Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘Softball’

“Time to dig deep”

Posted in Softball, tagged , , , , , on May 5, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Chelsi Stevens dreams of big hits. (Aleksia Jump photo)

It was a little taste of their own medicine.

A Coupeville High School softball squad which has inflicted the 10-run mercy rule on 13 of its first 17 opponents had the tables flipped by Klahowya Tuesday afternoon.

In a rematch of former Olympic League rivals, the red-hot Wolves were largely stifled by Eagles hurler Bailey O’Brien, falling 12-2 in five innings while playing in Silverdale.

The non-conference loss snaps a five-game winning streak for The Smash Sisters, dropping them to 16-2 on the season.

Coupeville will have one more tune-up before heading to the district tourney, travelling to Port Townsend Friday to play East Jefferson, a team it routed 21-3 during the first week of April.

There was supposed to also be a trip to Langley Wednesday to play South Whidbey, but the Falcons bailed at the last second, perhaps still in shock after being routed 17-1 by the Wolves a week-and-a-half ago.

While he wasn’t thrilled with his team’s performance, CHS coach Aaron Lucero had scheduled the game with Klahowya, a 1A school whose 9-11 record is a bit deceiving, intent on getting a challenge.

And like with Forks, the only other team to knock off the Wolves, and 3A Oak Harbor, which gave Coupeville an early-season extra-inning battle, mission accomplished.

“I think this is good for them in the long run to face a quality team,” Lucero said. “I have been telling them for a couple of weeks that Klahowya’s record does not tell the story.

“They are playing some very tough teams and getting very close. And talking with their coaches, that’s exactly how their season’s been.”

Tuesday’s tilt started as a nailbiter and remained close for 92% of the game.

Coupeville pushed a run across in the top of the first thanks to back-to-back base knocks from Teagan Calkins and Chelsi Stevens, before Klahowya answered back with a tally of its own in the bottom of the frame.

The game started to change in the second, however, when Eagle slugger Shyanne Kilmer bashed a two-run home run to right — the first of two taters for her on the afternoon — pushing the host team ahead 3-1.

CHS sliced the deficit to 3-2 on an RBI double off of Calkin’s always-electric bat in the third, but left runners stranded at second and third, unable to open their customary can of whup-ass.

Coupeville is deadly down its lineup from one through nine, but O’Brien whiffed 11 and walked just one Tuesday, and Klahowya never trailed again.

A run in the third made it 4-2, two more in the fourth stretched it to 6-2, and then a six-run rally in the fifth turned a close game into a romp.

For his part Lucero is already ready to get back at it, first with a couple of days of practice, then the regular season finale.

“We did not play the ball we are capable of,” he said. “We didn’t get the timely hits, and we did not play well defensively to back up our pitcher.

“I think this was a good gut check game for the team and definitely needed. Soooo, time to dig deep, get our minds right, and get ready to play the next game.”

 

Tuesday stats:

Haylee Armstrong — Two singles
Teagan Calkins — One single, one double
Chelsi Stevens — One single
Cami Van Dyke — One walk

Read Full Post »

Action heats up as May begins

Posted in standings, tagged , , , , on May 3, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Milana Light flicks a winner. (Jackie Saia photo)

The calendar flips and the run to the finish line hits breakneck pace.

With May upon us, the upcoming week will feature the final regular season games for Coupeville High School softball, baseball, and girls’ tennis, while track and field kicks off the postseason.

The runners and chuckers head to Mount Vernon Thursday for the Northwest 2B/1B League Championships, with districts and state the only events left on the schedule after that.

Meanwhile, the three teams who use a ball will wrap up non-playoff things with two events apiece.

The Wolf netters travel to Friday Harbor Wednesday, and a win will give them a share of the league crown. A day later, CHS will be back at home to face non-conference foe Forest Ridge.

Baseball has its final regular season series against Mount Vernon Christian, which has clinched the league title.

Coupeville is at home Tuesday for Senior Night, then travels to the mainland Thursday as it continues to vie with Orcas Island and Friday Harbor for the #2 and #3 playoff seeds.

Finally, the high-flying Wolf softball squad, having wrapped up a flawless run through conference play, hits the road twice to play non-league rivals ahead of the district tourney.

The Smash Sisters will be in Silverdale Tuesday to face former league arch-rival Klahowya, before alighting in Port Townsend Friday to square off with East Jefferson.

And yes, there was supposed to be a third game in there Wednesday, but the trip to Langley has been cancelled after South Whidbey bailed on the affair.

Perhaps being thumped 17-1 the first time around kills your enthusiasm to honor your schedule.

Anyways, with April showers in the rearview mirror and May flowers blooming, here’s where things sit through May 3:

 

Northwest League baseball:

School League Overall
MV Christian 10-0 17-3
Coupeville 7-3 9-7
Orcas Island 7-4 9-7
Friday Harbor 6-4 8-8
La Conner 3-6 4-10
Darrington 1-8 2-13
Concrete 0-9 0-9

 

Northwest League girls’ tennis:

School League Overall
Friday Harbor 2-1 3-3
Coupeville 1-2 4-4

 

Northwest League softball:

School League Overall
Coupeville 10-0 16-1
Friday Harbor 6-2 10-7
Orcas Island 6-4 7-7
La Conner 3-5 6-7
Darrington 1-7 3-11
Concrete 0-8 0-8

Read Full Post »

“Red Dragon” rules, Wolves romp

Posted in Softball, tagged , , , , , on April 29, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Teagan Calkins? There ain’t ever been another one quite like her. (Jackie Saia photo)

It ended the only way it could, the only way it should.

“A fly got in my mouth! And it doesn’t want to get out!!”

And with that Teagan Calkins, one of the best to ever wear a Coupeville High School softball uniform, coughed her way to the finish line in her final diamond game on the prairie.

Of course, the Wolf catcher also smashed three hits and threw a runner out trying to steal second, powering the Wolves to a 15-0 mercy-ruled win over visiting Orcas Island.

But the knowledge that the irrepressible Calkins, “The Red Dragon” who has carved out a legendary career of high achievement and great joy, accidentally carried a pesky piece of the prairie away with her, doing its best to dodge her gulps of water?

Chef’s kiss…

Of course, Calkins and the Wolves are far from done.

With Wednesday’s win, coming on Senior Night for its catcher, Coupeville gets to 10-0 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 16-1 overall.

Ranked #7 in the latest RPI rankings from the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association, the Wolves have the most wins of any 2B diamond program, with non-conference road trips to Klahowya, South Whidbey, and East Jefferson still left on the schedule.

After that comes the district and state tourneys, with CHS softball going to the big dance in back-to-back seasons for the first time ever.

But first they had one last game to play in front of their hyped-up fans, and the day was a smash.

Flawless weather — the prairie offering one tantalizing taste of sunshine after a season of freezing wind and dark skies — the return of power-hitting Capri Anter to the lineup after a stint on injured reserve, and a soaring performance of the national anthem sung by Wolf first-baseman Ava Lucero.

Adeline Maynes was prowling the pitcher’s circle, firing BBs into Calkins glove, and only got into danger once during a 10-strikeout performance.

That came in the top of the first, when Orcas loaded the bags thanks to a walk and a couple of shallow hits.

To which Maynes said, “Not today, sister,” and promptly ended the frame by pouring liquid heat past a hapless Viking who meekly went down swinging and missing.

Coupeville, which pounded out 18 hits on the afternoon, got on the board quickly, before steadily pulling away.

Three runs in the bottom of the first, with Chelsi Stevens plating one on a sac fly before Sydney Van Dyke and Ava Lucero walloped back-to-back RBI hits, got things started.

Haylee Armstrong, a danger to pitchers everywhere. (Aleksia Jump photo)

Another tally went up on the scoreboard in the second, thanks to Haylee Armstrong smashing a low, sinking liner to center, the ball skidding past the fielder as the Wolf leadoff hitter turned a sure thing double into an inside-the-park home run with a mad dash around the basepaths.

It wouldn’t be Coupeville’s only four-bagger, as Maynes lashed her own tater in the middle of a game-busting 16-batter, 11-run explosion in the third inning.

Like Armstrong, the sophomore hurler spanked the ball hard, then showed off her wheels, careening around third and storming home ahead of the throw.

The big blast was part of a run of six straight Wolf batters collecting a base knock to open the frame, with Calkins, Stevens, and Sydney Van Dyke mashing doubles to provide extra pop.

Before the inning was done, 8th grader Zariyah Allen would collect two hits, Maynes would get nicked by a wayward pitch (payback for the homerun??), and Stevens would launch another laser to left, each Wolf making a major impact.

Up 15-0, CHS got playing time for many of its bench players, while also giving its lone senior two final moments to remember.

In the bottom of the fourth a Viking player, surprised to get on base, attempted to steal second.

Springing up from behind the plate Calkins zipped a missile of a throw right onto the glove of shortstop Cami Van Dyke, who alertly slapped the tag on the incoming runner with the fury of an in-his-prime John Cena, dropping the Viking face-first to the infield dirt with a sweet thump.

Chef’s kiss…

To which Calkins, ever the show woman, turned to a prairie fly minding his own business and said “Hey, you all wanna top that?”

“The Red Dragon” abides. (Jackie Saia photo)

 

Wednesday stats:

Zariyah Allen — Two singles
Haylee Armstrong — Two singles, one home run
Teagan Calkins — One single, two doubles
Ava Lucero — Three singles
Adeline Maynes — One home run, one walk
Chelsi Stevens — Two doubles
Cami Van Dyke — One single, one walk
Sydney Van Dyke — One single, two doubles

Read Full Post »

Sluggers maintain strong RPI rankings

Posted in Softball, tagged , , , , on April 29, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Cami Van Dyke guns down a runner. (Julie Wheat photo)

They’re #1 and #7.

With Liberty (Spangle) taking a loss to Freeman Tuesday, every softball team in 2B has two or more losses — except Coupeville, which sits at 15-1 heading into action Wednesday against visiting Orcas Island.

But while the Wolves have the highest win percentage among the 47 schools playing the diamond game in their classification, they are tripped up a bit by their opponent’s winning percentage when it comes to tallying RPI rankings.

Coupeville currently lands at #7 when the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association and its Ratings Percentage Index have the final say.

That’s up one slot from last week and can only be helped by the rise of Forks, the only team to take a game from the Wolves this season.

Those Spartans, who split a home doubleheader with CHS, are on a nine-game winning streak to get to 11-3 and crack the top 10 for the first time in the latest rankings.

Read Full Post »

A life on the diamond, a moment to treasure

Posted in Softball, tagged , , , , on April 28, 2026| 1 Comment »

Teagan Calkins? She’s kind of a big deal. (David Somes photo)

The moment comes for everyone.

Whether they have long careers or short runs, Senior Night arrives for every high school athlete.

When it does it can offer a mix of sadness and joy, and it still often surprises me who gets emotional and who doesn’t.

It hits differently for everyone, for the player, the coach, the parents, the fans.

Every Senior Night carries its own weight, but Wednesday afternoon will be unique, as my personal choice for the best CHS softball player of all time exits.

Now, Teagan Calkins, the lone senior on this year’s team, is far from done.

The Wolves still have three non-conference games to play on the road and then head into postseason play with action at districts and state.

But Wednesday (4:00 PM against Orcas Island) marks the final time Teagan will lead her squad on to the field in Cow Town.

The final time she’ll be front and center as the Smash Sisters sing their post-game song.

The final time Teagan will grace her hometown’s softball field with her unique mix of skill, humor, grace, and joy.

The first, but not last, moment Teagan gave side-eye to an umpire. (Photos courtesy Jackie Saia)

Watching her grow from a little league ace into a rampaging teenager, fully becoming “The Red Dragon” and “T-Money,” we have been witness to a remarkable run.

There have been towering home runs.

There have been mad dashes around the basepaths where she seems like she’s begging rival fielders to even dream about throwing her out.

There have been the times where she cracks line drive after line drive at her coach’s head, daring him to stay in the third-base box.

And there have been the times she bounds up from behind the plate, rifling lasers into the gloves of her teammates to nab foolhardy would-be base stealers, chuckling to herself at their naiveite.

But there’s also the times when, working with her pitchers in pre-game warmups, Teagan still takes the time to thank younger players for putting away gear.

Or to say hello to little, wide-eyed girls in their little league uniforms dreaming of one day being where she is.

And all the times when she chatters away, amusing those around her, and most importantly, herself.

Modern-day Teagan has filled up a letterman’s jacket with accomplishments.

The talent has been there from day one. Teagan has excelled at numerous sports and spent many a day playing with girls older than herself to get the full competitive experience.

Put her at any position on the diamond, and she’s a star.

Just watch her in the rare moments when she gets to play center field and promptly chases down every fly ball that lands between the left field foul line and the right field foul line.

But playing the most-demanding role, anchoring a team as catcher, she brings everything to the table. Offense, defense, intangibles, leadership, all delivered with a sense of joy which lights up the prairie.

I have seen Teagan play many, many games, winning a lot and losing a few, and I have yet to see her not enjoying every second which has been given to her on the diamond.

She was born for this — mom Jackie was a softball sensation as well — and her love for the game is undeniable.

Joy may not be her middle name, but it’s a big part of her life.

When you think back on some of the great players in CHS softball history, you remember the talent and the wins, but you also remember the small things.

Hope Lodell flexing her biceps, doing pullups in the dugout between innings.

Jae LeVine dancing on second base after cranking the biggest hit of her career against a pitcher headed to a D-I school.

Veronica Crownover smacking a home run so far into the wilderness Oak Harbor fans are still crying about it years later.

Sarah Wright running through the parking lot at the state tourney, two sandwiches in hand, screaming like a wild woman and laughing hysterically while being chased by a million seagulls.

“The Red Dragon” has some of all that in her makeup. Yet she remains totally unique.

If you’ve never seen her play, if you’ve seen every inning of her career, you can’t pass up Teagan’s swan song on the prairie.

The games come and go, but true legends only walk by every so often.

She was always legendary.

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »