Shadle positions itself for good run

Nine Shadle Park baseball players competing this weekend in the State 4A baseball tournament have been in this position before.

It’s just that most of them aren’t in the same positions they played during last year’s state appearance.

Standout catcher Josh Powell, center fielder Ryne Kiter and pitcher Brian Kranches are all returned in the same spots.

But second baseman and leadoff batter Billy Rigsby was a right fielder until replaced by current first baseman Ian Shook following a late-season hitting slump.

Shortstop Kody Anderson was last year’s second baseman. Left fielder Kjel Carlson, Darin Holcomb and Stewart Toelkin scarcely played at all.

“Last year they were in positions they had to learn or do something differently,” said coach Ron Brooks. “This year they were able to move back home into their own comfort zones.”

The Highlanders take on Richland Saturday at 4 p.m. in a first-round game at Southridge High in Kennewick.

“The unique thing is our guys played against Richland three or four times in Junior Legion, so they know them better than I do,” said Brooks. “It’s going to be a real battle.”

Besides, his players have something more valuable in common than the positional switches that produced this year’s 17-5 record, Brooks said.

“They believe in each other and like being around each other,” he said. “They have a passion for the game and show that in practices and in the games. Those situations aren’t always that way.”

Shadle finished second in the GSL and won last weekend’s District 8 championship a year after coming in as sixth seed and working its way through the tourney by upsetting East Valley – a State 3A qualifier this year.

Powell and Shook led the offense, but Shadle received production throughout the lineup.

It showed during a span in which the team ran off more than two games’ worth of consecutive innings with hits and during its doubleheader sweep of league champion Mt. Spokane.

Brooks said that while there were some surprises in the lineup, hitting just became a contagious thing.

“I thought we could be competitive to a point,” said Brooks. “The potential was there. And I knew we’d hit, but pitching was a big issue.”

Kranches was the staff veteran, but Chris Bates, a senior up from junior varsity who went 7-2, was a pleasant surprise.

“Chris was a program kid who played in the summer and really stepped it up,” said Brooks.

The Highlanders are making their third straight state appearance and sixth for Brooks, who, as player and coach, has spent 27 of his 50 years in the Shadle baseball program.

“I am pleased,” he said. “It’s a real neat feeling and I feel really fortunate and lucky to be in this position.”

Brooks will be joined by another team, Ferris, and veteran coach, John Thacker, who again showed the value of past postseason experience by eliminating Mt. Spokane Tuesday night to advance against Southridge.

“It’s maybe my 12th,” said Thacker of the state berth. “Either 11 or 12. But we’ve never played Southridge. This will be a first. I just know they’ve got a good program, They’ve been there three years in a row, won state and are a quality team.”

3A: East Valley did the improbable, winning four straight loser-out games to reach state.

Bret Riggin proved unstoppable, pitching 21 innings in eight days, including a two-hit, 15-strikeout effort in the Knights’ 2-1 state-qualifying win over West Valley.

Riggin will start a fourth game (in 12 days) when EV plays Centralia on Saturday in Yakima County Stadium.

“Last year,” said coach John Phelan of his No. 1-seeded team’s 5-4 losses to North Central and Shadle in districts, “I think the kids really didn’t know if they should be there. If we were the best, we didn’t show it. You could tell this year we were more relaxed and felt we belonged. It’s been awesome.”

Centralia coach Jon Rooklidge said that pitching depth has been the Tigers’ strength. They allowed 3.5 runs per game while scoring double that.

“Obviously, playing a team from Spokane we don’t necessarily know a lot,” said Rooklidge, who scouted EV in Yakima. “They looked like a decent squad. You have to play solid and win twice to move on. That’s the bottom line. And you have to have the ball bounce right.”