Up For Grabs Returning Coaches With Solid Returning Players Could Change The Way This Season Turns Out

GSL baseball

Mead can be counted on to win its share of Greater Spokane League baseball games this year.

The Panthers will again do so for Dave Vaughn, who was itching to return to coaching after a one-year absence.

Mead started this GSL season 2-0. The Panthers won the league in 1997, Vaughn’s last year during his prior stint.

The other North Side GSL teams return the same coaches as last season.

Each also returns solid players for a league race that could be up for grabs.

Vaughn reappears at Mead

Vaughn’s hiatus from coaching lasted one season, during which Brock Taylor led Mead (14-4) to second place.

“I didn’t think I’d come back, I really didn’t,” Vaughn said. “I had a great time watching my girl’s (Amy) volleyball games.

“But this is what I’m supposed to do, and I’m not going to do it forever.”

Vaughn said other factors were his background with the current players, from Little League up, and the help of assistants Ken Russell and Jason Francek.

Senior outfielder Kyle Ellenz, senior pitcher/third baseman Ryan Pugh and senior catcher/pitcher Kent Hibbard are in their third season with the Panthers. Ellenz was a first-team, allleague selection last year.

Junior pitcher/first baseman Dan Thigpen and junior shortstop/pitcher Dan Stucky are the other players with varsity experience. Thigpen and Pugh will be the top starting pitchers, followed by Stucky.

Seniors new to the roster are second baseman Mitch Calkins, and outfielders Matt Raab and Jon Houk. Pitcher/third baseman Drew Lochhead, pitcher/first baseman Kurt Hibbard, outfielder/first baseman Jake Sampson, outfielder/third baseman Adam Johnson, pitcher/catcher Brandon Stallings, second baseman/shortstop Dan Staton and outfielder Ken Pecka are the juniors up from junior varsity.

“Pitching and defense will keep us in most games,” Vaughn said. “These kids are really tight. When you have that kind of fun together, it might mean a couple of extra wins.”

Speaking of a couple of wins, Mead opened its league season with wins over Central Valley and Rogers. The Panthers have finished third place or better in five of the last six seasons.

NC breaks quickly from gate

North Central won six of its final nine league games last season and started this year 2-0, including a win over defending champion Ferris.

“I think we’ll be OK,” said Indians fourth-year coach Scott Harmon. “It depends on if our seniors play like seniors. If they don’t rise up to that level, we’ll be with everybody else.”

NC is carrying 10 seniors on its 16-man roster and nine players with varsity experience.

Senior third baseman Nick Froscheiser was a first-team, all-league selection last year. NC’s other senior returners are infielder Brett Pearson, third baseman/outfielder Nathan Barkdull, infielder Nathan Huntley, pitcher/ outfielder Steve Cumbie, outfielder Josh Witt, and outfielder/pitcher John Forness, the staff ace.

Junior infielder Matt VonSteuben and junior infielder/pitcher Jason Hansen add varsity experience.

Newcomers are senior outfielders James Garcia, Jon Rosario and John Crow, junior catchers Justin Hare and Jim McCullom, junior pitcher/outfielder Bryan Moffitt and sophomore infielder/pitcher Steve Hare.

“We graduated just four players, but they were good ones,” Harmon said of last season’s 8-10 squad. “They all had the best hitting years of their careers.”

Shadle waits for complete lineup

Shadle Park is making due without senior first baseman Ryan Keyes, out for three to four weeks with a strained ligament; senior pitcher/ outfielder Andy Miller, expected to miss two weeks with a sprained ankle; senior left-handed pitcher Adam Griffith, who has tendinitis; and junior center fielder Ken Trujillo, who broke two fingers the first week of practice.

“In 15 years as head coach, I’ve always had an injury here and there, but I’ve never had this many at the same time,” said Highlanders coach Ron Brooks. “These have been tough because they happened to good kids who worked so hard.”

Luckily for Shadle, there’s good talent among the currently healthy. Senior catcher Chet Womach, a second-team, all-league selection last year, is hearing from the fouryear schools and junior colleges in the area.

Other lettermen are senior shortstop Derek Bishop, senior left-handed pitcher/outfielder Justin Karle, senior pitcher Jamey Hebert, senior outfielder Tom Treppiedi, senior pitcher/first baseman Dan Lafferty, senior outfielder/third baseman Travis Blaschke, senior catcher/ outfielder Jason Wisor and junior second baseman Brett Wideman.

Junior third baseman/pitcher Sean Clark, junior outfielder Chad Egger, junior catcher/outfielder Cody Rose, junior shortstop/pitcher Ben Sorcinnelli, sophomore third baseman George Bell, sophomore infielder/outfielder Jerin Harper and sophomore first baseman J.J. Johnson are the new Highlanders.

“If we can hang in there and get everybody patched up, we’ll see what we can do,” Brooks said.

Shadle finished in eighth place, at 6-12, last season, its first finish of less than .500 since 1993.

Pirates count on choices

Sixth-year Rogers coach Jim Wasem may need to flip a few coins.

“I’ve never really had these kind of choices: Which shortstop to play, which third baseman, which of six pitchers,” Wasem said. “Usually I have about two pitchers.”

Topping the list is returning second-team, all-league selection Taylor West, a senior pitcher/center fielder. Wasem said he may use West as a closer because of his options for starters.

Rogers’ lettermen are senior second baseman/team captain Dan Crowley, senior infielder/pitcher Cameron Bowers, senior outfielder/pitcher Jon Tibbetts, senior infielder/ leadoff hitter Edgar Muniz, junior catcher Mike Kuck, sophomore pitcher/infielder Nick Scott and sophomore outfielder/pitcher Chad Krebs.

Wasem’s new additions are senior second baseman Thomas Chadderdon, senior first baseman/designated hitter Steve Owen, senior first baseman Barry Warren, senior catcher Tony Giordano, junior right fielder Pat Doyle, junior infielder/pitcher Thomas Gest and sophomore shortstop Matt Kelly.

Rogers finished 4-14 last year, in ninth place. The Pirates started this GSL season 0-2.

“We’ve been in most of our games during the last five years,” Wasem said. “It’s just whether we think we’re going to win in the late innings.”

Mt. Spokane starts to climb

Mt. Spokane finished 2-16 last year with its first varsity team in the GSL. The Wildcats started this, their second season, 1-1.

“They have more belief in themselves,” said Wildcats coach Dave Whitehead. “They know what they can do.

“They can compete with anybody, but they can lose to anybody. They had nine errors to lose to (Gonzaga) Prep and one error in defeating Lewis and Clark.”

The program has its first seniors, nine total, including second-team, all-league infielder Chris Hughbanks. Other senior returners are pitcher/infielder Jamie Ham, outfielders Jon Ferrell, Tim Bowman, Josh Cowart and Cole Hockett, infielders Corey Freuen and Matt Bayley, and infielder/pitcher Cole Young, the staff ace.

“Cole can definitely dominate a game when he’s on,” Whitehead said.

Junior lettermen are pitcher/outfielder Robert Schuyler, infielder Matt Binder, catcher/infielder Jim Hryniewicz, and pitchers/infielders Jeremy Smith and Joe Kernkamp. Senior infielder Sean Sullivan, and sophomore pitchers/infielders Todd Schutz and Kevin Joslyn are new to the roster.

The Wildcats dropped six league games by one or two runs last year.

“The main factors will be consistency and leadership from our seniors, and carrying over the success in summer ball to now,” Whitehead said.

Prep graduates to new lineup

There are new players all around the diamond for third-year coach Darryl Stephens, whose last team finished in fifth place at 9-9.

G-Prep ended the 1998 season with 14 players, 12 of whom were seniors.

Senior shortstop/relief pitcher Derek Pegg and senior third baseman/pitcher Garth Erickson are the returners. Pegg was a second-team, all-league selection.

Left fielder/infielder Taylor Gibbons, catcher/outfielder Ryan Clifford, first baseman/pitcher Eric Breeden and pitcher/outfielder Jason Schultheis are the seniors moving up to varsity.

Prep’s other players are juniors, except for sophomore pitcher/outfielder Brandon Bowman. Bullpups juniors are center fielder Will Tombari, infielder/outfielder Cascade Lesage, second basemen/outfielder Ryan Thacker, pitcher/first baseman Adam Frankovic, catcher Luke Machtolf, pitcher/first baseman Anthony Kohn and infielder/outfielder Chris Green. Thacker is the son of Ferris coach John Thacker.

“We should realistically be in the middle,” said Stephens, whose team opened GSL play with a win over Mt. Spokane and loss to University.