Cheney baseball team finishes strong

CHENEY – When Randy Elam took over the Cheney High School baseball program four years ago, the Blackhawks were toward the bottom of the Greater Spokane League.

“We were really struggling,” Elam said. “Of course we were playing in the GSL, but we were getting beat up pretty bad. It was hard having that mentality that when you showed up, you were going to get your butts kicked. It’s something that’s tough to shake. It’s something we’ve worked on.”

Cheney has since departed the 4A ranks of the GSL and now plays in the 2A Great Northern League. The Blackhawks finished 14-8 this season and in second place in the GNL with an 11-4 record, two games back of West Valley. It was the kind of season that seemed almost impossible to dream about those four years ago.

“These kids have bonded,” said Elam of a team that has managed a 3.5 grade-point average in the classroom. “Their work ethic to come to the ballpark every day to get better is a big part of our success. They’ve worked pretty hard. They pitch pretty well and play defense. They work on all aspects. They’ve made it possible to turn it in the right direction.”

“We knew going in that we were a pretty young team, but we knew we were going to be good,” said senior pitcher and third baseman Anthony Christianson. “We had a lot of potential going in. That was our big focus going in, not to go in thinking we were too good, but go in and work and play as hard as we can no matter what happens.”

“I think we thought we could do it,” said senior first baseman and designated hitter Chris Bafus. “We couldn’t come into this season expecting to lose. We had to go in expecting to win every game. We have real good team chemistry. We all hang out and have team dinners before every game. We hang out together after school. I think team chemistry is the main reason we’re winning.”

Cheney’s chemistry can be traced to seniors and good friends Christianson, Bafus and Justin Walker, who have led the turnaround in the Blackhawks’ baseball fortunes.

“That chemistry is probably one of the most underrated things in our success,” said Elam. “The guys just work harder. Those three seniors deserve the credit. They set the tone. It does help. Part of our expectations for them as seniors was to help build this team. The chemistry is a byproduct of their daily routine in practice.”

“We definitely have a lot of encouragement and a positive attitude,” said Walker, who is the team’s closer, first baseman and DH. “We never put each other down. We’re pretty close. It’s helped out a lot. The three of us have great leadership. Hopefully we can spread that through the juniors and sophomores and down to the freshmen.”

“All three of us get along with everybody, so we all talk to the lower classmen,” said Bafus. “We try to get them to be unafraid of starting and playing varsity. Justin moved here in seventh or eighth grade, and A.C. just started with us in high school. We’ve also played on sports teams before.”

“As seniors, and only being three of us, we really had to step up and lead this team,” said Christianson. “If we had a bad practice, everybody kind of went downhill because they did what we did. That was tough as a senior to go through that, but it turned out good. All three of us have done well.”

Despite seeing their postseason hopes fall short in a 4-0 district loss to Pullman last Saturday, the three seniors’ contributions to Cheney baseball will be appreciated for years to come by their coach.

“Anthony, his role has been huge. He’s been one of our top two-three pitchers since he was a sophomore. You can always count on him to throw strikes, to throw solid and throw well. He’s a role model in the way he works. He’s a gem, an absolute gem. He’s the type of guy that’s just got better and better.

“Justin, I’ve coached him since he was a freshman. The thing I noticed about him, as a freshman, was he was good for about 12 pitches. We worked with him over time as a starter. One day we just wised up and realized he was better suited to be a closer. He just has one of those types of arms.

“Chris, coming into last season, he hadn’t played varsity. Talk about being a workhorse, he worked a lot. Whatever he had to do, he did it. He’s just a great kid with a great attitude.”