It’s (Hailey) Hammer Time. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
This blog turns nine years old August 15, and to mark the occasion, I’m picking what I view as the best nine Wolf athletes from each active CHS sport.
To be eligible, you had to play for the Wolves between Aug. 2012-Aug. 2021, AKA the “Coupeville Sports” years.
So here we go. Each day between Aug. 1-15, a different sport and (probably) a different argument.
The hits never stop coming.
Softball is one of the most-successful sports at Coupeville High School, and the Wolves have been especially good the last several seasons.
Which means I could form a second all-star team from the girls who were the last ones sliced from this list, go out, and beat pretty much everyone in sight.
But at this exact moment in time, before I waver again, here’s my mythical nine — a lineup of booming bats and electric arms, all owned by some of the most intensely-competitive young women to ever wear a CHS jersey.
Mikayla Elfrank denies you. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
McKayla Bailey — She pitched until her arm fell off, carrying her squad to state in a season in which she threw every single pitch. That she also owned a wicked-hot bat, was brilliant in the classroom, and is the undisputed queen of photo bombs? Even better.
Veronica Crownover — All-Conference as a freshman, led her team to state as a senior. Mashed the ball like few others, clearing fences in multiple ballparks, while also showing a remarkably nimble touch on defense while holding down first base.
Mikayla Elfrank — When she was on fire, she was truly eye-popping. Bounced a home run off carnival rides in Sequim, denting the equipment, and her throws from the hole at short remain, arguably, the hardest ever thrown on the CHS diamond.
Hailey Hammer — A legend. Feared by every pitcher she faced, and loved by her coaches, the 12-time letter-winner wrote the perfect final chapter, lashing a game-winning hit into the fading sunlight in her final at-bat on the prairie.
Katrina McGranahan — She was a captain from her freshman season, a pitcher who carried her team on her back, and a hitter who raked. Add in speed, smarts, and a fiery intensity carefully hidden beneath a calm exterior, and she could, and would, beat you in 1,001 different ways.
Chelsea Prescott — The chosen one. She played softball like a baseball player — a testament to her little league days, when she played with the boys — achieving individual greatness while fueling team success. State as a sophomore, then a 12-0 run as a senior. Covid stole her junior year, but never dimmed her star.
Lauren Rose — Off the field, one of the kindest people in the world. On the field, a killer who once jumped out of a moving car, grabbed her bat, and without a moment of warm-up, tore up to the plate and immediately belted a line-drive hit.
Bessie Walstad — Rock-solid doesn’t even begin to describe this three-sport star, whose mixture of talent, leadership, and calm composure under fire will be long remembered. Brothers Tim and Joel are strong athletes, but, with respect, Bessie is the sun their planets revolve around.
Sarah Wright — Brash, loud, and fun, a fast-talkin’, softball-crunchin’ supernova who could talk the talk, but always walked the walk to back it up. Whether crashing head-first into the bag to beat a throw, threatening to eat worms, chasing seagulls around the parking lot at the state tourney, or gunning down hapless would-be base-stealers, the most entertaining force of nature to ever sweep across the prairie.
When she was on the field, few were as talented as Bessie Walstad. (Shelli Trumbull photo)
Up next: We’re off to the hardwood to hail the best male hoops stars.
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