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This
year’s Junior Varsity team finished
the 2006 campaign with an 11-5 record. Of our five losses, 2 were by
one run, a third was by two runs and the team held a lead in each of
those games during the late innings. As the roster shows JV Baseball
had players moving in and out helping both JV and Varsity, but even
with the turn-over the players maintained a great attitude and
excitement for the game.
A couple of the stats that stand out this year include JV runs scored
at 136 runs while leaving 122 runners on base in our 16 games. The
players learned that the job at hand while batting was to get on base
anyway possible. While we were getting on base anyway possible our
defense and pitching was holding the opponents to 79 runs on 90 hits.
The other stat that stands out is that our pitching ended the season
with 86 Strike Outs while only allowing 53 walks and our team ERA
ended at 2.25.
A few of our individual pitching performances were turned in by Kyle
Olson (1.09 ERA) with a complete game 3 hit shut-out win and 2 hit
shut-out win by Matt Gall (3.07 ERA). The pitching staff was complete
this year with hurlers that had great starting performances; kids that
filled the middle relieve role and Matt Coltom (0.00 ERA) and Timothy
Hawkins (2.38 ERA) capping games as closers. Tim Horton (2.38 ERA)
played a key role in the starting rotation by not missing a start and
consistently pitching into the 5th and 6th
innings, earning him the most wins among the pitching staff. Donny
Johnson started three games as well, ending with a 1.20 ERA and Cyle
Potter provided much of the middle relieve with a 0.00 ERA.
Offensively, there were very few moments where the team as a whole
struggled and everybody had key hits and base running performances.
The leader in RBI’s this season was Tyler Condon (18), very closely
followed by Tim Horton (16). With getting on base being the key to the
JV season we ended with 2 players having an On Base Percentage above
600 (Donny Johnson .607 and Travis Cook .833) We also ended with 9
players having over a 500 ONB. Batting average for the team ended at
.296 with 9 players having an average that ended above .300.
The last game of the season was billed as Donnie Johnson Bobble Head
Night. We had a Bobble Head of Donnie displayed during pre-game and
then kept it in the dug out during the game. This game is saw the
Wolves win a close 5-4 victory with the previously un-beaten wildcats
of Arch Bishop Murphy. This was a great last game of the season as
well as last game of our closely contested three game set with the
Wildcats.
The awards handed out by the team this year started with Andrew Nelson
getting Most Inspirational, Conner Chess getting Most Improved and
Timothy Hawkins winning MVP. Overall it was a great season for
Cedarcrest Redwolves JV Baseball that built on skills and team spirit.
Mike Ruhland
Head JV Coach
The Varsity team experienced
some growing pains this season as it fought through a tough 3-17
season. After winning the league title last season and graduating
eight starters, this year became a rebuilding year with a number of
underclassmen receiving significant playing time. All in all, a total
of 20 different players received playing time at the varsity level as
we tried to not only find an offensive mix that would help support our
outstanding pitching performances, but also give as many players as
possible the experience of competing at the varsity level. Even
though our final record was not exactly what everyone involved was
expecting or hoping for, there were several bright spots to the 2006
season.
A total of 4 freshmen and 2 sophomores earned significant playing time
on varsity and all of these players’ showcased talents that will
eventually help Cedarcrest return to the top of the league standings
in the next several years. Travis Cook had several outstanding
pitching performances this season and showed remarkable poise on the
mound for a freshman. Travis’s best outing came against league
leading South Whidbey, as he dominated the leagues second best offense
by pitching a complete game, and giving up only five hits and one
earned run. Unfortunately, the teams struggling offense could not
provide anymore run support and Travis suffered a heartbreaking 2-1
defeat. Even in defeat Travis showed the type of pitching abilities
that should make him one of the leagues best pitchers over the next
three years.
Craig Chittenden, another varsity level freshman, split time between
third base and catcher while hitting clean up for most of the season.
Craig finished the season with the team’s second highest RBI total and
will also be a significant part of the team’s bright future. Another
freshman, Cameron Padron, played first base for the first 9 games of
the season before suffering a broken arm during a game against
Lakewood. Although Cameron only played half the season he still
finished second on the team in total walks as he exhibited remarkable
patience at the plate. Cameron also showed his ability to hit the
ball as well, by hitting one of the first homeruns of the season in
our second game against Sultan. The coaching staff is definitely
excited to see Cameron return to health next season and continue his
outstanding play. Jeffery Coble was the full time second baseman at
the varsity level and showcased his fundamentally sound defense on a
daily basis. Although he is also only a freshman, he ended the season
as the everyday number two hitter and also led the team in total walks
and on base percentage.
Two sophomores, Ernie
Child and Kyle Olson, also earned significant time at the varsity
level and both showed signs of being outstanding players for the next
two years. Ernie Child moved to centerfield this season and showed
signs of becoming a great outfielder as he learned the new position.
Ernie ended the season with the third highest average on the team as
he hit an even .300 while leading the team in singles. Ernie was also
recognized by the coaches of the Cascade Conference and was selected
as an All-League 2nd Team Outfielder. Kyle Olson held down
first base after Cameron Padron injured his arm and showed the type of
offensive and defensive skills that will make him a successful varsity
player over the next two seasons. Kyle finished the season with the
second highest average on the team by hitting a solid .329.
The biggest highlight
of the season was the performance of senior TJ Elwell. As the only
returning starter from last year’s league champion team, TJ faced a
great deal of pressure to match his outstanding junior season that
ended with a 1st Team All-League selection. TJ fulfilled
all expectations by playing every position on the field besides
catcher and third base, hitting .340 and leading the team in doubles,
triples and homeruns, TJ also closed out one of the most exciting
games of the year on the mound by coming into a tough situation and
shutting down Granite Falls to preserve a well earned 6-4 victory over
the eventual league champions. For his outstanding performance this
season TJ was again voted to the All-League 1st Team as a
utility player, and was selected to play in the All State Feeder Game
on June 3rd in Bellingham, Washington. To round out his
outstanding high school career, TJ was also nominated to be a member
of the All Area Team compiled by the Everett Herald.
All in all this season
was a growing and learning year for a number of young players, and
although the final varsity record was not impressive, it does not tell
the whole story of the season. With six of the 17 losses coming by 2
runs or less, the team proved that they could compete with any team in
the league. This, coupled with the outstanding performance and
overall record of the junior varsity team, has the coaching staff
convinced that the young players in the program will help Cedarcrest
return to prominence over the next several seasons.
Scott Goldsberry
Head Baseball Coach
Brandon Baarstad
Asst. to the Head Coach
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