Pirates baseball packed with experience
Vashon Pirates baseball looks to have a strong year with eight returning seniors. The tight-knit group has played together on the island since middle school, with six of them being together since they were 5 years old.
The team had a large turnout this year and has a varsity squad of 13 with several swing players that will play on junior varsity and travel with the varsity team when there is no game conflict.
Head Coach Steve Hall is excited about the prospects for this year. He has put together an aggressive 20-game schedule that will push this team hard.
“I have been following this group for years, and they are exceptionally talented,” Hall said. “The coaches and I are excited to see what this season will bring. We hope to send these seniors out with a bang.”
Players to watch will be stand-out pitcher Logan Hawkins, who had a phenomenal season last year and has spent a lot of time in the off season perfecting his technique. Ashton Dulfer, a junior, will be the other primary pitcher. The team is deep in experienced pitching talent this year, with seniors Sam Yates, Sam Schoenberg and Jeremy Pilgrim-Stoppel all looking forward to working from the mound. Also able to toss valuable innings are sophomores Levi Myer, Wyatt Yates and Armando Oatman. It’s been a long time since the coaches have had so much pitching talent to work with.
Pirates softball looks strong
The Vashon Pirates softball team had a productive first week of practice even though they were only able to be on the field twice due to bad weather and sloppy field conditions. Alternative practice sites at the batting cages and the gymnasium didn’t slow the girls down at all.
This year the team fields 17 strong players, all with many years of experience under their belts. After four years of building and developing the program, head coach Jackie Merrill is excited about the prospects her fifth season brings. The girls are playing a well-balanced 20 game schedule, mixing in some good non-league competition with the regular Nisqually League teams that they will face three times each.
A very strong group of freshmen have jumped right in with the experienced upperclassmen, and are all working together remarkably well.
Players to watch will be freshmen pitchers Mia Knight and Chloe Kuyper. Catcher Hannah MacArthur and fellow junior Makenna McVey will continue to be solid contributors both defensively and offensively. Seniors Lilly Hennessey, Mallory Breen and Ray Weller have all played since elementary school and are all impact players.
Upcoming Games
Baseball:
The Pirates’ first game will be Friday, March 11, at North Kitsap High School, followed by a jamboree at Spanaway Lake High School on Saturday, March 12. The first home game will be at 4 p.m. Friday, March 18, against league rival Cascade Christian.
Softball:
The girls’ first game will be at 4 p.m. Monday, March 14, at Cedar Park Christian in Bothell. The team will play at home at 4 p.m. Tuesday, March 15, against Seattle Lutheran.
— Cheryl Pruett is the mother of two VHS athletes.
