Senior Aaron Curtin leads a strong pack of returning Wolf hurlers. (Shelli Trumbull photo)
Sophomore Clay Reilly (white pants) is a favorite to win a starting outfield job. (John Fisken photo)
Heading off into the great unknown.
That’s where the Coupeville High School baseball team finds itself as it enters a year of transition.
The Wolves, coming off a trip to the state tourney in 2014, lost six starters, including the Cascade Conference MVP in Ben Etzell, and are opening play in a new league.
But, even with the loss of so many starters (catcher Jake Tumblin, shortstop Morgan Payne and the entire outfield — Wade Schaef, Korbin Korzan and Kurtis Smith — also departed), this is not a team bereft of talent.
Far from it.
With a solid core of players led by several seniors who played on Central Whidbey’s state champion team back in their little league days, the Wolves are actually fairly set at most positions.
“We have great leadership with our seniors,” said CHS coach Willie Smith. “They’ve been through the rigors of playing at a high level and against strong competition and I’m counting on that experience to help the younger guys to quickly acclimate their games.”
While Etzell’s presence on the pitching mound will be missed, Coupeville brings back three top-level hurlers in seniors Aaron Curtin and Aaron Trumbull and junior CJ Smith.
“With three returning starting pitchers, I’m pretty excited every time we take the mound,” Willie Smith said. “Curtin could be a dominant pitcher and Trumbull and CJ are very good as a two and three pitcher.”
When they’re not on the mound, the trio will join senior shortstop Josh Bayne in anchoring the infield.
Trumbull plays first, CJ Smith second and Curtin holds down third when not pitching.
Junior Cole Payne, who saw time behind the plate last season, slides in to replace Tumblin at catcher, while senior Kyle Bodamer and sophomore Clay Reilly are early favorites to nab two of the outfield slots.
Freshman Hunter Smith is also in play, both as a pitcher and outfielder.
Regardless of how the lineup breaks down, or whether it stays the same from game to game, Coupeville should have an ability to score.
“The top of our hitting order should be very solid and I feel like we have good team speed,” Willie Smith said. “We aren’t going to be big boppers, but if our veteran guys can be consistent in their approaches and hit the ball like they’re capable of, we should be able to produce some runs.”
Along with players coming and going, the biggest change for the Wolves is the jump from the 2A/1A Cascade Conference to the 1A Olympic League.
Coupeville’s league games will drop from 18 to 9 (three apiece against Port Townsend, Klahowya and Chimacum) under the new set-up, but that also gives the Wolves a chance to play a very competitive non-league schedule.
Having shed 15 games against 2A schools, the new schedule will give CHS a chance to be battle-tested against fellow 1A schools come postseason play.
“My goals are very similar to last year: we want to get in the playoffs, get to the state tourney and win some games there,” Willie Smith said. “As successful as we were last year, the last game still stings for me and the boys are feeling confident in their ability to get back and move along further.
“Klahowya has a very strong team returning (all nine starters back) from a team that lost in the first round of the 2A regionals, so they will be a strong test for us to see where we’re at,” he added. “I’m not really concerned/worried about the Oly League; it’s where I started, where I grew up, and so I’m pretty familiar with the schools.”
Ultimately, everything comes down not to who they play, but what the Wolf players do themselves. That’s always been a big part of the Wolf baseball guru’s message since the day he took the job.
“We did lose a lot from last year, but we also built a strong foundation for our program and there is a strong core returning from last year,” he said. “We will have to stay injury free and our young guys will need to step up; but, unlike past years when we’ve lost such a strong group, our young guys won’t need to carry the team, they will just need to compliment our team and stay within themselves.
“The other positive for us is that a lot of these guys have had success in other sports this year and that confidence should help us through some tough spots,” Willie Smith added. “I’ve been very impressed with the work ethic and hustle of our kids so far.
“The older guys are doing an amazing job with the young guys, coaching and encouraging them and the young guys have been very receptive. It’s a very positive, energetic group that likes to have fun and has also been willing to put in the time to really work to improve.”
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