Coupeville’s Chelsi Stevens steps into the batter’s box at the state tourney. (Kristi Stevens photos)
The pride of Whidbey.
They fought until the final batter.
When the season started, the Central Whidbey Little League minors softball squad had just four girls with prior experience.
Jump ahead to this past weekend, and the core of that squad, joined by three players from Oak Harbor and one from Anacortes, stood tall at the state tourney in Auburn.
Now known as the Whidbey Island All-Stars, they faced off with two teams which drew players from big cities, and fell 19-4 Saturday and 34-24 Sunday (not a misprint – a real score).
The opening game pitted Whidbey against Lake City, which pulls players from 13 leagues including Everett and Marysville.
The Islanders hung tough through the first two innings, trailing just 5-2, but the big city brawlers broke the game open after that, taking advantage of walks.
While Whidbey lost, acting coach Mike Peters came away happy with how his players hustled while in the field.
“The highlights for our squad were defensive plays in this game,” he said. “The team did the little things we talk about.
“Throw to correct bases, hit the cut-offs with solid throws, and not make ‘little league errors’.”
Game two, against Glenwood Little League from Vancouver, was an offensive extravaganza which lasted four-plus hours.
Down 15-2, Whidbey roared back by dropping 12 runs on the scoreboard in the bottom of the second.
Running wild on the base-paths, the Islanders flustered their opponents, cutting the deficit all the way back to 15-14.
Glenwood recovered its composure, however, pushing the lead out to 34-14 — but that just lit a spark in Whidbey’s players.
“(Coach) Lark (Gustafson) and I challenged the team — they would need to get 11 runs at least to keep playing,” Peters said. “Well, the team rallied to make a run at the needed runs.”
Five straight walks got things going, before Ava Carpenter ripped a two-run single.
Following hot on her heels, Ava Lucero laid down “a perfect suicide down the first-base line to drive in another run,” before Haylee Armstrong flexed her biceps, and her wheels.
Hitting with the bases juiced, Armstrong crashed a line drive to center for a bases-clearing grand slam home run, easily the biggest blow of the day.
“Didn’t clear the fences, but with her speed she was rounding second before the other team even got to the ball,” Peters said.
Staying hot, Whidbey used a mix of walks and base-knocks from Sydney Van Dyke, Gracie Wallin, Adeline Maynes, and Carpenter to trim the final margin in half.
“You could actually see the belief in all the girls we could do this,” Peters said. “Heard a positive remark from the Glenwood manager — “Man, this team just won’t quit”.”
That’s a trait the Whidbey coaching staff, led by Aaron Lucero, preached all season.
While papa Lucero had a prior commitment which kept him from traveling with the team to Auburn, the squad was in good hands with Mike Peters, Gustafson, and Sofia Peters calling the shots.
“This is a great group of ladies who really dedicated their time to be better athletes,” Aaron Lucero said. “The parents have been fantastic and supportive of the team and program we would like to see develop.
“Our overarching theme this year has been “do the little things.” We built on that and added “win the pitch” to postseason preparation,” he added. “The team really took that to heart and pushed themselves.”
Making the jump from inexperience — not a single player had pitched prior to this season — to the big dance is a huge step on the path to continued success.
“There is no substitute for experience, and I’m proud the team developed to the point that they could represent Whidbey with pride,” Aaron Lucero said. “This is a young team and we will be back to state.
“The most important part to me as a coach and father is that all of these players have voiced their love for the sport, a desire to succeed, and are willing to put the work in to excel.
“I want this attitude to be contagious among their peers and younger players, and grow the program through action, attitudes, and of course, success.”
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