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Posts Tagged ‘Taylor Brotemarkle’

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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Diamond sluggers rack up stellar stats

Posted in Softball, tagged , , , , on May 27, 2024| Leave a Comment »

You dare to run on Taylor Brotemarkle? Foolish one!! (Jackie Saia photo)

They put up some impressive numbers.

Over the course of 18 regular-season games, Coupeville High School softball players delivered at the plate and from the pitcher’s circle.

While the season is done, the numbers are forever.

A look at CHS softball stats, delivered to us by Wolf coach Kevin McGranahan:

Fab frosh Haylee Armstrong brings the thunder. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

 

OFFENSE:

 

At-bats:

Haylee Armstrong – 51
Mia Farris – 51
Madison McMillan – 51
Taylor Brotemarkle – 47
Teagan Calkins – 45
Jada Heaton – 43
Capri Anter – 41
Sydney Van Dyke – 36
Ava Lucero – 33
Adeline Maynes – 10
Chelsi Stevens – 6
Danica Strong – 6
Shania Kenney – 5
Bailey Thule – 5
Mary Western – 5
Melanie Wolfe – 1

 

Hits:

McMillan – 31
Calkins – 30
Armstrong – 25
Brotemarkle – 19
Farris – 18
Anter – 12
Heaton – 12
Van Dyke – 10
Strong – 4
Kenney – 3
Lucero – 3
Maynes – 2
Stevens – 2
Thule – 1

 

Runs:

Armstrong – 32
McMillan – 32
Brotemarkle – 30
Calkins – 27
Farris – 26
Anter – 18
Heaton – 13
Van Dyke – 13
Lucero – 12
Thule – 7
Maynes – 5
Strong – 4
Stevens – 3
Western – 3
Kenney – 1

 

2B’s:

Calkins – 7
McMillan – 7
Farris – 4
Armstrong – 3
Anter – 2
Heaton – 2
Brotemarkle – 1
Strong – 1
Van Dyke – 1

 

3B’s:

McMillan – 4
Farris – 3
Armstrong – 2
Anter – 2
Heaton – 2
Brotemarkle – 1
Calkins – 1
Stevens – 1

 

HR’s:

McMillan – 4
Calkins – 3
Brotemarkle – 1
Farris – 1

 

RBI:

McMillan – 39
Calkins – 28
Farris – 21
Brotemarkle – 16
Armstrong – 13
Van Dyke – 12
Heaton – 11
Lucero – 8
Strong – 7
Anter – 5
Thule – 2
Western – 2
Kenney – 1
Stevens – 1

 

Walks:

Armstrong – 15
Calkins – 14
Van Dyke – 13
Lucero – 12
McMillan – 12
Brotemarkle – 11
Farris – 11
Heaton – 9
Anter – 8
Maynes – 8
Thule – 7
Western – 6
Stevens – 4
Strong – 2
Wolfe – 2
Kenney – 1

 

Batting Average:

Calkins – .667
Strong – .667
McMillan – .608
Kenney – .600
Armstrong – .490
Brotemarkle – .404
Farris – .353
Stevens – .333
Anter – .293
Heaton – .279
Van Dyke – .278
Maynes – .200
Thule – .200
Lucero – .091

 

PITCHING:

 

Wins:

Maynes – 10
Armstrong – 3
Anter – 1

 

ERA:

Anter – 0.64
Maynes – 2.70
Armstrong – 4.85

 

Innings Pitched:

Maynes – 57
Armstrong – 26
Anter – 11

 

Earned Runs:

Maynes – 22
Armstrong – 18
Anter – 1

 

Strikeouts:

Maynes – 78
Armstrong – 34
Anter – 17

 

Walks:

Armstrong – 26
Maynes – 13
Anter – 6

Jada Heaton will be back. (Bailey Thule photo)

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Calkins crushes, Wolves romp

Posted in Softball, tagged , , , , on May 2, 2024| Leave a Comment »

“It’s time, Sir Reginald, time for us to once more go forth and destroy the hopes and dreams of our rivals.” (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

The “Red Dragon” can only be stopped one way — by being forced to sit on the bench.

Put Teagan Calkins in the game, and the Coupeville High School sophomore catcher is going to start popping her biceps and beatin’ the crud out of the softball.

It is just the way of her people.

So, Wolf coach Kevin McGranahan parked his excitable star in the dugout for half of Thursday’s game at La Conner — AFTER she launched yet another home run — and gave nearly everyone on the roster a chance to join in the assault.

Even after giving up numerous outs by having runners intentionally leave base early, the Wolves crushed the host Braves 14-0 in a game mercy-ruled after five innings.

The victory, in which 13 CHS players reached base, lifts the Wolves to 9-0 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 12-4 overall.

They won’t get a chance to make up a rained-out game against NWL rival Concrete but will play two home non-conference tilts as they prep for the playoffs.

First up is a visit from Nooksack Valley Friday, followed by a rematch against South Whidbey May 10.

After that, Coupeville, the top team in District 1, heads off to Centralia May 18 to play a District 4 team in a winner-to-state, loser-out playoff rumble.

Shania Kenney was one of nine Wolves to rip a hit Thursday in La Conner. (Claire Kalwies-Anderson photo)

Thursday’s game in La Conner was one-sided in every way, as Wolf pitchers Adeline Maynes, Haylee Armstrong, and Capri Anter combined to toss a one-hitter, whiffing nine Braves.

Maynes, already an ace as just an 8th grader, retired all six batters she faced.

Coupeville, by contrast, couldn’t be stopped on offense, rapping out 14 hits and piling up 12 walks.

The Wolves plated six runners in the top of the first, not getting their first out until batter #7.

Walks to Armstrong and Sydney Van Dyke set the table, with Taylor Brotemarkle, Madison McMillan, Calkins, and Bailey Thule thumping consecutive hits to get the scoreboard hoppin’.

Five more runs came across in the second, with Calkins cranking a two-run tater to deep left, flying around the basepaths and sliding home long before the ball arrived back in the infield.

Proving they can play small ball to go with long ball, the Wolves spent a considerable part of the rest of the game working on bunts.

The best one probably came off the bat of Armstrong, as she dropped one for an RBI single, the ball nestling into the ground in front of the third baseman and promptly tunneling its way to China.

Coupeville did everything possible not to end the game super-early, adding just a single run in the third, and two more in the fourth.

Still, even though they went five innings, and didn’t go for the early 20-run KO in three frames, it capped a league season in which CHS mercy-ruled every foe.

“We had fun and worked on some stuff we don’t always get to work on, all while keeping the score reasonable,” McGranahan said.

“The best part is we return everyone next season, so the expectation is to do it all over again.”

That points to the fact that Coupeville has no seniors, and typically starts three 8th graders and two freshmen among its main 10 players.

 

Thursday stats:

Capri Anter — One single
Haylee Armstrong — Two singles, one walk
Taylor Brotemarkle — One single, three walks
Teagan Calkins — One home run, one single
Jada Heaton — One single
Shania Kenney — One single
Ava Lucero — One walk
Adeline Maynes — Two singles, one walk
Madison McMillan — One double, two singles, one walk
Chelsi Stevens — One walk
Bailey Thule — One single, one walk
Sydney Van Dyke — Two walks
Mary Western — One walk

Optical illusion, or is Jada Heaton so strong she literally bends her bat when making contact? Discuss. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

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Bash sisters claim league title

Posted in Softball, tagged , , , , on April 27, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Jada Heaton brings her A-game both on sunny days and cold, windy ones like Mother Nature offered up Saturday. (Claire Kalwies-Anderson photo)

The title is once more theirs.

A Coupeville High School varsity softball squad which starts three 8th graders and two freshmen clinched the Northwest 2B/1B League title Saturday, decimating visiting Darrington 14-1 on a blustery, frigid prairie.

The win lifts the Wolves to 8-0 in conference play, 11-4 overall.

And while there’s plenty more regular season action ahead on the schedule — games against La Conner, Nooksack Valley, South Whidbey, and (maybe) Concrete — Kevin McGranahan’s team got to bask in the moment of reclaiming its title.

At least for a moment. And then it’s on to achieving other goals.

After falling just short against Friday Harbor last season and missing out on the NWL’s lone 2B playoff slot, Coupeville is ahead of schedule this time around.

With no seniors, the Wolves start 8th graders Ava Lucero, Adeline Maynes, and Sydney Van Dyke, plus fab frosh cousins Haylee Armstrong and Capri Anter.

That fivesome, and veterans Teagan Calkins, Jada Heaton, Mia Farris, Madison McMillan, and Taylor Brotemarkle, have meshed well this season.

Taylor Brotemarkle surveys her kingdom. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

That fiery mix of youthful vigor and grizzled experience was on display Saturday, as everyone in the lineup contributed, while the Wolf backups were their usual rowdy selves, keeping warm by enthusiastically cheering nonstop.

They had plenty to roar for, as pitching ace Maynes fired BB’s, whiffing seven Loggers and largely staying out of trouble.

She got some defensive help, with Armstrong making a superb dig on a low throw at first, while Brotemarkle and McMillan showed off the guns from short and third, respectively.

Farris closed the game, and officially clinched the title, by tracking down a high, twisting shot to center, perfectly reading the wind and not allowing the ball to get past her.

Offensively, the Wolves attacked from the first pitch and never relented.

Armstrong cracked a leadoff single, then scooted around the basepaths, stealing second base and freaking Darrington out so badly it committed two errors while trying, and failing, to catch her.

Farris followed with a walk, then the CHS bash sisters erupted.

“Sit back and witness my feats of strength!” (Photo by Claire Kalwies-Anderson)

Brotemarkle mashed a triple to center, the ball steadily rising as it soared over the head of the fielder, then two batters later “The Red Dragon” let Darrington feel her full fury.

That would be Calkins, the sophomore catcher following in mom Jackie’s diamond footsteps, and she belted a two-run home run to left, the ball screaming in agony as it headed up towards Prairie Center.

Up 5-0 after one inning, the Wolves pushed four more across in the second, and another five in the third to really stretch the lead out.

McMillan and Calkins had back-to-back run-scoring base knocks, while Brotemarkle and Van Dyke later added their own RBI singles to the assault.

Putting a cap on things, Heaton dropped an absolutely gorgeous sacrifice bunt to plate a runner, then skipped all the way back to the dugout.

 

Saturday stats:

Capri Anter — One walk
Haylee Armstrong — One single, one walk
Taylor Brotemarkle — One single, one triple, one walk
Teagan Calkins — One single, one home run, one walk
Mia Farris — Two walks
Madison McMillan — One single, one walk
Sydney Van Dyke — One single, one walk

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