris was also voted the team Offensive MVP by his teammates and was selected to play in the All-State feeder game as one of the best high school baseball players in northwest Washington.  Chris will be attending California Lutheran University next year where he will also be playing baseball.  We wish him luck.

Cody Vermeulen, who has put together a truly impressive two year run on the pitching mound that spans both the KingCo and Cascade leagues, was selected as a 1^st Team All-League Pitcher for his outstanding season.  Cody finished the 2005 regular season with an unblemished 6-0 record, 36 strikeouts and a 2.45 ERA.  Cody lead the league in wins, was second in total strikeouts, second in ERA and was also selected to play in the All-State feeder game.  Over the last two seasons Cody has combined to go 9-2 with 83 strikeouts in 81.2 innings, and a 2.08 ERA.  For his efforts this season Cody was voted Co-Defensive MVP by his teammates this season.

TJ Elwell, the only junior on the team to receive a league honor, was one of the most productive lead-off hitters, and most versatile defensive players in the league this season.  TJ finished the season hitting .348 with a .463 on base percentage; he had 16 RBI, 9 doubles, 1 triple, 1 home run, and a team leading 14 walks while playing 6 different defensive positions on the field this season.  For his efforts TJ was selected as the 1^st Team All-League Utility player for the Cascade League in 2005.

Josh Benson did what Josh Benson has always done for the Cedarcrest baseball program.  He played an almost flawless defensive third base and put together another excellent year at the plate.  Josh is a three year varsity starter at third base and this season he lead all infielders in fielding percentage while hitting .407 with 12 RBI, 2 doubles, and 2 home runs.  Josh was selected by the Cascade League coaches as the 2^nd Team All-League Third Baseman, and because of his excellent defensive abilities his teammates voted him Co-Defensive MVP for his solid and outstanding season.

Philip Knight also put in another workman like effort this season as he held down a defensively solid centerfield and maintained his position as one of the best number 2 hitters in the league.  Philip finished the season with a .308 average, 13 RBI, and 4 doubles while earning a 2^nd Team All-League selection as an Outfielder.  Philip was also recognized as a team leader when he was voted the Most Inspirational award winner for the second year in a row by his teammates.

Lucas Bunce followed up his 2^nd Team All-League Outfield selection from last season by earning another 2^nd Team All-League Outfield selection this season, even after missing two full weeks of the regular season.  Lucas is another three year varsity starter and is also one of the team’s best pitchers.  This season Lucas finished with a pitching record of 5-1, with 32 strikeouts and a 3.85 ERA while hitting .400 with an on base percentage of .489, 12 RBI, 6 doubles, 1 home run and only 1 strikeout in 50 plate appearances.  Over the last two seasons Lucas has compiled some very impressive stats both on the mound and in the batters box.  His two year combined pitching record is 8-4 with 68 strikeouts in 59.2 innings and an ERA of 5.91.  At the plate Lucas has combined to hit .414 with 25 RBI, 11 doubles, 3 triples, 3 home runs and an absolutely incredible 9 strikeouts in 99 plate appearances.  For his efforts Lucas was also selected to play in the All-State feeder game with Chris Brouillette and Cody Vermeulen.

Ben Brooks put together a truly unbelievable season considering the fact that he only played in half the regular season games due to an arm injury he suffered before the season even started.  In true Ben Brooks fashion however, he worked hard to rehab his arm, attended every practice, and maintained a positive team leadership role both on and off the field.  Once he was healthy he triumphantly returned to the Cedarcrest lineup by hitting a game tying home run and finishing the season with a .400 batting average, .515 on base percentage, 13 RBI, 3 doubles, and 3 home runs.  For his outstanding effort and impressive finish to the season the Cascade League coaches selected Ben as the 2^nd Team All-League Utility Player and Ben will be playing college baseball next season at Pacific Lutheran University. We wish him luck.

Congratulations to all the members of the Cedarcrest baseball team for their historic league championship season, and a special thanks to the senior members of the team who have made the last three years of continued improvement and success so much fun.  You will be missed and your influence on the program will be remembered for a long time.  With this year’s goal of winning a league championship and producing a playoff berth completed, and with a number of seniors graduating from the program, the coaching staff turns its attention to next years crop of young talent that will hopefully create a new winning tradition started by this year’s varsity baseball team. 

Scott Goldsberry
Head Baseball Coach
Cedarcrest High School

Brandon Baarstad
Asst. to the Head Coach
Cedarcrest High School

 Mike Ruhland
Head JV Coach
Cedarcrest High School