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Archive for the ‘Softball’ Category

Halle Black shows off the first of many trophies. (Photos courtesy Mandi Black)

She is the bright future of Coupeville sports.

Halle Black, the daughter of former Wolf stars Allen and Mandi (Murdy) Black, is deeply connected to the prairie.

She has parents, aunts and uncles, cousins, and grandparents, even a lil’ brother, who are all either talented athletes or passionate sports supporters — or both.

As spring has morphed into summer, Halle, who has already made a mark for herself as a basketball player, has embraced the softball life her mom once lived.

As Mandi wrote on Facebook:

What a LONG first sb season, 3 teams, 3 sets of coaches, multiple different positions played and a trip to state!

I am so proud of how passionate you are, in anything you try Halle!

You’re so coachable and your competitive side is starting to shine, and this mama cannot wait for all our future sports seasons!

A softball season that began in a Central Whidbey uniform ended with a trip to the big dance for Halle as the lone prairie rep on a North Whidbey squad.

While there she, like her new teammates — who should probably all talk to their parents about moving to Coupeville where they can get proper media coverage — endured oppressive heat and the chance to play big city all-star teams.

They may not have won a state title, but they set the path for future success and did it with class and a never-say-die attitude.

There were countless young girls and boys who ventured onto the diamond to play baseball and softball this spring on Whidbey.

All should be commended for making the commitment, whether they were first-timers or are already grizzled vets while still in grade school.

Today, though, we offer a special shout-out to Halle and make her our poster girl for the movement.

Be proud of what you and your friends accomplished, Miss Black. And come back next season, and the season after that, ready to achieve even more.

While never forgetting that basketball, where your old man made his name as a hoops hotshot with a torrid shooting touch, is still God’s Chosen Sport.

If Coupeville athletics, and Coupeville Sports the blog have a future, and they do, it’s thanks to your generation.

Never stop reaching for greatness and never stop having fun out there.

The bright future.

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Whidbey Thunder sluggers take a brief break from crunching base hits to pose for a group pic. (Jackie Saia photo)

They brought the big sticks.

Bashing five home runs over the weekend, the Whidbey Island Thunder 18U softball squad won three of five games at the Cascades National Championship in Olympia.

The offensive barrage was fueled by Lakewood slugger EmmaJoy Wise, who smacked the ball at a sizzlin’ .818 clip while accounting for four of her team’s taters.

Jivanna Bird, a Canadian ace making her Thunder debut, lofted the team’s other home run, while Oak Harbor star Layla Suto hit .778 on the weekend.

Coupeville’s trio was a duet this time around, as shortstop Taylor Brotemarkle sat out while dealing with an injury.

Her Wolf teammates, Teagan Calkins and Madison McMillan, swung hot bats, combining for 10 hits against top-level pitching.

The Thunder came out of the gate hot, rolling to three straight wins while outscoring their foes 26-3.

“The girls came out and played absolutely flawlessly in the first three games of the tournament,” said coach Matt Suto. “Our bats and defense were on fire.”

Things got chippy in the quarterfinals, where Whidbey fell to a Utah team backed by jaw-flapping fans who crossed the line with non-stop verbal abuse.

In a fitting bit of karma, those fans then got to watch their own squad fall apart and come up short of winning the title.

The Thunder, who finished fifth in a 15-team field, closed with a loss to Velocity Fastpitch in a game where every hit seemed to land right in a mitt.

“We would hit it right at them and couldn’t find a gap,” Matt Suto said. “It was extremely frustrating, but it’s something that we have to overcome and deal with.

“Overall, I’m extremely impressed with these girls. Taking fifth place is a true accomplishment by the girls and my coaching staff.”

The trio of Ramona Ryder, Zoe Abbott, and Grace Swenson divvied up the pitching load and all “did a fantastic job,” while Calkins “was an absolute brick wall behind home plate.”

“She battled and blocked everything she could and also had to battle hot heat, and she was absolutely amazing this weekend,” Matt Suto said.

“Every player on the team contributed somewhere or another,” he added.

Whidbey outfielders Anna Friedrichs, Layla Suto, and Hayden Davies closed off the gaps, limiting rival hitters, while Loto Tupu and McMillan “were great on the corners.”

“I can’t thank the girls and the parents enough for a great weekend of ball and showing class after the situation we had to deal with against the team from Utah,” Matt Suto said.

His squad will get back at next weekend, when it travels to Kent for another tournament.

 

Weekend stats:

Zoe Abbott — One walk
Jivanna Bird — Four singles, one home run
Teagan Calkins — Six singles
Hayden Davies — One single, two walks
Anna Friedrichs — One walk
Jayme Kallio — One single
Madison McMillan — One single, two doubles, one triple, two walks
Ramona Ryder — Two singles, two walks
Layla Suto — Six singles, one double, three walks
Grace Swenson — One single
Loto Tupu — One single, three walks
EmmaJoy Wise — Three singles, two doubles, four home runs, one walk

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Cameron Van Dyke channels Dolph Lundgren in Rocky IV. “I must break you!” (Photo courtesy Michelle Armstrong)

Have a daughter between the ages of 12-16?

Time to embrace your new life as a softball travel parent and unleash the Whidbey wrecking crew on the world.

The Island Vipers, who have fielded a very successful U14 squad comprised of players from Coupeville, Oak Harbor, and all those places down South, are looking to expand.

The plan is to have both a 14U and 16U team going forward, and tryouts are set for this Saturday, June 13.

They’ll be held at Coupeville’s Rhododendron Park starting at 10 AM.

All Whidbey girls ages 12-16 are welcome, though they can’t be older than 16 as of Dec. 31, 2024.

If your player can’t be at Saturday’s tryouts, you can set up a private tryout by contacting coach Grant Van Dyke at Islandvipers@yahoo.com.

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Coupeville softball sluggers (l to r) Capri Anter, Ava Lucero, and Sydney Van Dyke celebrate their awesomeness. (Photos courtesy Grant Van Dyke)

They lit off some fireworks.

Closing with three straight wins this weekend, the Island Vipers 14U softball squad captured a title at the Fun in the Sun tournament in Kent.

The sluggers, who boast players from all three Whidbey high schools, swept both games they played Sunday in bracket play to clinch the crown.

A 7-1 win over a squad from Sammamish sent the Vipers to the championship game, where they nipped the Washington Rage from Moses Lake 8-7.

The hot finish came on the heels of a third-place finish in pool play, as Whidbey held its own with top-ranked rivals.

After opening losses to squads from Woodinville and Seattle, the Vipers drilled a team from Puyallup 8-0 to start its turnaround.

Sunday’s title tilt started off with a bit of a clang, as Whidbey fell behind 4-0.

But the Vipers never faltered, rallying time and again.

“The players did a great job of embracing never being out of the fight and kept chipping away and playing aggressive softball,” said assistant coach Aaron Lucero.

“Chaos on the base paths mixed with timely hitting and effective small ball.”

With two outs and the potential winning run at third, Jolene Coleman came up huge, lacing a hard-hit shot past the shortstop to plate her teammate and capture the crown.

The Vipers awarded three game balls, one to Coleman for her timely base knock and one each to the pitching and catching duo of Adeline Maynes and Ava Lucero, who survived the heat and thrived.

“All my players know my rock and marshmallow speech and they were all rocks,” Aaron Lucero said.

“To come from behind from a pretty good hole in the championship game to winning on a walk off speaks volume of this team and the character that they have.

“I’m extremely proud of them. It was truly an entire team effort.”

 

Weekend stats:

Shea Allison — Three singles, one double, two walks
Capri Anter — One double, one triple, five walks
Haylee Armstrong — Four singles, three doubles, two walks
Jolene Coleman — Six singles, one triple
Emma Cushman — One walk
Lena Heggenes — One single, one triple, two walks
Ava Lucero — One single, two walks
Adeline Maynes — Three singles, one walk
Chelsi Stevens — One single
Cameron Van Dyke — One double
Sydney Van Dyke — One double, one home run, two walks
Abby Whitney — One single
Sophie Ziegler — Three singles, two doubles, one triple, one walk

 

Tryouts this Saturday:

The Vipers are looking to “round out their roster and add a second team to the club.”

Tryouts for both 14U and 16U teams will be this Saturday, July 13 at 10 AM at Rhododendron Park in Coupeville.

All girls ages 12-16 are welcome, though they can’t be older than 16 as of Dec. 31, 2024.

If your player can’t be at Saturday’s tryouts, you can set up a private tryout by contacting coach Grant Van Dyke at Islandvipers@yahoo.com.

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Ready to tear up the diamond.

Another weekend, another tournament.

The Island Vipers 14U softball squad, which brings together players from all three Whidbey high schools, has been busy this summer.

Last weekend, the diamond dandies competed at the NSA state tourney in the Tri-Cities, while this weekend the sluggers are off to Kent for Fun in the Sun.

The Vipers open pool play Saturday.

At the state tourney, which drew 30 teams, Whidbey went 1-2.

“Good play throughout the weekend with a lot of positives,” said assistant coach Aaron Lucero. “The team did a great job of manufacturing runs when we needed and being aggressive — we call it create chaos on the basepaths.

“We continued to focus on the little things, such as situational awareness, two strike hitting, and getting the ball in play to advance runners.

“They’re developing and continuing to learn, which will benefit all the high schools on the island as we have players attending all three.

“We played some talented teams that pushed us hard which only makes us better.”

 

State tourney stats:

Shea Allison — One double, two walks
Capri Anter 
— Two singles
Haylee Armstrong 
— One single, one double
Jolene Coleman
— One walk
Lena Heggenes 
— One single, one double
Ava Lucero
— Two walks
Kennedy Strevel 
— One single, one walk
Cameron Van Dyke 
— One walk
Abby Whitney — Two singles
Sophie Ziegler
— One single, one triple

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