Coupeville Sports

   Senior Jonathan Thurston is one of several Wolf pitchers who will be counted on to help replace graduated staff ace CJ Smith. (John Fisken photos)

   Hunter Smith, a First-Team All-League pick last year as a sophomore, will anchor CHS on the mound and in the infield.

Last year they shocked the world. This year they have a bulls-eye on their chest.

Coming off its first league title in 25 years, the Coupeville High School baseball squad will look to keep the good times going in year two under coach Marc Aparicio.

“Our long term varsity goal this season is to win state,” Aparicio said. “Our JV goal is to support the varsity goal and to build a strong long-term future for our baseball program.

“Our short term goal is to win one game at a time.”

Coupeville returns almost every varsity player from a season ago, though two losses — CJ Smith and Olympic League MVP Cole Payne — are huge.

Smith was the team’s undisputed pitching ace, a serene strikeout artist who held his team together through good times and bad, while Payne was a rock behind the plate, a catcher who combined a potent bat with solid defensive skills.

On the mound, the Wolves won’t necessarily try to replace CJ Smith with just one hurler.

Younger brother Hunter Smith, himself an All-League pick as a pitcher, returns for his junior campaign, and he’ll have plenty of help as CHS “has about eight very good pitchers to try and replace CJ.”

Those include junior Julian Welling, senior Jonathan Thurston and sophomore Matt Hilborn, who was a First-Team All-League pick as an infielder in 2016.

“We are very fortunate this year to have a lot of kids that want to pitch,” Aparicio said.

Payne’s replacement will likely come in the form of Taylor Consford, a senior who transferred from Oak Harbor.

He was a starter for the 3A Wildcats last season, playing in 17 games and collecting five RBIs.

Other key returning players include catcher Jake Pease, infielders Kory Score, Dane Lucero, Joey Lippo and Nick Etzell and outfielders Clay Reilly, Gabe Wynn, Jake Hoagland and Ethan Marx.

The Wolves have also picked up a collection of new players, some of whom might start to contribute right away.

“Our freshman class is small, but all the players are looking very good so far,” Aparicio said. “A good fit to our already solid team.

“We will work hard this year to play as a team – play for the team and not as an individual.”

For Coupeville to repeat as league champs, it will need to scale Klahowya, which won in 2015, Chimacum and a Port Townsend squad that should be resurgent after an 0-16 year in which it never got to play at home thanks to field issues.

“Our league competitors will certainly put up a fight this year, as they did last year,” Aparicio said. “However, we’re confident we will go beyond league play.

“This is what we are practicing for.”