Coupeville grad Danny Conlisk lets it rip in a college track meet. (Photo courtesy Dawnelle Conlisk)
Sarah Wright cracked her first college home run Saturday in Georgia. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
Four Whidbey alumni are playing baseball for Green River College this season. Left to right, James Besaw, Joey Lippo, CJ Smith, and Hunter Smith. (Charlotte Young photo)
One day, three sports, three states, a whole ton of former Wolves on the prowl.
Saturday was a busy day for Coupeville grads competing in the world of college sports, with events going down in South Dakota, Georgia, and Washington state.
How the day played out:
Sarah goes yard:
Just like the old days.
Playing in her eighth college softball game, Coupeville grad Sarah Wright belted a three-run home run to left field, the highlight on a day when the former Wolf catcher’s new team was swept in a doubleheader.
Sewanee: The University of the South fell 9-1 and 10-6 to Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia, dropping the Tigers record to 2-6.
Wright and associates get a chance for a quick reversal of fortunes, as they play another doubleheader Sunday, this one against Wesleyan College in Macon.
The former Coupeville standout crushed her round tripper in her first at-bat in Saturday’s second game.
Through the first eight games of her freshman season, Wright is hitting .261 with six hits and a team-high six RBI.
She’s also doing it on the defensive side as well, where she tops Sewanee with 25 putouts and absolutely, positively no errors whatsoever.
Danny hits the jets:
A two-time state champ for CHS, Danny Conlisk continues to tear up the track as a freshman at the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology.
Bouncing back from an illness which kept him out of action last week, the Hardrocker freshman finished 2nd in the 400 at the Stinger Open at Black Hills State University.
Conlisk won his heat and smashed his collegiate PR in the event, hitting the tape in an adjusted time of 51.58 seconds.
That shaved .80 off of his previous best.
The former Wolf is one meet away from reaching the mid point of his season(s), with the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Indoor Championships set for February 28-29 in Colorado Springs.
After that, Conlisk and his teammates take a month off from competition (but not training), returning March 27 for the start of the outdoor season.
Strong start for diamond dandies:
It’s a reunion on the next level.
CHS grads, and brothers, CJ and Hunter Smith are back for their sophomore year at Green River College in Auburn.
Joining them on the Gators baseball squad this time around are former Coupeville star Joey Lippo and former Oak Harbor standout James Besaw.
All four Whidbey alumni saw action Saturday, as Green River opened a new season by sweeping a doubleheader from Western Washington University.
The Gators took the opener 11-4, with CJ Smith coming on in relief to earn the win.
Mr. Cool jumped in to the game in the second inning, with his team trailing, and promptly threw 4.1 innings of shutout ball, whiffing three.
His younger brother was a big supporter, as Hunter rapped a single, walked three times, stole a base, and scored twice as the Gators stormed from behind to nail down the victory.
Besaw played a key role, as well, walking and ripping an RBI single.
In the second game of the day, Green River once again rallied, plating two runners in the fourth to tie the game, then sending two more home in the sixth to eke out a 4-3 victory.
Hunter Smith collected another single in the nightcap, and he teamed up with Lippo for the defensive play of the game.
Recreating their high school magic, Lippo fielded a dangerous ball in the outfield which had extra-base hit written all over it, then came up gunning.
Airmailing a wicked throw to his former Wolf teammate, he started a bang-bang play, which nailed the WWU runner when Smith zipped the relay on a bead to Green River’s third-baseman.
“The play between Joey and Hunter was awesome,” said proud papa Joe Lippo. “Had the Green River fans yelling the loudest all day!”
Great group reunited!