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Posts Tagged ‘Jonathan Valenzuela’

Camden Glover slings heat. (Morgan White photos)

Scott Hilborn had a pretty sweet swan song.

The Coupeville High School senior led Wolf baseball to a 17-6 record, league and district titles, and the program’s first state tourney win since 1987.

Hilborn tossed a complete-game shutout in that big dance victory, blanking Toledo 3-0 and capping a stellar run of filling up the stat sheet.

When everything is totaled up, four Wolves appear in a top slot, with senior Jonathan Valenzuela #1 in RBI, walks, and on-base percentage, while being tied for the most triples.

That guy he’s tied with for the most three-baggers?

It’s Hilborn, who tops or is tied for the lead in a staggering 16 of 21 stat categories.

Though he’s not the only Wolf to post strong numbers while playing through rain, wind, and chilly temps for much of the “spring” season.

Jack Porter, ready to run free.

 

CHS varsity baseball season stats, as documented on GameChanger:

 

HITTING:

 

Plate Appearances:

Scott Hilborn — 88
Chase Anderson — 81
Jonathan Valenzuela — 79
Jack Porter — 73
Camden Glover — 66
Peyton Caveness — 65
Coop Cooper — 64
Cole White — 64
Aiden O’Neill — 48
Johnny Porter — 27
Landon Roberts — 23
Yohannon Sandles — 7
Seth Woollet — 7
Piotr Bieda — 5
Jaje Drake — 5

 

At-Bats:

Hilborn – 74
Anderson – 69
Ja. Porter
– 67
Valenzuela
– 59
Caveness
— 56
Cooper
– 56
White
– 54
Glover
– 51
O’Neill
– 41
Roberts
– 22
Jo. Porter
– 21
Woollet
– 7
Bieda
– 5
Sandles – 5
Drake – 3

 

Hits:

Hilborn — 39
Valenzuela — 30
Anderson — 27
Ja. Porter — 24
Caveness — 19
Cooper — 16
Glover — 15
White — 14
O’Neill — 7
Jo. Porter — 5
Roberts — 4
Drake — 1
Woollet — 1

 

Runs:

Hilborn — 39
Valenzuela — 27
Anderson — 21
Caveness — 13
Glover – 13
Ja. Porter – 13
O’Neill — 11
Cooper — 10
White — 10
Jo. Porter — 4
Roberts — 3
Drake — 2
Bieda — 1

 

2B’s:

Hilborn — 10
Valenzuela — 7
Ja. Porter — 4
Anderson — 3
Glover — 3
Caveness — 2
O’Neill — 1
White — 1

 

3B’s:

Hilborn — 3
Valenzuela — 3
Ja. Porter — 1

 

RBI:

Valenzuela — 28
Anderson — 19
Ja. Porter — 17
Hilborn — 16
White — 14
Caveness — 12
Cooper — 12
Glover — 10
Jo. Porter — 3
O’Neill — 2

 

Walks:

Valenzuela — 18
Hilborn — 14
Glover – 12
White – 10
Caveness — 8
Cooper — 8
O’Neill – 7
Anderson – 6
Ja. Porter – 6
Jo. Porter – 6
Drake – 2
Sandles – 2
Roberts – 1

 

Stolen Bases:

Hilborn — 41
Anderson — 27
Valenzuela — 27
White – 15
Ja. Porter — 10
Glover — 8
O’Neill — 7
Caveness — 5
Cooper — 4
Jo. Porter — 4

 

Batting Average:

Hilborn — .527
Valenzuela — .508
Anderson — .391
Ja. Porter — .358
Caveness — .339
Drake — .333
Glover — .294
Cooper — .286
White — .259
Jo. Porter — .238
Roberts — .182
O’Neill — .171
Woollet — .143

 

On-Base Percentage:

Valenzuela — .608
Hilborn — .602
Drake — .600
Anderson — .434
Glover — .422
Caveness — .415
Ja. Porter — .411
Jo. Porter — .407
Cooper — .375
White — .375
O’Neill — .292
Sandles — .286
Roberts — .217
Woollet — .143

 

PITCHING:

 

Earned Run Average:

Cooper — 1.61
Hilborn — 1.64
Glover – 3.50
Valenzuela – 3.50
Anderson – 3.74

 

Games:

Hilborn — 12
Anderson – 8
Valenzuela – 8
Glover — 6
Cooper – 5

 

Starts:

Hilborn — 11
Cooper — 3
Glover — 3
Valenzuela — 3
Anderson — 2

 

Hits:

Hilborn — 45
Anderson — 23
Valenzuela – 10
Glover – 8
Cooper – 4

 

Earned Runs:

Hilborn — 15
Anderson – 13
Valenzuela – 10
Glover — 6
Cooper – 3

 

Walks:

Anderson – 23
Hilborn – 21
Cooper – 17
Valenzuela — 17
Glover – 9

 

Hit by Pitch:

Anderson — 8
Hilborn – 8
Valenzuela – 6
Cooper — 2
Glover – 2

 

Strikeouts:

Hilborn – 81
Anderson – 27
Cooper – 20
Valenzuela — 19
Glover – 15

 

Innings Pitched:

Hilborn – 64.0
Anderson – 24.1
Valenzuela — 20.0
Cooper – 13.0
Glover – 12.0

 

Batters Faced:

Hilborn – 269
Anderson — 129
Valenzuela – 98
Cooper – 60
Glover – 54

 

PS — Wondering why the pitching stats add up to 22 games, while Coupeville was 17-6?

One win came courtesy of a forfeit from Concrete, so no stats for that game.

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Wolf senior Scott Hilborn closed his stellar high school baseball career by pitching Coupeville to a win at the state tournament. (Morgan White photo)

It’s a new generation, writing a new story.

Playing with four freshmen and two sophomores in the starting lineup, the Coupeville High School baseball squad broke a 13,147-day dry spell Saturday in Castle Rock, winning a state tournament game for the first time since 1987.

Seeded #10 in the 12-team 2B tourney, the Wolves upended #7 Toledo 3-0 behind timely hits from Chase Anderson and Peyton Caveness, and a big-time pitching performance from Scott Hilborn.

That win propelled CHS into the state quarterfinals, played on the same field as the opener, where likely future Major League Baseball draftee Zach Swanson of Toutle Lake proved to be too much.

The junior hurler whiffed 13 across five innings, carrying the Fighting Ducks — last year’s state runners-up — to an 11-1 win and a trip to next weekend’s semifinals.

#2 Toutle Lake will face #11 Adna, which had a day, shocking #6 Cle Elum-Roslyn and #3 Jenkins (Chewelah), while #1 Brewster, the defending state champs, plays #4 Tri-Cities Prep.

Those four teams will take home trophies, while the Wolves finish at 17-6 in Steve Hilborn’s first year as head coach.

Coupeville shared the Northwest 2B/1B League title with Mount Vernon Christian, won the District 1/2 tournament, then became the first Wolf team in any sport to win a game at state since CHS softball thumped Deer Park 14-2 in 2019.

In terms of a baseball win, the victory over Toledo was the first since May 23, 1987, when the Wolves beat White Swan 2-0 on their way to a program-best 3rd place finish.

How Saturday played out:

 

Game #1:

It was a pitcher’s duel, sort of, through four scoreless innings.

Scott Hilborn retired nine of the first 10 hitters he faced, while Toledo’s pitching staff kept getting into trouble, then getting back out.

Coupeville put runners aboard in every inning but couldn’t break through until the top of the fifth.

Early walks to Hilborn and Coop Cooper weren’t enough to turn a spark into a fire, and the Wolves stranded three in the third.

A one-out single from Hilborn, followed by walks to Anderson and Jonathan Valenzuela, had the bags juiced, but a strikeout and a lineout ended things prematurely.

The Wolves got another walk in the fourth, only to see their runner picked off, but the fifth was magic time.

Hilborn reached on an error, alertly sprinted to second base when Toledo hesitated, then came around to score on an RBI single to right off of Anderson’s bat.

Toledo smacked a pair of singles in the bottom half of the fifth, but Hilborn wasn’t having it, getting out of the frame unhurt before sailing through the sixth.

CHS gave itself some breathing room in the top of the seventh, tacking on two runs to stretch things out to 3-0.

Hilborn walked, Anderson bopped another single, then Caveness crunched a ball to center to break things open.

One run came in on the hit, the other thanks to an error by the Toledo centerfielder on the play, and the Wolves were on the edge of breaking their three-decade-plus dry spell.

A strikeout, a fly ball which settled into Aiden O’Neill’s glove in center, and then out #21 came on a bouncer to Camden Glover at third, the freshman snatching the ball up and firing it to Caveness at first.

And just like that, a new chapter of success written by the modern generation.

Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey, goodbye. Toledo baseball heads home after Coupeville ended its season. (Bennett Richter photo)

 

Game #2:

Toutle Lake lost its first two games of the season to Toledo, and now has reeled off 22 straight wins.

It doesn’t hurt to have Zach Swanson, who committed to Oregon State University as a freshman and now throws 93+ MPH as a junior.

The lanky 6-foot-3 chucker struck out the first seven Wolves he faced, only allowing runners aboard in one inning.

That came in the top of the third, when Cole White broke Swanson’s spell with a one-out single to right.

A couple of wild pitches later, he was bouncing on third base, then came flying home when Hilborn smashed an RBI single to left to cut the margin to 6-1.

But that was it, as Swanson was otherwise untouchable.

Toutle Lake outhit the Wolves 5-2, but it was six errors and seven walks which killed Coupeville in its finale.

An out here, an out there, and things might have been different, as the Ducks scored nine times with two outs.

To make that stat worse, Toutle Lake had two outs with nobody on base in each of the first four innings, yet still put together scoring rallies each time.

It was only in the bottom of the fifth, when the Ducks pushed the game into mercy-rule territory with two final runs, that they did so without first getting two outs.

The game was the final one for Coupeville’s two seniors, Hilborn and Valenzuela.

The former helped carry Wolf teams to state in football and baseball, while the latter, who also played basketball, went to state in all three of his sports.

Of the 10 Wolves to play Saturday, eight can return, with Caveness and White juniors, Landon Roberts and Jack Porter sophomores, and Glover, Anderson, Cooper, and O’Neill just freshmen.

 

Saturday stats:

Chase Anderson — Two singles, one walk
Peyton Caveness — One single
Coop Cooper — One walk
Camden Glover — Three walks
Scott Hilborn — Two singles, two walks
Jonathan Valenzuela — Two walks
Cole White — One single

Peyton Caveness is a key member of a strong group of players who can return next spring. (Morgan White photo)

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Dominic Coffman (left) and Jonathan Valenzuela celebrate during their junior hoops season. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

They are part of an elite fraternity.

Having earned their ticket to a state championship event this spring, Coupeville High School seniors Dominic Coffman and Jonathan Valenzuela are the first Wolf boys to go to the big dance in three sports in more than three decades.

The duo both started for a CHS football team which clashed with Onalaska this fall – the first Wolf gridiron squad to make the state playoffs since 1990.

Jonathan Valenzuela relaxes after a game. (Davin Houston photo)

Jump back to their junior campaigns, and Valenzuela and Coffman came off the bench for a Coupeville boys’ basketball team which carried a 16-0 mark to state.

When Brad Sherman’s program broke through in the winter of 2022, winning league and district titles before vying with top-seed Kalama and Lake Roosevelt at state, it was the first such trip for the school’s male hoops stars since ’88.

Now, this spring, Valenzuela is one of Coupeville’s top hitters for a baseball team slated to play Toledo Saturday in Castle Rock.

The last visit to state for the Wolf diamond dogs was 2014.

Dominic Coffman hangs out with mom on Senior Night. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Coffman is slated to be in Yakima May 25-27 for the state track meet, where he will compete in the high jump and 4 x 100 relay.

Last year he qualified in the same events — though the season finale was in Cheney — bringing home a 2nd place medal for his work with the relay squad.

While Valenzuela and Coffman are the first Wolf boys to make it to state in three sports in quite a while, Coupeville’s female athletes have done it several times during that time frame.

Allison Wenzel — the power of the braid compels you. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Allison Wenzel, who graduated in 2018, went to the state basketball tourney as a sophomore, made it to volleyball’s big dance as a junior, then PR’d in the discus at state as a senior.

Before that, Wolf girls earned state berths in volleyball, basketball, and softball during the 2001-2002 school year, with numerous players such as Ashley Ellsworth-Bagby, Sarah Mouw, and Tracy Taylor appearing on all three teams.

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Coupeville High School seniors Jonathan Valenzuela (left) and Scott Hilborn were nine-year-olds the last time Wolf baseball went to state. (Morgan White photo)

Party like it’s 2014.

Thrashing Friday Harbor 11-0 Saturday in Arlington in a game mercy-ruled after five innings, the Coupeville High School baseball squad continues to rack up honors.

With the victory, the Wolves, now 16-5 on the season, add the District 1/2 title to their Northwest 2B/1B League crown, while earning a trip to the big dance for the first time in nine seasons.

The last time a CHS hardball squad went to the state tourney, Willie Smith was still head coach, current assistant coach Morgan Payne was in the starting lineup, and Coupeville was nipped 2-1 by Rochester in a first-round loss.

This time around, the Wolves are one of 12 teams still alive in the hunt for the 2B crown.

They will learn their opening opponent and the location of the game Sunday when the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association seeding committee releases its bracket.

First round and quarterfinal games will be played May 20 at various sites, with the semifinals May 26 and the title game and 3rd/4th place game May 27.

The May 26 and 27 games are set for Johnson-O’Brien Stadium at Ephrata High School.

The first two rounds of state are single elimination, with the top four seeds earning a first-round bye.

To see the bracket — without teams in place yet — pop over to:

http://www.nw1a2bathletics.com/m2/tourn.php?act=vt&tid=3930

Wolf coach Steve Hilborn strolls off with the hardware. (Shannon Hamilton photo)

Coupeville baseball had to wait a bit longer than expected to earn its tenth trip to state, with bi-districts delayed thanks to Friday Harbor having issues with the state ferry system.

Once the Wolverines, the #2 seed from District 1, arrived in Arlington, they jumped all over District 2’s Northwest Christian (Lacey), running them off the field 16-0 in a loser-out game.

The day’s second game was also a blowout, but this time Friday Harbor was the one being battered senseless.

Coupeville hit the field hot and never relented, scoring in all four innings in which it sent batters to the plate.

The Wolves slapped three runs on the board in the first, netting all the runs starting pitcher Scott Hilborn would need.

Jonathan Valenzuela lashed a two-run double to center to get CHS going, then came around to score on a Friday Harbor wild pitch.

Hilborn, who struck out eight while limiting the Wolverines to just a pair of hits and a lone walk, was fairly flawless, while his defense removed one brief threat with a slickly turned double play.

From 3-0, Coupeville pushed its lead out to 7-0 through two, then made it 10-0 after three, and 11-0 coming out of the fourth frame.

The Wolves finished with 13 hits in four innings worth of at-bats, with seven different hitters racking up at least one base knock.

Chase Anderson drops a bunt for a hit. (Morgan White photo)

Aiden O’Neill and Peyton Caveness crunched RBI doubles in the second, then both came around later to swat RBI singles.

The last of O’Neill’s run-scoring hits plated courtesy runner Landon Roberts to close the scoring, before Hilborn ended the game with three straight strikeouts.

Coupeville’s stellar season has come courtesy of a young team, as seven of the 11 players sent into Saturday’s game by first-year CHS head coach Steve Hilborn are freshmen or sophomores.

Scott Hilborn and Valenzuela are the only seniors, while starters Chase Anderson, Coop Cooper, Camden Glover, and O’Neill are 9th graders.

 

Saturday stats:

Chase Anderson — Two singles
Peyton Caveness — Two singles, one double
Camden Glover — One walk
Scott Hilborn — Two singles
Aiden O’Neill — One single, one double
Jack Porter — One single
Johnny Porter — One walk
Jonathan Valenzuela — One single, one double, one walk
Cole White — One single

League champs. Bi-District champs. Ticket to the big dance punched. (Morgan White photo)

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Steve Hilborn loves it when a plan comes together. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

They earned it.

On their second long road trip in as many days, the Coupeville High School varsity baseball squad rallied from behind twice Thursday to upend host Friday Harbor in a high-scoring, high-tension affair.

In the end, the Wolves headed back to the ferry carrying an 11-8 win and a share of the Northwest 2B/1B League title.

Steve Hilborn’s crew wraps the regular season at 13-1 in conference action, matching the record put up by Mount Vernon Christian.

The Wolves and Hurricanes split their two-game season series but go in opposite directions for the playoffs.

MVC opens the 1B district tourney this Saturday, while Coupeville, now 15-5 overall, is off until May 13.

That’s when the 2B playoffs go down at Lakewood High School in Arlington.

Northwest Christian (Lacey) and Friday Harbor face off in a loser-out game at noon that day, with the victor squaring off with top-seeded Coupeville at 2:00 (or thereabouts) in a loser-out, winner-to-state clash.

Chase Anderson and the Wolves dive into playoff action May 13. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

The week-plus gap between the regular season finale and postseason opener gives the Wolves some time to rest and add up all the stats they threw down against Friday Harbor.

Coupeville rapped out 12 hits Thursday, with eight different batters garnering at least one base knock apiece.

Friday Harbor, by contrast, collected eight hits, but none after the fourth inning, as Wolf relief pitcher Jonathan Valenzuela tossed 3.2 innings of no-hit ball to get the win.

The senior hurler came on in support of freshman Chase Anderson, and promptly ended most of the Wolverines hopes and dreams, whiffing five and retiring the final seven hitters he faced.

The game was a classic back-and-forth affair, the kind which can drive coaches to inhale Tums.

Coupeville had the early advantage, building a 4-2 lead with the game headed to the bottom of the fourth inning.

Scott Hilborn tapped home to open the scoring in the top of the first, taking advantage of a wild pitch, before Valenzuela came around in the second to deliver a two-run double to center field.

Tack on an RBI double off of Anderson’s bat, and a couple of nice defensive plays from Hilborn behind the plate, and the Wolves were looking good.

Then things got sticky for a bit, as Friday Harbor put together five straight hits in the bottom of the fourth to reclaim the lead at 7-4.

That was where Valenzuela ambled in to pitch, promptly closing the inning by striking out the first guy to challenge him, before inducing a groundout.

CHS jumped right back on their hosts, scoring three in the top of the fifth, but Friday Harbor scratched out a run in the bottom of the frame to go back in front 8-7.

The Wolves got consecutive hits from Peyton Caveness, Cole White, Aiden O’Neill, and Scott Hilborn to launch their first comeback, and the bats stayed hot for the visitors.

Fab frosh Camden Glover smoked an RBI single to left in the sixth to bring the game to 8-8, then it was time for Cole White to grab the white-hot spotlight.

Riley’s big brother laced a game-busting two-run single to center to put Coupeville on top for good, before the Wolves added an insurance run thanks to one of Friday Harbor’s five errors.

Jonathan Valenzuela deals. (Morgan White photo)

That set up Valenzuela to close out the game, and help his team match MVC, which shattered Orcas Island 11-1 earlier in the day in their own finale.

Throwing heat and smiling as the Wolverine hitters went down in flames, he wrote another chapter in a senior year which has included multiple big moments.

Valenzuela played key roles for football and baseball teams which won league titles, while also banking in a nearly-halfcourt buzzer-beater in basketball which made all of La Conner sob salty tears.

 

Thursday stats:

Chase Anderson — One double
Peyton Caveness — Two singles
Coop Cooper — One walk
Camden Glover — One single
Scott Hilborn — One single, one double, one walk
Aiden O’Neill — One single
Jack Porter — One single, one double, one walk
Jonathan Valenzuela — One double, one walk
Cole White — Two singles

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