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CHS baseball wins battle, loses war

Posted in Baseball, tagged , , , , , on March 15, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Hawthorne Wolfe (second from right) collected one of five hits Friday for a Coupeville baseball squad coached by Chris Smith (middle). (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

After being forced to postpone its season opener Tuesday with 10 of 16 players out sick, just getting on the field Friday was an accomplishment for the Coupeville High School baseball squad.

Once there, a young Wolf squad, which played three freshmen, starting two, out-hit host Lynden Christian, but were undone by errors in a 2-1 non-league loss.

“All things considered, not bad, but we kind of gave it to them,” said CHS coach Chris Smith.

Coupeville gets a chance to bounce right back, hosting Overlake at 1 PM Saturday in another non-conference rumble.

Friday afternoon, the Wolves jumped on their hosts quickly, plating their only run in the first inning, then having a chance to break things open in the second.

The first run of the season came courtesy back-to-back two-out base-knocks from seniors Jake Pease and Dane Lucero.

That would be the only run for the Wolves, however, as Lynden’s pitcher ended the first inning with a strikeout, before escaping a jam in the top of the second.

In that inning, CHS loaded the bases with just one out, as Mason Grove and Sage Sharp walked, followed by Daniel Olson rapping a single.

With the top of the order coming to the plate, the stage seemed set for the Wolves to go bonkers on the Lyncs, but it wasn’t to be on this day.

A strikeout, followed by a ground-out to second shut down the rally, while kicking off a run of 10 straight outs by Wolf hitters.

Coupeville didn’t break the cold streak at the plate until the fifth inning, when freshman Hawthorne Wolfe punched his first high school hit.

A fly-out to center left him stranded, however, and a potential rally in the sixth, sparked by a Lucero walk and an Ulrik Wells single, ended suddenly and savagely with three straight strike-outs.

Lynden only scraped out a single base hit against Coupeville hurlers Lucero, Wolfe and Matt Hilborn, and it went nowhere.

But the Lyncs benefited from some Wolf stumbles, turning three walks and two errors into their only two runs in the bottom of the second inning.

Coupeville finished with four errors on the afternoon.

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Young Wolves step up to claim diamond

Posted in Baseball, tagged , , , , on March 6, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Four-year starter Matt Hilborn is one of five returning letter winners for Coupeville High School baseball. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

The Wolves enjoy rare blue skies as they prep for their season opener.

Let’s shake things up.

Coupeville High School baseball soared through much of the 2018 season, winning its second Olympic League title in three years and falling a single win shy of advancing to the state tourney.

Jump forward to this spring, and many things have changed for third-year head coach Chris Smith.

He needs to replace an especially strong group of seniors from last year’s 15-6 squad, having lost eight to graduation, including league MVP Hunter Smith.

And, while doing so, the Wolves are bouncing into the new North Sound Conference, a league headed up by Cedar Park Christian, which has finished 2nd and 4th at state the past two seasons.

After playing a scattershot schedule during their four-year run in the Olympic League, Coupeville returns to a more traditional schedule in their new surroundings.

Much like the Wolves did in their old stomping grounds in the Cascade Conference, NSC teams will play three-game series in a single week.

Instead of a game here, a game a month later, and then a final match-up sometime after that, the new league operates with a Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule.

So, when the Wolves open their league schedule, against the aforementioned CPC, they’ll go to Bothell Monday, host the Eagles Wednesday, then travel back to Bothell Friday.

The new schedule more closely replicates what college and pro teams play, while giving coaches more of a chance to use strategy as they set up their pitching and adjust to changes as each week plays out.

While he won’t have his son ready to take the mound this year, Smith can lean on a pair of veteran hurlers.

Seniors Matt Hilborn and Dane Lucero top the mound rotation, and are joined by three other returning lettermen, seniors Jake Pease and Shane Losey and junior Gavin Knoblich.

“All are expected to start this year and make a strong impact,” Smith said. “We have strong returning pitching and a strong senior core, but we will be a very young team.”

Among the younger players expected to play key roles include juniors Ulrik Wells and Mason Grove, sophomore Daniel Olson, who got the strikeout to clinch last year’s league title, and freshman Hawthorne Wolfe.

The roster will lean towards players making their varsity debuts this time around.

“(There are) some other up and coming players that will definitely have the opportunity to help out when called upon,” Smith said.

While his team may not be the most-experienced, the eternally-upbeat Wolf coach is aiming for success, as always.

With the season opener at home Mar. 12, against non-conference foe Friday Harbor, Smith is rarin’ to get going.

“Our number one goal is to make a run at the league title; our number two goal is to qualify for the state tournament,” he said.

“It will be a successful season if we play good baseball, and maintain a high level of motivation, energy and effort regardless of the outcome.”

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Smith boys shine in college baseball debut

Posted in Baseball, tagged , , , , , on March 3, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Former Coupeville diamond stars CJ (left) and Hunter Smith show off their new college baseball uniforms Sunday in Kent. (Charlotte Young photo)

Different level, same results.

Former Coupeville High School standouts CJ and Hunter Smith made their college baseball debuts Sunday, and immediately helped their team sweep an Opening Day doubleheader.

The duo, who are freshmen at Green River College, played roles in a pair of wins over visiting Western Washington University.

In the opening game, Hunter started at second base and hit lead-off, drilling a single to keep a Gator rally alive during a 4-1 win.

He also recorded three putouts and two assists while roaming the infield.

In the nightcap, big bro CJ, who was a starting pitcher in high school, made his debut in his new role as Green River’s answer to Mariano Rivera.

Coming out of the bullpen to record the final four outs in a 4-2 victory, he struck out two batters while recording the first save of his new career.

The Smith brothers and their new teammates are right back at it next weekend, with a pair of road doubleheaders.

Green River swings by Pendleton, OR next Saturday, Mar. 9, to play a twin-bill against Blue Mountain, then loops back through Eastern Washington Sunday to play two against Walla Walla.

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Seven days and counting

Posted in Baseball, Boys Soccer, Girls Tennis, Softball, Track, tagged , , , , , , , , on March 2, 2019| Leave a Comment »

“So, we meet again, my old friend!” (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

The CHS varsity softball squad, ready to take aim at nabbing a second-straight league title.

Eryn Wood limbers up her tennis elbows.

If this prairie spring plays out like most of the ones before it, this is the final time the Wolf JV sluggers will see the sun.

You shoot, Wolf goalie Dewitt Cole denies you. The circle of life.

Wolf netters throw down an old-fashioned gun show.

Chelsea Prescott comes up firing.

Megan Behan gets ready to launch her javelin into the (surprisingly sunny) sky.

One week until the games count.

Next Saturday, Mar. 9, brings with it the first regular season spring sports clash for Coupeville High School.

Chimacum is the foe, boys soccer is the game, and it all goes down starting at 12:30 PM at Mickey Clark Field.

After that, softball, track and field, baseball, and girls tennis will get going, and, before you know it, spring sports will be in full swing.

In the week to come, we’ll be running preview stories for all five programs.

I can’t tell you what order those articles will run, because it all depends on which coaches answer their questions first.

So, a little suspense.

As we take bets to see which CHS spring boss is first to finish their survey, and which ones waits until the final moments, some more pics from recent practices.

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CHS sports head outside, find cameraman already there

Posted in Baseball, Boys Soccer, Girls Tennis, Softball, Volleyball, tagged , , , , , , , , on February 28, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Wolf senior Emma Smith visualizes capping her prep career at the state track and field championships. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

James Wood sacrifices his noggin for the good of the team.

Sarah Wright comes up firing, mere seconds from destroying the mitt about to receive her laser.

Gavin Knoblich and his bat Shaniqua (yes, that’s really her name) perfect the art of the bunt.

Lola Jimenez gets the blood flowing during tennis warm-ups.

Daniel Olson stretches out, denying the wily baseball’s bid to get past him.

Coral Caveness turns two.

Andrew Aparicio takes control of the ball during a soccer scrimmage.

Mary Milnes feels the burn.

If only one Wolf can save the world, I choose Chris Ruck. Zombies, killer androids, or renegade asteroids, all will fall to his steely gaze.

Spring has sprung, luring the paparazzi outside from their winter hideaways.

With all five Coupeville High School sports teams wending their way through the first week of practice, top-notch camera clicker John Fisken was out and about, and the pics seen above are courtesy him.

It’s a quick taste of track and field, soccer, tennis, softball, and baseball, with much more to come over the next three months.

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