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Posts Tagged ‘Ben Etzell’

Etzell exits with style!!

Posted in Baseball, tagged All-State, baseball, Ben Etzell, CHS Wolves, Saint John's University on June 17, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Ben Etzell, throwin’ heat during his time as a Wolf. (John Fisken photo)

Etzell and dad Mike, an assistant coach for CHS, have made the baseball journey together.

Ben Etzell went out on top.

The recent CHS graduate capped his high school baseball career Sunday by playing in the All-State Baseball Series in Yakima.

One of 72 seniors invited to the two-day event, he played for Team Adams, which finished as the runner-up in the four-team series.

Adams fell 10-5 to Team St. Helens in the championship game, while Team Rainier drilled Team Baker 11-2 in the consolation final.

Etzell was one of four pitchers used by Team Adams in the championship game.

“It went well,” he said. “It was an amazing experience and it was fun to be teammates with kids I have played against.

“The talent level was ridiculous,” Etzell added. “I would say about 90% of the kids had already signed to play baseball in college next year, so that gives you an idea of the type of players who were there.

Mount Si’s Evan Johnson was tabbed as the offensive MVP while Jordan LaFave of Lake Washington was named defensive MVP.

Etzell now moves on the next stop in his diamond career.

He will be attending Saint John’s University in Minnesota in the fall and hopes to play ball for the school, which is a top NCAA Division III program.

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Everett Herald, we dance once again!!

Posted in Poking the Herald, Polls, tagged Ben Etzell, Breeanna Messner, Everett Herald, polls on June 10, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Breeanna Messner (Amy King photo)

Ben Etzell can still lift his arm, so it's all good. (Sylvia Arnold photo)

Ben Etzell (Sylvia Arnold photo)

If it’s Tuesday, it must be time to mess with the Everett Herald again.

The newspaper that’s most fond of massacring the names of Coupeville High School athletes (respect the memory of Taya Boonscara … wait, isn’t her name really Taya Boonstra?) has shocked us all by allowing two Wolves to be nominated in their Athlete of the Year voting.

Recent CHS grads Breeanna Messner (volleyball, cheer, basketball, softball) and Ben Etzell (tennis, baseball) are in the running, along with all the “big name” athletes from athletic powers like ATM and Jackson.

Which can only mean one thing — time for Whidbey Island to open a can of whoop-ass on their poll … again.

We’ve done it before. We’ll do it again.

Now, they have set up their poll so you can’t just sit there and click the vote button 10,000 times in an hour, which just means you have to get more creative. There are always ways around vote stifling.

And, of course, we might get a repeat of the Lakewood incident, where someone rigged the system to shoot votes to Lakewood players when ever anyone voted for a Coupeville kid.

We shall see.

But, for now, at least, we believe in the “Friday Night Lights” mantra, “Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose.”

Let the can openin’ begin!!

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20140610/BLOG18/140619950/1007/Vote-for-The-Heralds-athletes-of-the-year

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Yakima, we have an incoming Etzell!!

Posted in Baseball, tagged All-State, baseball, Ben Etzell, CHS Wolves on June 9, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Ben Etzell gets nasty. (Shelli Trumbull photo)

Ben Etzell is going back to Eastern Washington.

Two weeks after playing in the state tennis tourney, the recent Coupeville High School graduate is headed to Yakima this weekend for baseball, after being selected to play in the All-State baseball series.

The doubleheader, which draws the top players from every classification in Washington (1B, 2B, 1A, 2A, 3A, 4A), is set for June 14-15.

Etzell will play for the Adams team in the Saturday game (12 PM) at Yakima County Stadium.

He was one of two players to come out of his feeder games to get the call.

Overlake’s Matt Kaiser was also selected, while South Whidbey’s Colton Sterba and Nick Bennett made the first cut, but were denied an invite to Yakima.

They both were the ones that I would have chosen,” said CHS coach Willie Smith, who coached in the feeder games. “Both high quality players/kids.

“Great honor for Ben and a great way to cap off his high school career, very deserving and earned.”

Etzell, who will be attending Saint John’s University in Minnesota in the fall, will get a chance to play in front of college coaches.

Don Freeman of USA Baseball and Donnie Marbut of Washington State University will speak at a banquet for the players, while the head coaches from Gonzaga, Portland and Washington are also scheduled to be on hand.

During his senior year Etzell was lights-out on the mound and became the first Wolf in any sport to be named league MVP in the 1A/2A Cascade Conference.

He struck out 15 in one game, threw a no-hitter in another and helped carry Coupeville to its first state tourney appearance in six seasons.

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Big Ben and the boys dazzle!!

Posted in Baseball, tagged All-State, baseball, Ben Etzell, CHS Wolves, Willie Smith on June 3, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Wolf seniors (l to r) Kurtis Smith, Wade Schaef, Jake Tumblin, Ben Etzell and Morgan Payne, with coach Willie Smith. (Shelli Trumbull photos)

“You’re never gonna beat me, Tumblin. I am lightning unleashed!!”

Everyone in a Coupeville baseball uniform made an impression.

All four Wolf seniors playing in the 1A/2B/1B All-State feeder games in Bellingham Monday had big moments, topped by Ben Etzell claiming the Al Evans Award and being nominated for the All-State series.

Etzell, who was joined on the 10-man nomination list by South Whidbey’s Colton Sterba and Nick Bennett, got the win on the mound in game two.

His Nationals squad won 3-0 after being nipped 3-2 in the opener by a squad of Whatcom County’s best.

Etzell will learn in the next week if he’s been selected to head to Yakima for the June 14-15 series, which brings together players from all of Washington state’s classifications.

“It’s based loosely on this game, but more on his season stats, so he should have a pretty strong case,” said Coupeville coach Willie Smith.

Smith, who coached the Nationals team along with his CHS assistants, had his moment in the sun, as well.

“I beat (assistant coach) Chris Tumblin in a race to get a ball, which is not surprising since I am a superior athlete and quick as a cat,” Smith said with a laugh. “He tried to exploit his lower proximity to the ground but it was all for naught!

“The games were pretty good as well!”

In addition to Etzell, who tossed three shutout innings, “hit the ball well, and was a vacuum at third base,” fellow Wolf seniors Jake Tumblin, Wade Schaef and Kurtis Smith all stepped up big time.

The fifth Wolf senior, Morgan Payne, was sidelined by his recovery from a broken hand.

Tumblin, normally a catcher, also saw action at second base and “was pretty darn good making all his plays hit to him, including a great over the shoulder running catch in short center.”

He also smacked a pair of hits, while Kurtis Smith “threw a runner out at second base by about ten feet who had foolishly tried to run on him” and Schaef “made probably the play of the two games when he went on a full sprint into the left center gap and dove to snare a for sure double.”

“Overall, the boys represented themselves and the Wolves very well and got quite a few compliments from the director of the game on how solid they were,” said a proud Willie Smith. “It was a great day and a lot of fun.”

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Baseball knocks awards out of park!!

Posted in Baseball, tagged All-Cascade Conference, baseball, Ben Etzell, CHS Wolves, Willie Smith on June 2, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Morgan Payne (left) and Ben Etzell led the way for four years. (Shelli Trumbull photos)

Assistant coach Chris Tumblin and Kurtis Smith, who won a state title together in little league, enjoy another diamond delight.

The team enjoys a final moment together.

In a twist, Willie Smith decided to give out presents on his own birthday.

The Coupeville High School baseball coach doled out letters and awards to his Wolf players Sunday, headlined by five of them getting their official honors for being named to the All-Cascade Conference squad.

Senior Ben Etzell was tabbed as the league MVP, the first CHS player in any sport to be so honored in the eight years the Wolves played in the 1A/2A league.

Seniors Jake Tumblin (C) and Kurtis Smith (OF) and juniors Josh Bayne (IF) and Aaron Trumbull (IF) were named to the Second Team, while sophomore hurler CJ Smith got Honorable Mention.

Etzell, Tumblin, Smith, Wade Schaef and Morgan Payne received Four Year Awards for playing their entire career, while Tumblin and Etzell won the Captains Award.

Letter winners:

Josh Bayne
Aaron Curtin
Ben Etzell
Korbin Korzan
Cole Payne
Morgan Payne
Wade Schaef
CJ Smith
Kurtis Smith
Aaron Trumbull
Jake Tumblin

Certificates of Participation:

Aiden Crimmins
Jake Davis
Tim Goss
Ethan Marx
Jimmy Myers
Clay Reilly
Jonathan Thurston
Gabe Wynn

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