With strong returning lineup, CV baseball off to a good start

It’s officially spring and it’s officially baseball season.

Consider that a public-service announcement since spring has definitely entered the area incognito this year.

The weather will clear, eventually, and when it does Central Valley will likely be in the middle of the race to the Greater Spokane League title.

The Bears have played in the regional tournament the last two seasons and the expectations are that the team will finally break through to reach the state tournament.

With high school baseball, pitching is always key and coach Mike Amend has a leg up on most of the GSL.

Central Valley boasts two All-GSL first-team pitchers from a year ago, Jeremy Yelland and Conner DeGeest. DeGeest has the most league wins (six) of any returning pitcher this season.

Also back is catcher Brayden Hamilton and infielder Kyle Lawson.

West Valley is on an early-season roll. The Eagles split a series with Sandpoint to start the season and swept a two-game series with University. Add to that a win over Rogers and a sweep of a doubleheader with Lakeside.

That puts the team on a definite roll heading into next week, when the Great Northern League schedule kicks in with a game with defending champion Clarkston.

Coach Cory Aitken returns seven starters from a year ago: Jaxon Imada, Cameron Andrews, Scott South, Braxton Swenson, Connor Whitney, Adam Lee and Chris Honnold.

West Valley graduated its top pitcher from a year ago, Johnny Sage.

Andrews and South combined to throw a five-hitter at U-Hi in a 9-2 win last week. South threw 4 2/3 innings of scoreless relief, Blake Transue had four hits in four at-bats and Lee had a pair of doubles.

Honnold allowed two runs in five innings in an 8-4 win over Rogers.

Aitken insists that West Valley’s strength this season will be its defense.

East Valley returns All-GNL pitcher Colin Spendlove and all-league second-team utility player Alex Witt.

The Knights reached the state tournament a year ago, losing a first-round game to Liberty of Issaquah, 2-0. Spendlove went the distance in that game, allowing just four hits and striking out five.

At Freeman, the expectations are high on the diamond.

The Scotties have reached the Final Four at the state tournament the last two seasons.

Last year they finished third. In 2015 they placed fourth.

The majority of this year’s team has played in the state tournament two, if not three, times. The core group has won almost 60 games at Freeman.

Leading the charge once again this season is senior pitcher McKabe Cottrell, who committed last year to play college baseball at Gonzaga. Cottrell has been named the Northeast A League’s most valuable player the last two seasons and has been the Scotties ace the last three seasons.

Also back is three-time All-NEA shortstop JT Neely as well as Simon Rooney and outfielder Desmond Parisotto, who each was an all-league first-time pick a year ago.

Also returning: Second-team All-NEA pitcher Koby Kent, catcher Konner Freudenthal and second baseman Keegan Cottrell.

A year ago Cottrell sported a .441 batting average. Neely hit .328 and Rooney posted a .352 average.

The core of this team has been playing together much longer than their high school careers – reaching the state American Legion finals while still in middle school.

Coach Chad Ripke said he intentionally put together the toughest nonleague schedule he could put together. The Scotties opened the season losing a doubleheader to Overlake and have Ferris and Lake City scheduled.

The Scotties beat Overlake, 3-2 in the consolation game last May to claim the third-place trophy.