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Roll on, mighty mashers!

Posted in Softball, tagged , , , , on March 22, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Ava Lucero celebrated her birthday Saturday and helped lead her team to another big win. (Photo courtesy Jess Lucero)

They’re punching above their weight class and landing knockout blows.

Capping a four-game run against bigger schools, the Coupeville High School softball squad dismantled host Meridian 11-0 Saturday afternoon.

The non-conference road win, coming against a well-respected 1A rival, lifts the 2B Wolves to 3-1 heading into the start of conference play.

Coupeville, which hosts Friday Harbor Tuesday in a Northwest 2B/1B League tussle, has beaten a pair of 1A schools and a 2A foe, while losing by just a run to a 3A opponent.

And Saturday’s victory was a case of complete domination.

Freshman hurler Adeline Maynes was on point, tossing a five-inning no-hitter while ringing up 10 strikeouts.

Meridian got two runners aboard thanks to Wolf errors, but other than that, the Trojans had little positive to show for their day.

The game was close for a bit, as Coupeville pushed two runners across in the second but still found itself clinging to a 2-0 lead heading into the fourth.

Those first tallies were created by Jada Heaton and Capri Anter picking up RBIs, but otherwise, the Trojans were dodging bullets.

“Bit of a slower start than I would have liked,” said CHS coach Aaron Lucero, “But we kept working away offensively and then really opened up in the top of the fifth.”

Coupeville plated three runners in the fourth to push the margin out to 5-0, before dropping the hammer with a six-run rally in the fifth frame.

Walks to Teagan Calkins and Madison McMillan got the game-busting surge going, with Sydney Van Dyke driving in a run on a sacrifice.

After that, the hits came fast and furious, with Mia Farris, Heaton, Haylee Armstrong, and Taylor Brotemarkle all bashing RBI singles.

International superstar Taylor Brotemarkle is mobbed by her fans. (Photo courtesy Kimberly Brotemarkle)

“Our players did a good job making plate adjustments to Meridian’s pitcher as the game went on,” Lucero said.

“Offensively we made the plays we needed to. As always, we put a lot of pressure on their defense offensively when on the bases.”

All nine Wolf hitters reached base in the win, with seven picking up hits, the kind of balance any coach loves to see.

“The team is really working towards execution and always ‘doing the little things’,” Lucero said.

“Capri hit the ball hard at the plate, Jada had a solid day, Mia had an absolutely perfect bunt on a set bunt and run play, and several others hit the ball hard that just found leather.

“Another good team win.”

 

Saturday stats:

Capri Anter — One double
Haylee Armstrong — One single
Taylor Brotemarkle — One single, one double
Teagan Calkins — One single, one walk
Mia Farris — One single, two walks
Jada Heaton — Two singles
Ava Lucero — One walk
Madison McMillan — One walk
Sydney Van Dyke — Two singles

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“Great team win!”

Posted in Softball, tagged , , , , on March 20, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Madison McMillan is a terror on defense. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Teagan Calkins carries a big bat, and she’s not afraid to use it.

Launching moonballs all day and all night, the Coupeville High School catcher smashed a pair of home runs and a bases-clearing triple Thursday, delivering the kind of performance which will likely scar the next three generations of East Jefferson softball players.

Yes, that includes the ones not even born yet, but who will grow up haunted by the legend of “The Red Dragon” burning Port Townsend down to ash.

And Calkins had plenty of help, as every eligible Wolf hit the field during an 18-0 romp that was mercy ruled after five innings.

The victory over a 1A mash-up of two of Coupeville’s former league rivals — Port Townsend and Chimacum — lifts the 2B Wolves to 2-1 on the season.

Up next? A trip to Meridian Saturday, as Aaron Lucero’s mad mashers play their fourth-straight game against a bigger school.

So far, the Wolves have beaten 1A and 2A foes, while losing by just a single run to a 3A rival.

Thursday’s butt-whuppin’ was administered on both sides of the field.

While the offense was huge, the defense was on point as well.

Freshman flame thrower Adeline Maynes whiffed 12 East Jefferson batters, while Calkins erased the only two rival runners to get aboard.

“Think you can hit this? You can’t.”

The Wolf backstop picked a runner off of first, laying the ball into Ava Lucero’s glove with a quick snap of her wrist, then initiated a rundown which erased a runner straying off second late in the game.

Calkins came charging from behind the plate, bluffed the would-be thief into going the wrong way, then let her teammates chase her down, with Wolf third-baseman Madison McMillan slapping on the tag.

That left Coupeville plenty of time to launch an offensive explosion, and the Wolves were more than up to the task.

Eight hits, with four being of the extra-base variety. Three from Calkins and an RBI double which left the bat of Mia Farris like a laser seeking a moon to destroy.

Fifteen walks.

Thirteen different players reaching base, with 15 playing, including the high school varsity debuts of 8th graders Emma Leavitt and Olivia Martin.

The kind of game which makes for a nice ferry ride back home for the head coach.

“A great team win!” Aaron Lucero said. “They executed all the little things we drill repeatedly.

“Good hitting, pressure on the bases, and just never let up until I dialed them all back.”

 

Thursday stats:

Capri Anter — One walk
Haylee Armstrong — Two walks
Taylor Brotemarkle — One single, two walks
Teagan Calkins — Two home runs, one triple
Mia Farris — One double, one walk
Jada Heaton — One walk
Ava Lucero — Two walks
Olivia Martin — One walk
Chloe Marzocca — One single
Madison McMillan — Three walks
Chelsi Stevens — One walk
Danica Strong — One single
Sydney Van Dyke — One single, one walk

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Wolves, Wildcats rumble in Island rivalry thriller

Posted in Softball, tagged , , , , , on March 15, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Taylor Brotemarkle is mobbed by Mia Farris (left) and Jada Heaton after making a spectacular catch Saturday afternoon. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

“I’m just excited about the fight in these ladies.”

Down to its final outs Saturday, the Coupeville High School varsity softball team rallied to push its big-school rivals right to the edge, something Wolf coach Aaron Lucero loves to see.

And while 3A Oak Harbor ultimately pushed a run across in the bottom of the seventh for a 5-4 walk-off win in the non-conference clash of next-door neighbors, the 2B Wolves have much to be happy about.

“We just ran out of innings!” Lucero said. “Hats off to Oak Harbor; they have a good team and their pitcher, Reese Wasinger, pitched a solid game for them.

“We’re very familiar with a number of their players and their capability and we did not take them lightly.

“I’m very proud of our ladies as they have embraced our philosophy of never being out of the fight!” he added.

“These are the teams that push us to be better and will help us be successful.”

Both teams emerge at 1-1 on the young season, with the host Wildcats bouncing back from a loss to Everett and the Wolves coming off a win over 2A Lakewood in their opener.

With Wasinger and CHS hurler Adeline Maynes flinging heat from the pitcher’s circle on an overcast day, the game stayed close, though Oak Harbor seemed to be in control.

The Wildcats scraped together two runs in the bottom of the first, then tacked on another run in both the third and sixth to build a 4-0 lead.

Coupeville had chances to get something going several times, only to have Wasinger come up big in clutch moments.

Wolf cleanup hitter Madison McMillan led off the top of the second by bashing a double, only to be stranded on the basepaths, a fate which she also endured after walking in the fourth.

Young guns Ava Lucero and Haylee Armstrong rapped out base hits in the third inning as well, but Coupeville couldn’t get the zero off the scoreboard.

Until the top of the seventh inning, that is.

Down to their final cuts, the Wolves brought out the rally caps in style, plating four runners to force a tie.

McMillan and Capri Anter worked walks around a pinch-hit single from Danica Strong, before Coupeville’s younger players created some magic with their bats.

Chelsi Stevens blasts a big-time hit.

Freshman Chelsi Stevens whacked a two-run single, fellow fab frosh Ava Lucero added a key base-knock to keep the rally alive, and sophomore Haylee Armstrong clubbed an RBI double.

Coupeville had six of its 10 baserunners in the seventh inning, though Wasinger did escape before giving up the lead.

Oak Harbor then made short work of its own rally in the bottom half of the final frame, with Haylee Burleigh blasting a leadoff triple, before rambling home with the winning run.

The Wildcat leadoff hitter had herself a day, collecting three hits, including a pair of three-baggers.

Haylee Burleigh (4) had a big day at the plate for the Wildcats.

While both offenses came up big in crunch time, the highlight reel play of the game came on the defensive side.

Coupeville senior shortstop Taylor Brotemarkle made a sensational running snag on a ball lofted high up over second base.

Breaking from her spot on the field in between second and third, she told her legs “Don’t fail me now!” to which her gams replied, “Have we ever?”

Spoiler: the answer is no.

Covering ground like she was shot out of a cannon, Brotemarkle went well past second base and off into center field, before pulling down the popup right in front of the oncoming Mia Farris and Jada Heaton, who promptly helped her celebrate.

 

Saturday stats:

Capri Anter — One walk
Haylee Armstrong — One single, one double
Ava Lucero — Two singles
Madison McMillan — One double, two walks
Chelsi Stevens — One single
Danica Strong — One single

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Big rival, bigger win

Posted in Softball, tagged , , , , on March 13, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Haylee Armstrong and friends dodged bad weather Thursday and captured a season-opening win. (Photo courtesy Michelle Armstrong)

All in all, a pretty solid debut.

Dodging some tricky weather, overcoming the absence of an ill star, and outlasting a rival repping a much-bigger student body, the Coupeville High School varsity softball squad made new head coach Aaron Lucero a winner Thursday afternoon.

Getting a big-time performance from freshman pitcher Adeline Maynes, and key offensive contributions from everyone in the lineup, the Wolves thunked visiting Lakewood 8-4.

The non-conference win, coming against a 2A school, kicks off a run in which the 2B Wolves will play four straight bigger schools to start the season.

Up next is a trip to 3A Oak Harbor Saturday, then treks off-Island to play 1A schools East Jefferson and Meridian.

Thursday’s victory came despite Mother Nature throwing her annual early-season hissy fit.

The skies unleashed over the prairie about an hour before game time, delivering a mix of rain and hail, but Coupeville’s field held up under the assault.

“I’m glad our field drains well, but we still had to put down about 600 pounds of Field Dry and the game got started a bit late,” Aaron Lucero said with a chuckle.

“Not exactly what I normally do for pregame!”

When Coupeville took the field, it did so without starting centerfielder Mia Farris, who was home battling strep throat, but the Wolves never missed a beat.

They jumped on Lakewood for five runs in the bottom of the first inning, putting the first six batters on base to stake their claim as the dominant team.

Haylee Armstrong and Taylor Brotemarkle got things going, reaching on back-to-back errors, before Teagan Calkins, Madison McMillan, Sydney Van Dyke, and Jada Heaton smoked base knocks to make the scoreboard jump.

Chelsi Stevens pushed the fifth run across on an RBI groundout, and the visitors were rocked on their heels.

Lakewood couldn’t catch up to the smoke being thrown by Maynes, who opened her second season as the varsity ace by whiffing nine batters.

Coupeville pushed another run across in the second, and had the bases juiced in the fourth thanks to three straight walks but just missed out on busting things wide open.

A bang-bang defensive gem in the top of the third kept Lakewood at bay, with Maynes snagging a comebacker, getting the out at first, then watching approvingly as Ava Lucero pegged a throw to home where catcher Teagan Calkins was waiting.

“The Red Dragon” slapped the tag on the incoming runner to complete the double play, and the Wolves rolled into the fifth inning up 6-0.

While Lakewood took advantage of a brief CHS letdown to slice the deficit back to 6-4, Maynes shut down the rally, then her teammates tacked on two insurance runs.

Capri Anter and Stevens delivered big hits in the bottom half of the fifth, with Ava Lucero and Armstrong picking up RBIs.

That set up Maynes, who closed with a bang, retiring eight of the final nine batters to seal the win.

Aaron Lucero, who made the jump from Wolf assistant coach to head coach after former main man Kevin McGranahan moved across the country, came away pleased with a lot of what he witnessed.

“When we needed a bunt down to advance runners we did; we executed baserunning for the most part, and our defense was solid,” Lucero said.

“We pressured the defense every opportunity we could, and we really did the “little things” to be successful.

“I’m excited for this team for their commitment to excellence.”

 

Thursday stats:

Capri Anter — One single
Haylee Armstrong — One single
Taylor Brotemarkle — One single, two walks
Teagan Calkins — Two singles, one walk
Jada Heaton — Two singles
Madison McMillan — Two singles, one walk
Chelsi Stevens — One single
Sydney Van Dyke — One single

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“The team is never satisfied or complacent”

Posted in Softball, tagged , , , , on March 11, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Madison McMillan crushes a home run. Again. (Jackie Saia photo)

They’re ready for one last run.

Coupeville’s senior softball players have compiled a 44-14 mark across their first three seasons and are looking to go out with a bang.

Third-baseman Madison McMillan, shortstop Taylor Brotemarkle, and outfielders Jada Heaton and Mia Farris top a Wolf team which returns every starter from a year ago, when they went 14-5 and came up just short of a trip to state.

Now, with former assistant coach Aaron Lucero moving up to replace the departed Kevin McGranahan, the focus remains the same.

Win, work hard, have fun, and win some more.

“We want to always be competitive in every game and make it to state,” Lucero said. “We want to be in control of our own future.

“While we can’t control whether we have to compete in a single play-in game in District 4 or get a direct bid by winning our own league, we can control our effort, attitude, preparation, and intensity.”

The Wolves will focus on core values like “team before me” and “do the little things” while looking to maintain their hold on the top spot in the Northwest 2B/1B League.

Coupeville has won three conference crowns in four seasons since moving from 1A to 2B, but the one thing missing is a return to the big dance, with the program’s last trip to state coming in 2019.

The pandemic erased spring sports in 2020 and prevented any playoffs in 2021, with the last three seasons ending just shy of a final-week bus ride to Eastern Washington.

The 2025 edition of the Wolves looks rock-solid, with the senior veterans topping a roster of experienced pros.

Teagan Calkins (center) is a bright, shining star. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Junior catcher Teagan Calkins has “been tasked with more responsibility as the field general to our pitching staff and catchers,” and “The Red Dragon” has been a star since day one.

“I’m glad she plays for us instead of against us!” said Lucero.

Calkins will be working with a pitching staff, which while young in age, has on-field experience to spare.

Staff ace Adeline Maynes is just a freshman but threw the Wolves to within a whisker of a trip to state as an 8th grader, while sophomores Haylee Armstrong and Capri Anter both saw frequent time in the pitcher’s circle a season ago.

Freshmen Sydney Van Dyke, Ava Lucero, and Chelsi Stevens also got a jump on launching their varsity careers as 8th graders, and this time around, there’s another group ready to make the same move.

“I’ve been impressed with our 8th graders who joined us this week with several more joining after middle school basketball ends,” Aaron Lucero said.

While the Wolves are counting on having a five-pack of middle schoolers on the roster, it’s not too late for others to join.

“Any who want to play softball are welcome!” Aaron Lucero said. “I really want and need a robust JV program!”

Seniors Jada Heaton (left) and Taylor Brotemarkle have been winners since day one. (Jennifer Heaton photo)

With an experienced team which boasts a mix of longball power, speed on the basepaths, and fire in its throwing arms, the Wolves kick off their schedule Thursday with a home game against 2A Lakewood.

Coupeville’s non-conference slate includes six games against 1A, 2A, or 3A schools, plus a home doubleheader with 2B powerhouse Forks.

“We won’t take a single team lightly and will prepare accordingly,” Aaron Lucero said.

“We will give every team respect and come out with the mentality that every game is the most important.

“I added some bigger schools with good softball programs to our schedule to push us.”

Whether it’s league rivals like Darrington or Friday Harbor, or bigger schools such as Oak Harbor and Meridian, success will ultimately come down to how the Wolves prepare.

“I’m never satisfied or complacent. The team is never satisfied or complacent,” Aaron Lucero said.

“We always have work to do to improve.  Everything about softball is designed to make the player fail, so we will continue to work on every phase of the game.

“Mental toughness is a must for our style of play.”

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