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Posts Tagged ‘Madison McMillan’

Thunder bats erupt with fury

Posted in Softball, tagged , , , , on July 15, 2024| Leave a Comment »

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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Spikers put in summer work

Posted in Volleyball, tagged , , , , , on July 10, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Coupeville spikers shine brightly at a summer camp. (Photo courtesy Cory Whitmore)

Compete today, build for tomorrow.

Coupeville High School volleyball coach Cory Whitmore took a group of 11 spikers to summer camp at Western Washington University recently and came away thrilled with the results.

“As usual, Western puts on a great camp, full of opportunities to grow and learn in a short amount of time,” he said. “I’m really proud of this team taking advantage of those opportunities.”

The Wolf roster was headlined by a group of varsity veterans, with Katie Marti, Mia Farris, Jada Heaton, Madison McMillan, Taylor Brotemarkle, Teagan Calkins, and Lyla Stuurmans on hand.

Joining them were players hoping to make the jump from JV to varsity (Carly Burt, Dakota Strong, Lexis Drake) and incoming freshmen (Adeline Maynes, Tenley Stuurmans).

“It was really rewarding to see the veterans elevate their game and leadership, and it was exciting to see the players without previous varsity experience elevate their play as well,” Whitmore said.

“In addition to both groups accelerating their rate of growth, it was fun to watch them blend as a single unit.”

With WWU players and coaches running things, Whitmore had a chance to largely step back, allowing his athletes the chance to claim leadership roles.

“I was so proud to see them problem-solve together,” he said. “More than in years past, this group was able to recognize what needed to be done and make quick changes.

“I’m hoping they can recognize that that kind of ownership and self-sufficiency is going to pay dividends in the upcoming season.”

Skills picked up and refined at camp will be second nature once the high school season begins this fall, or at least that’s the plan.

“In addition to the experience they gained, I think an additional lesson learned early and carried out through the rest of camp would be to treat everything — every rep, every scrimmage, every interpersonal interaction, etc. — as a chance to get better, and a chance to train how it will be done with a game,” Whitmore said.

“They learned that if they can do that throughout camp (and practices) that it won’t be something that needs to be “turned on” when it comes time to play,” he added.

Every Wolf player at the camp made an impact, with Whitmore praising the group.

“I really could point out some really strong moments by each of the players that attended camp,” he said.

“Each one went into camp with a role for the team and a personal focus on how to improve their own game and I can confidently say each one of them took big strides toward those goals.”

A couple of the Wolves got an extra shout-out, however.

“Both Madison and Katie have never played better than what I saw at team camp – I can’t describe it better than they were just fun to watch,” Whitmore said.

“Adeline learned rotations and made adjustments faster than I have ever seen an incoming freshmen make,” he added.

“Tenley did whatever we asked of her, whenever the team needed it – I think she willingly played four different positions throughout camp.

“And poor Mia and Lyla – those two took the vast majority of swings, a huge amount of passes and digs, and that is because they never left the court.

They carried so much for the team, and I was so impressed with their endurance and leadership throughout.”

Coupeville was one of just two “B” schools at the camp, along with state powerhouse Manson, and the Wolves held their own when facing off with squads from bigger towns.

CHS finished second in pool play, earning its way into the top-half bracket.

Once there, the Wolves beat 1A Nooksack Valley, while dropping close matches to 4A Lake Stevens and 1A Meridian.

“All this points to a very exciting upcoming season this fall,” Whitmore said. “Go Wolves!”

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Thunder strikes in Canada

Posted in Softball, tagged , , , , on July 3, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Coupeville masher Madison McMillan rapped out hit after hit in Canada last weekend. (Jackie Saia photo)

“Adversity is what we fought, not the other teams.”

Battling with banged up bodies, the Whidbey Thunder U18 select softball squad still managed to split six games at the Canada Cup last weekend, coming within a play or two of making a major impact.

The diamond dandies narrowly lost their opener 2-1 to a team which went on to claim second in the tourney, then ripped off three straight wins to get back into contention.

After finishing 3-2 in pool play, the Thunder fell 8-7 in extra innings in the quarterfinals of the championship bracket, ending their run for the moment.

In that swan song, Whidbey rallied from a 6-3 deficit in the final frame, scoring the tying run with two outs on the board to force an international tie breaker.

Another run in the top of the eighth put the Thunder on top, before their rivals pushed two across in the bottom half of the inning to win the thriller.

“It was a very hard game to lose,” said Whidbey coach Matt Suto. “But I was very proud of all the girls in the effort and drive and the willingness to never give up to put us in the position to win the game.

“It’s a game of inches and we just happened to be just out of reach to lose a tough one.”

The Thunder spent the weekend banged up, with Coupeville stars Taylor Brotemarkle (knee) and Teagan Calkins (ankle) getting hurt in on-field action.

“It was small injuries,” Suto said. “It was banged up here, banged up there, but we still managed to show the heart and desire to try and win this tournament.”

The diamond guru praised Thunder pitchers Grace Swenson, Zoe Abbott, and Ramona Ryder as a “trio of greatness,” with Coupeville’s Madison McMillan “being a brick wall at third base.”

Whidbey’s outfield of Layla Suto, Hayden Davies, and Ramona Ryder “all played extremely well,” with a first-time addition showing up and showing out at catcher.

“Lynden’s Olivia Paolo fit on this team like she’s been with us all year,” Suto said. “She played stellar behind the plate and was an asset wherever she played.”

Even with injuries slowing them down, the Thunder continue to impress their coach.

“This group of girls is something special,” Suto said.

“Even though we would trail in some of the games we never gave up and we would just show the Canadian teams that the American teams never stand down from a challenge.

“I say it time and time again, I am very fortunate to be able to coach a group of young ladies like this and watch them at the very best.”

The Thunder return to action July 10-14 when they hit the road for the Cascades National Championship in Olympia.

“We hope to be healthy and put on a clinic,” Suto said.

“I know these girls can put on a clinic because I just watched it; when they hit, they are unstoppable; when the defense is on, they look better than the Mariners.

“I am so proud of these girls.”

 

Weekend stats:

Zoe Abbott — One single, one walk
Taylor Brotemarkle — One triple
Teagan Calkins — Three singles, one walk
Hayden Davies — One single, one double, four walks
Anna Friedrichs — One single, one walk
Jayme Kallio — Five singles, one double
Rylan Kononen — Eight singles
Madison McMillan — Six singles, one double, four walks
Olivia Paolo — Seven singles, two doubles, one walk
Ramona Ryder — Four singles, two doubles, three walks
Layla Suto — Four singles, two doubles, two walks
Grace Swenson — Five singles, two walks
Loto Tupu — Five singles, one triple, one walk

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Thunder unleashes hail of hits

Posted in Softball, tagged , , , , on June 12, 2024| Leave a Comment »

The Whidbey Thunder carry big bats, and they swing them with a great fury. (Shelly Ryder photo)

Adapt and attack.

It was a wild weekend of tourney action for the Whidbey Thunder 18U softball squad, which overcame numerous obstacles on its way to earning a pair of wins.

The scrappy band of sluggers, who mix players from Coupeville, Oak Harbor, Sedro-Woolley, and Anacortes, also picked up a diamond dandy from Poulsbo in Kailee Engdahl, who immediately meshed with her new teammates.

“She helped fill a role in the success of the team,” said Thunder coach Matt Suto.

“And that’s what makes us a great team, is that we have great players that when their number is called, they come in and do their job and the girls trust each other.”

Whidbey split its four pool games, then fell just short in its first bracket game.

Along the way, the Thunder had to overcome miscommunication from the tournament director over which pool game wouldn’t count in the standings, and at least one ump doing his best to channel legendarily awful former MLB strike caller Angel Hernandez.

But no matter what was thrown at his team, Suto’s sluggers responded.

“A great weekend of ball for the most part,” he said. “The girls played hard all weekend long.

“We battled through adversity, injuries, and disappointing officiating! Even though we didn’t win the tournament we still battled hard every game!”

When the umps were giving them a chance to swing, the Thunder delivered, bopping big hits to all fields.

Coupeville twin titans Teagan Calkins and Madison McMillan smacked home runs, as did Oak Harbor’s mighty masher, Loto Tupu.

The Thunder were on point on defense as well, giving hurlers Grace Swenson, Zoe Abbott, and Ramona Ryder plenty of help.

As the tournament played out, though, Whidbey was stung by injuries, with Abbott tweaking an ankle and the team’s top hitter, Layla Suto, going down after a bang-bang play at home.

The Thunder will get some time off to heal, then get back at it with a few practices before starting tournament play back up at the end of the month.

Suto’s squad heads out of the country for the Canada Cup June 28-July 1, then is slated to play at the Cascade Nationals July 10-14.

After that, the Thunder have two more tourneys at the end of July as they wrap up summer play.

As they go forward, both the present and future are bright for the young stars.

“I’m proud of these girls and so fortunate to get the opportunity to watch them grow as players and as a team,” Suto said.

“We are right there. We are gonna break out and make a statement — I can feel it coming.”

 

Weekend stats:

Zoe Abbott — One walk
Taylor Brotemarkle — Four singles, one double, one walk
Teagan Calkins — Four singles, one home run, two walks
Hayden Davies — Two walks
Kailee Engdahl — Two singles
Anna Friedrichs — Four singles
Jayme Kallio — Three singles, one double, one walk
Madison McMillan — Two singles, one double, one home run, two walks
Mia Regan — Four singles
Ramona Ryder — Four singles, one double, one walk
Layla Suto — Six singles, one triple, one walk
Grace Swenson — Three singles, one walk
Loto Tupu — Three singles, one home run

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Thunder brings the fury

Posted in Softball, tagged , , , , on June 3, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Coupeville masher Madison McMillan opened summer softball travel ball play with a barrage of extra-base hits. (Jackie Saia photo)

The Thunder rolls, once more.

Drawing players from five high schools, and headlined by the Coupeville triple threat of Taylor Brotemarkle, Madison McMillan, and Teagan Calkins, there’s only one U18 select softball squad to follow this summer.

That’s the Whidbey Thunder, coached by Oak Harbor diamond guru Matt Suto, who kicked off tournament play this past weekend.

With a squad which unites Wolf and Wildcat players with sluggers from Anacortes, Sedro-Woolley, and (soon) Lakewood, the squad has talent, depth, and star power.

Getting the travel ball season off in style, the Thunder battled through a rain-soaked Western World Qualifier in Sedro Woolley, nabbing a win and two ties before the liquid sunshine washed away the rest of the bracket.

Coupeville diamond dandies Calkins and Brotemarkle teamed up with Sedro hurler Zoe Abbott to pull off the biggest finish of any of Whidbey’s four games.

Tied 2-2 with the Skagit Bats, the Thunder foe cracked a leadoff triple in the final inning, putting it on the cusp of victory.

Not so fast there, Skippy!

Having intentionally walked the bases full to set up a force-out, Whidbey came up huge in crunch time.

Abbott got out #1 thanks to a strikeout off her “bread and butter change up,” before Coupeville’s tandem pulled off a rally-killing double play.

Calkins, who catches while wearing her Wolf uniform, was patrolling centerfield for the Thunder and snagged a line drive for out #2, before alertly firing a missile to Brotemarkle at second to double off a runner.

Spring or summer, no one runs on Taylor Brotemarkle. (Ryan Blouin photo)

When they weren’t coming up big on defense, the Thunder was busy cracking home runs, with Oak Harbor long ball lovers Layla Suto and Loto Tupu mashing epic taters.

The 2024 Thunder roster features a diverse batch of all-stars, most of whom need to talk to their parents about moving to Coupeville, where they could get extensive coverage for their athletic exploits.

Just sayin’…

 

The roster (with weekend stats for those who played in the tourney):

 

Coupeville:

Taylor Brotemarkle — Two singles, one double, two walks
Teagan Calkins — Two singles, one walk
Madison McMillan — One single, two doubles, one walk

 

Oak Harbor:

Mia Regan — Three singles
Ramona Ryder 
Layla Suto — Three singles, one home run, one walk
Loto Tupu — One single, one home run

 

Anacortes:

Hayden Davies — Three walks
Anna Friedrichs — Two singles, two walks

 

Sedro-Woolley:

Zoe Abbott — One walk
Jaymie Kallio — One single, one walk
Rylan Konenen 
Grace Swenson — One walk

 

Lakewood:

EmmaJoy Wise

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