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Archive for the ‘Baseball’ Category

Feast or famine? Feast!!

Posted in Baseball, tagged , , , , , , on March 28, 2015| Leave a Comment »

We're four games into the season and Aaron Curtin already has two no-hitters. (Shelli Trumbull photo)

   We’re four games into the season and Aaron Curtin already has two no-hitters. (Shelli Trumbull photo)

The Coupeville High School baseball squad has played four games this season, twice ten-running their opponents and twice being shut out.

Friday it was the more popular of the two options, as the Wolves jumped all over host Port Townsend early, then rode nearly flawless pitching from Aaron Curtin (tossing his second no-hitter of the season) to a 10-0 victory in their Olympic League opener.

The victory left Coupeville sitting atop the league standings at 1-0, 2-2 overall.

And, while the disparity is sort of odd, CHS coach Willie Smith can appreciate it.

“Yeah, you have a problem with that???,” he asked with a huge laugh. “And yes, we either score or we don’t, but as an ever positive and cheery person, I like to think of it as our outscoring our opponents 20-9 in the first four games and not worry about the fact we are just .500 in those games.”

The Wolves didn’t need all those runs with Curtin dealing wicked high, hard cheese.

The senior hurler struck out nine Redhawks while walking just one. The only ball Port Townsend got good aluminum on was hit right at Wolf shortstop Josh Bayne, who snared it for the out.

Curtin has thrown 11 shutout innings over three appearances this season.

“They never really had a chance against him. Aaron was just dominant,” Smith said.

While they might not have needed the offense, the Wolves were still quite happy to capitalize on their chances, drilling Port Townsend for five runs in the first.

Cole Payne spanked an RBI double, Kyle Bodamer whacked a two-run double and senior Carson Risner, playing in his first game since his freshman year, crunched a two-run single.

Not content to sit on its lead, Coupeville tacked on two more in the second when Bodamer’s double squeeze was so successful that both Bayne and Payne were able to stroll home.

Bodamer was an RBI machine, knocking in four, while freshman Jake Hoagland, making his first-ever start, chipped in with three RBIs.

Payne, Bodamer, Risner and Hoagland each had two hits.

“Overall, we came out very focused and executed what we needed to do on offense,” Smith said.

Coupeville will try to keep its hot streak at the plate going when it travels to Everett today to face a familiar foe in former Cascade Conference rival Archbishop Thomas Murphy.

The Wolf JV travels even further, with a date in Blaine.

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Josh Poole finds a home with Wolf baseball!!

Posted in Baseball, tagged , , , , , , on March 21, 2015| 1 Comment »

Josh Poole gets ready to fire some heat in his debut as a Wolf pitcher. (Shelli Trumbull photo)

   Josh Poole gets ready to fire some heat in his debut as a Wolf pitcher. (Shelli Trumbull photo)

Some baseball players fret about missing a bunt sign or muffing a grounder.

For Josh Poole, any moment on the baseball field is something to be celebrated. Great play or error, he’s just grateful for the opportunity.

Having come from an abusive home and been homeless, the Coupeville High School senior is embracing his new life.

“I started playing (baseball) because I’ve had a rough past and it feels like I’m part of a family, especially at CHS,” Poole said.

Dumped on the street by a father he says was abusive, Poole eventually got help, for which he is grateful.

“I registered myself into school, because education is number one, with help from Ryan’s House Youth Shelter and a big thanks to Julie Jansen,” Poole said. “Mr. (Tom) Black has helped me through the hard times and keeping my head on straight.”

Baseball has given him an outlet, and while this is his first season as a Wolf, he has found himself welcomed by his new team.

“There is a lot I enjoy about baseball, mostly being a part of a team as great as CHS,” Poole said. “My strengths are mainly my hustle.

“I do need work on my batting at times; my goals for the season are being a great role model and having a winning season.”

A country music fan, he plans to enter the military after graduation.

Poole has already made an impact on his new baseball family, with Coupeville coach Willie Smith taking a strong liking to his newest player.

“He’s been doing a great job in baseball,” Smith said. “He’s worked extremely hard and is a very likable young man.

“It sounds like he’s had a heck of a family life but he’s pretty determined to change the direction he’s headed and I’m impressed by what I’ve seen in his work ethic and attitude, which will go a long ways to get him to where he wants to get to.”

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You can go home again (just can’t win)!!

Posted in Baseball, tagged , , , , on March 19, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Kyle

Kyle Bodamer contemplates whether the umpire might be blind. (Shelli Trumbull photos)

Nick

They call Nick Etzell The Vacuum, because he sucks up every baseball hit anywhere near him.

Willie Smith went home and a pitcher’s duel broke out.

The CHS baseball guru took his current team back to Sequim Wednesday, the town he starred in back in his high school days, only to see his old-school Wolves edge his current pack of diamond men 3-0.

The non-conference loss dropped Coupeville to 1-2 on the season.

While CHS suffered its second straight shutout, the Wolves had their shots and hurler Aaron Trumbull did his best to limit the damage coming from the hosts.

All three runs were unearned, the kind of thing that can gnaw at the soul of a coach.

“We are just not making routine fundamental plays and it’s biting us in the hind end,” Smith said.

“Trumbull threw really well for us, keeping them off balance with a mix of off-speed and fastballs, but his defense didn’t do much to help him out,” he added. “Dropped pick-offs, overthrows, a dropped fly ball and failed executions on our first and third defense, led to all three of their runs.

“Other than that, we had a good defensive game!”

Coupeville had several chances to bring runners around, but failed each time.

Aaron Curtin launched a long drive to right in the first, only to see the man ahead of him, CJ Smith, thrown out at the plate.

Later, Josh Bayne singled, stole second and third, and then slowly wilted as the batters behind him finished out the inning with a strikeout and popup.

Things reached the height of disappointment with two blown plays in the late innings.

Kyle Bodamer beat out an infield single, then Cole Payne crushed a double in the fifth to put runners at second and third with one out.

Smith called for a double squeeze, only to have his batter miss the sign, cause a runner to get tagged out, then strike out to end the inning.

The final capper came in the sixth when Bayne smacked a grounder between short and third, only to have the Wolf runner at second make a base-running blunder.

“Our runner decided to run right at him, resulting in an out and a discussion with me on basic running fundamentals,” Smith said.

Still, while the frustrations mounted as the game wore on, the ol’ ball coach could walk away with hope for the remainder of the season.

“The good news is that the mistakes we are making are the result of not focusing and executing things we work on every day, so we can fix those,” Smith said. “Just like I thought, we are getting strong pitching but we need to play solid, fundamental defense and that is, right now, a work in progress, but we will get there and put it all together.”

JV makes its debut:

Coupeville’s young guns got their first action of the season, falling 9-2.

Wolf hurlers Jonathan Thurston and Josh Poole “both threw strikes and there was moments of good defense.”

Joey Lippo and Nick Etzell combined on a nice play up the middle to thwart a Sequim rally, while Cameron Toomey-Stout knocked in Gabe Wynn with the team’s first run.

Poole put in a one-man effort to notch the second run, stealing second and then coming around to score on a passed ball.

“It was good to see them in action and a lot of different players getting to make their high school baseball debut,” Smith said.

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Willie Smith has a fascinating financial offer for you!!

Posted in Baseball, tagged , , , , , , on March 17, 2015| Leave a Comment »

"No autographs until AFTER the game ... unless you got $5, then I'm flexible." (John Fisken photos)

   Willie Smith lays down the law. “No autographs until AFTER the game … unless you got $5, then I’m flexible.” (John Fisken photos)

CJ Smith comes up gunnin'.

CJ Smith comes up grinnin’ and gunnin’.

Aaron Trumbull lets loose with the Stare O' Death.

Aaron Trumbull unleashes the Stare O’ Death.

Josh Bayne sweet talks the baseball down from its perch in the heavens.

Josh Bayne sweet talks the baseball down from its perch in the heavens.

Hunter Smith controls the flow of the game.

Hunter Smith controls the flow of the game.

"I said $5! Count my fingers and respect the financial authority of my hand!!"

“I said $5! Count my fingers and respect the financial authority of my hand!!”

"Dang, I only get $3. Smith, you da man!!"

“Dang, I only get $3. Smith, you da man!!”

Rain? What rain?

A day after a deluge straight out of Noah’s time, the sky was blue, the sun was out and baseballs were flyin’ through the air.

When he wasn’t looking for stray cans of Diet Coke, travelin’ photo man John Fisken was working the field, snapping pics, some of which are above.

To see more of his work (purchases help fund scholarships for CHS senior student/athletes) pop over to:

http://www.olympicleague.com/index.php?act=view_gallery&gallery=8289&league=21&page=1&page_name=photo_store&school=24&sport=0

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Etzell etches name in record book!!

Posted in Baseball, tagged , , , , , , on March 17, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Ben Etzell throws the high, hard cheese during his high school days. (John Fisken photo)

Ben Etzell throws the high, hard cheese during his high school days. (John Fisken photo)

College and facial hair.

College and facial hair.

Ben Etzell is perfect, so far.

The former Coupeville High School baseball standout, the MVP of the Cascade Conference his senior season, has pitched in one game as a freshman at Saint John’s University, and he collected the win.

Coming on in relief against Newbury College in a game played in Ft. Myers, Florida, Etzell hurled 1.1 innings, scattering four hits and sealing the victory for the Johnnies.

The NCAA D-III school, now 5-4 on the season — with five different pitchers having recorded a win — opened its season in Florida, and now, after a break, is off to Arizona for multiple games.

The Johnnies finally return home to Minnesota Mar. 28, hoping the warm weather will come with them.

Though, to be fair, late March in Minnesota is still a time many locals refer to as “yep, still ice fishin’ season, eh.”

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