Coach: Monte Walton (4th Year with Sehome, 46-24; not including 37 years as an assistant at Sehome)
Home Field: Sehome High School
Last Season: 18-8 (9-4 Conference)
Key Losses: 3B Shane Jamison (.380 AVG, .492 OBP, 7 2B, 1 HR, 17 RBI), P Evan Kingma (6-1, 0.76 ERA, 65 K’s), SS/CP Josh Manson (.299 AVG, .447 OBP, 13 SB, 23 R, 5-1, 4 Saves, 0.91 ERA, 22 K’s).
Top Returnees: C Lukas DeLisle, SS Trevor Seaholm, P/1B Jacob Kaepernick, IF Makana Grondin, OF Mel Ketteridge, OF Ethan Brown, P James Meader, OF Tim Malo, 3B Patrick Miksovsky.
Pitchers and Catchers: Senior James Meader (3-1, 1.93 ERA, 47 K’s) was going to be looked upon as the ace of the pitching staff, but an injury has put the hard throwing righty on the shelf for now. Until then, the Mariners will look at a pair of lefties to step up. Sophomore Jacob Kaepernick (2-3, 1.37 ERA, 25 K’s) has developed into one of the top players in the league, and should be able to lead the staff. 6-foot-5 junior Lane Middendorf hasn’t pitched at the varsity level, but threw well last year on the JV team. Senior Patrick Miksovsky is also in the mix, and senior Trevor Seaholm will be the closer. The best news for Sehome baseball is the return of catcher Lukas DeLisle. The senior missed all of last season due to an injury, and he has looked good so far in practice, and should be one of the best catchers in the league.
Infield: Seaholm (.346 AVG, .444 OBP, 10 SB, 15 R) played second base last season for the most part, and will be the shortstop this year. He is one of the top players in the league, and should be the sparkplug to the Sehome lineup. Senior Makana Grondin (.292 AVG, .393 OBP, 12 RBI, 12 R) played all over the infield last season, and will play both second base and first base. Kaepernick (.239 AVG, .414 OBP, 1 HR, 11 RBI, 12 R, 19 BB) will play first when he’s not pitching, and Miksovsky (.370 OBP, 3 RBI) returns to third base. Sophomore Brooks Frere and junior Shawn Johnson supply depth in the infield.
Outfield: Senior Mel Ketteridge (.270 AVG, .418 OBP, 8 RBI, 5 SB) filled in admirably at catcher last season with DeLisle injured, and he will be back in the outfield in 2019. He has a smooth swing, and could do a lot of damage at the plate. Speedy sophomore Tim Malo (.360 OBP, 12 SB) will patrol center field, and they will be joined by senior Ethan Brown (.295 OBP, 10 RBI, 10 R) who seemed to always come through in the clutch last season. Senior Michael McLin also has great speed, and will fit his way into the outfield after not turning out for baseball last season.
Final Analysis: Sehome is Sehome. They will be very good. They return a lot of players with varsity experience, and they are very well-balanced. If Meader can return at some point in the season, that will only be a plus. Last year they found ways to win, with many games coming down to the final inning, and they walked away placing 5th in the state. This year could be a special one for the Mariners.
Tyler’s Predicted Lineup:
- Trevor Seaholm
- Mel Ketteridge
- Jacob Kaepernick
- Lukas DeLisle
- Makana Grondin
- Patrick Miksovsky
- Ethan Brown
- Tim Malo
- Michael McLin
