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Can’t kill a quality program

Posted in Baseball, tagged baseball, Camden Glover, CHS Wolves, Coop Cooper, Spring Sports Preview on March 13, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Camden Glover returns to anchor the Wolf offense and defense. (Ryan Blouin photo)

It’s a whole new world.

After advancing to the state tourney two seasons in a row, the Coupeville High School baseball team had to fight just to keep the program alive this spring.

Losses to graduation, family moves, injuries, and veteran players opting not to suit up left Wolf coach Steve Hilborn and his staff scrambling.

But they got there, relying on a core group which didn’t flake out like others, and will open the season Saturday with a road trip to Blaine.

The roster is thin, but the spirit is strong among those who remain committed.

“Looks like we’ll have a team. We have 11 right now,” Hilborn said. “Several kids new to baseball but with lots of potential.

“We’re working on basics and having fun,” he added. “And that’s the name of the game.”

Landon Roberts is a rare veteran on a rebuilding Wolf team. (Sherry Bonacci photo)

Leading the way will be senior Landon Roberts, who pitched, played first base, and patrolled the outfield last season.

Juniors Camden Glover and Coop Cooper provide big arms and steady bats, while freshmen Carson Grove and Jayden Little are back for a second year of varsity baseball.

Joining them will be a group of newcomers including senior Jesus Madrigal, making the jump from team manager to on-field player.

Sophomore big man Riley Lawless, freshmen Leo Rodriguez and Phin Rhodes, and 8th graders Trent Thule and Chris Zenz round out the current roster.

Junior Aiden O’Neill, a starter in center field last season, is sidelined as he recovers from surgery after a football injury but will be a key part of the team’s support crew from his perch on the bench.

Carson Grove, already a grizzled vet and just a freshman. (Mindy Grove photo)

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CHS baseball season in jeopardy?

Posted in Baseball, tagged baseball, CHS Wolves, information meeting, state tournament, Steve Hilborn on January 15, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Steve Hilborn has guided Coupeville High School baseball to state in both seasons he’s been at the helm of the program. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Time to put the rally hats on.

A combination of injuries and family moves is forcing Coupeville High School baseball coaches to scramble even before the season arrives.

The Wolves have advanced to the state tourney in back-to-back seasons but are “in danger of not having enough kids for a team this year,” said head man Steve Hilborn.

A team meeting has been set for 1:30 PM Wednesday to give coaches a better idea of how many players may be available.

It will be held in the health room inside the entrance to the CHS gym.

For Hilborn and his staff, the push to save the campaign is underway.

“Two straight years to state and then we can’t even make a team?” he said. “Doesn’t seem possible.”

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Lippo adds to his trophy case

Posted in Baseball, tagged All-Star, Aroostook, baseball, CHS Wolves, Gold Glove, Joey Lippo, Maine, University of Maine at Presque Isle on August 13, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Joey Lippo fires liquid heat in an All-Star game. (Photos property Tyler Turner)

Joey Lippo got some postseason love.

The Coupeville High School grad earned a Gold Glove Award as a catcher for his work in the Aroostook Men’s Baseball League this summer, while also notching an invite to the All-Star game.

Lippo, who was a standout diamond player at the University of Maine at Presque Isle, was in his second season of summer ball.

Postgame fist-bumps for everyone.

Skyy’s twin brother played multiple positions for the Mavericks, who finished the regular season in second place.

Lippo and Co. fell to the third-seeded Bad News Bears in the playoffs, with that team going on to notch its second-straight title.

Before his time in Maine, where he also golfed for UMPI, Lippo was a three-sport star in Coupeville, playing tennis, basketball, and baseball for the Wolves.

The best glove in the biz.

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Hardball heroes a howlin’ success

Posted in Baseball, tagged baseball, Camden Glover, Chase Anderson, CHS Wolves, Landon Roberts, tourney title on July 29, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Camden Glover celebrates a tourney title with mom. (Photo courtesy Stevie Glover)

You can disguise the fact they’re Wolves, but not that they’re winners.

Coupeville High School baseball stars Landon Roberts, Camden Glover, and Chase Anderson have spent the summer wearing Oak Harbor colors for travel ball.

Along the way, the trio and their teammates have played in five tournaments, and capped things this weekend by sweeping four games in Ellensburg to capture a tourney title in the Central Washington Bullpen Series.

The Wildcats (and their Wolf compatriots) won 10-9, 13-3, 8-0, and 11-10 across two days of play to earn the crown.

Wolves in disguise (l to r) Landon Roberts, Glover, and Chase Anderson get a close-up with coach Ryan Lange. (Photo courtesy Jon Roberts)

Roberts, who will be a CHS senior, patrolled right field while also pitching in two games.

Meanwhile, Glover held down third base (and pitched out of the bullpen) while Anderson pulled off his best Edgar Martinez tribute as a hard-hitting DH.

The younger Wolf duo begin their junior years this fall in Coupeville.

The champs. (Photo courtesy Jon Roberts)

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Mound ace to fab filmmaker, Wolfe blazes trail of success

Posted in awards, Baseball, tagged documentary, Emmy awards, Fishboat Media, little league, perfect game, Samuel Wolfe on July 5, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Samuel Wolfe

Samuel Wolfe is a winner.

From twirling no-no’s as a little league pitcher to earning awards for his films as an adult, the Northwest native is lighting up the world.

He blazed a trail of success as a young man, setting the bar for younger siblings Hawthorne, Melanie, and Camilla, who have all found their own triumphs in Coupeville.

Jump back 20 years, to mid-July 2004, and Samuel Wolfe was unhittable.

Chucking the ball for the North Whidbey Little League 11-12 All-Stars, he set down all 18 Central Whidbey hitters he faced in a playoff game.

Employing a four-seam fastball and a nasty curve, Wolfe whiffed 13 of those batters, with most of his rivals being unable to even get the bat on the ball.

After a fly ball to start the game, the young hurler simply overpowered his opponent, with Central Whidbey having no answers for the flame thrower.

Wolfe continued to excel in sports growing up, playing baseball and football, before finding a new passion as a filmmaker.

He currently works as part of a three-man Fishboat Media team based out of Port Townsend, which recently won its first Emmy award.

The honor, bestowed by the Northwest Chapter of the National Academy for Television Arts & Sciences, was for a video campaign called “This is Maritime Washington.”

Wolfe and associates Tyler Rowe and Jeremy Johnson documented the experiences of those living and visiting Washington state’s saltwater shores, and the campaign claimed top honors in the PSA – Single Spot or Campaign category.

Navigating the 3,000+ miles of coastline which make up the Maritime Washington National Heritage area, the trio put together a seven-story series.

Numerous interviews were conducted, with Fishboat Media working with the Swinomish Tribe, Washington State Parks, the ferry system, and Haven Boatworks among others.

With one Emmy in hand (and a previous nomination for his commercial campaign work for the city of North Bend), Wolfe is off to new adventures.

Fishboat Media was tabbed to create a five-part short-form docuseries for the Cascade PBS Origins series which will tell the tale of the last reef netters working the Salish Sea.

Wolfe was chosen from a pack of filmmakers, with the announcement coming during the closing ceremony of this year’s Seattle International Film Festival.

The plan is to focus on the Kinley family, who are the last Native permit holders from the Lummi Nation.

Cascade PBS will cover production costs, through a $40,000 grant, while providing technical and editing support, with the plan for the series to release on its platforms in March 2025.

This will be the third go-round for the series, which helps regional filmmakers document communities which they belong to.

Previous seasons have focused on Vietnamese and Afghan refugees and their experiences after resettling in Washington state and growing up Black in Seattle.

For more info on Samuel Wolfe and a chance to watch his Emmy-winning series, check out Fishboat Media at: