Intermountain League baseball
Defending league champ: Timberlake
Defending district champ: Timberlake
Returning all-league picks: Ryne Eberlin, St. Maries; Casey Deland, Priest River.
League: Teams will play the traditional 15-game schedule, playing each other three times – divided into a doubleheader and single contest.
Postseason: The district tourney is May 9-14. The top two teams earn state berths. State is May 19-21 at Treasure Valley Community College in Ontario, Ore.
In predicted order of league finish:
Timberlake Tigers
2004 records: 20-5 overall, 14-1 league (league champ)
Current records: 0-1 overall, 0-0 league
Coach: Tracy Turrell
Years coaching: 2nd
Returning lettermen, starters: 4, 2
Key players: Matt Douglas, senior, utility/right-handed pitcher; Travis Lazoran, sr., outfield/first base/rhp; Mike Barnhouse, junior, catcher; Noel Gonzalez, sophomore, shortstop; Tim Brennan, sr., of/rhp; Eric Langlitz, jr., of/rhp; Cody Reisenauer, sr., third base/rhp.
Coach’s comments: “It’s definitely not the same talent that we had last year, but by the same token we’re every bit as competitive as last year’s team. As far as we’re concerned, if anybody takes us for granted they’re in trouble.”
Outlook: The Tigers were hit hardest by graduation. They must replace seven position starters and four pitchers. Timberlake is unproven, but it is still the champ until proven otherwise. Timberlake bulked up its non-league schedule to prepare for what should be a competitive league top to bottom.
St. Maries Lumberjacks
2004 records: 7-17, 4-11
Current records: 3-1, 0-0
Coach: Chad Ripke
Years coaching: 2nd
Returning lettermen, starters: 9, 6
Key players: Ryne Eberlin, sr., rhp/ss; Travis Christiansen, jr., infielder/rhp; Tucker Baker, jr., c/rhp.
Coach’s comments: “I think we’ll be right there to compete for the league (title). We need to get somebody to pitch behind Ryno (Eberlin). He’s going to be our horsepower.”
Outlook: Eberlin is the top returning player in the league. If the Lumberjacks play defense, Eberlin could be difficult to beat. If St. Maries’ young players mature quickly, the Lumberjacks could dethrone Timberlake.
Priest River Spartans
2004 records: 11-14, 7-8
Current records: 3-0, 0-0
Coach: Lou Musso
Years coaching: 9th
Returning lettermen, starters: 10, 8
Key players: Jeremy Patterson, sr., ss; Jake Flaherty, sr., of/rhp; Chris Johnson, sr., 1b/rhp; Casey Deland, sr., 3b/rhp; Steve Gleese, sr., rhp/of.
Coach’s comments: “It’s the best group I’ve had here. We can play with anybody. I’m not saying we can beat all of them, but we can play with anybody.”
Outlook: The Spartans return the most experience and will contend for their first league title and state berth. Priest River won a season-opening tourney at Orofino two weekends ago.
Bonners Ferry Badgers
2004 records: 5-20, 4-11
Current records: 0-1, 0-0
Coach: Tom Turpin
Years coaching: 3rd
Returning lettermen, starters: 4, 4
Key players: Ben Turner, jr., c; Josh Hawks, soph., u; Ross Patterson, soph., rhp/of; Kyle Dirks, sr., rhp/3b.
Coach’s comments: “I’m cautiously optimistic. We had a challenging year last year. We’re going to go out there and battle this year. I have a good feeling.”
Outlook: The Badgers lack the depth to challenge for a league title or runner-up finish, but the future is bright. Bonners Ferry’s victories may not increase measurably over last season, but it will be much more competitive.
Kellogg Wildcats
2004 records: 13-13, 7-8
Current records: 2-1, 0-0
Coach: Steve Twidt
Years coaching: 4th
Returning lettermen, starters: 6, 4
Key players: Brandon Landrum, sr., ss/rhp; Kevin Nansel, sr., u; Kevin Rose, sr., 1b/rhp; Andre Bircher, sr., c/3b; Chris Lund, jr., cf/rhp.
Coach’s comments: “Offensively, we’ll be right up there. We’ll be able to score runs. It’s a matter of whether we can stop other teams from scoring. We might have to win some high-scoring games.”
Outlook: Kellogg is coming off its best season. The Wildcats could finish a couple of rungs higher. But if they can’t find the pitching to support their hitting, a basement finish is possible.