Showing posts with label baseball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label baseball. Show all posts

Shoreline's Blake Snell wins American League 2018 Cy Young Award

Wednesday, November 14, 2018

Blake Snell playing for Shorewood 2011
Text and photos by Wayne Pridemore

The Cy Young Award is now given annually to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball, one each for the American League and National League.

The award was first introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young. 

Before 1967 only one pitcher was selected to receive the award regardless of which league he worked in.

The awards are voted by members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America, with one representative from each team.

Southpaw pitcher 2011
Blake Snell wins American League 2018 Cy Young Award

The young southpaw pitcher graduated from Shorewood High School in 2011, where he played three seasons for Thunderbird coach Wyatt Tonkin. (See previous article)

He was drafted by Tampa Bay in the first round, the fifty-second overall pick of the Major League June 2011 draft.

Blake stands at 6 foot 4 inches in height and weighs 200 plus pounds. 

During the past season for Tampa Bay he won 21 games and lost 5. He had an ERA of 1.89 during the 2018 season.

Jacob DeGrom of the New York Mets won the National League Cy Young Award.


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SW grad Blake Snell one of three finalists for American League Cy Young Award

Friday, November 9, 2018

Blake Snell pitching in the 2011 State
semi-finals at Camas
Photo by Wayne Pridemore
By Ryan Phelan

When Blake Snell came back to Shorewood High School in October, it wasn’t to bask in his own limelight as one of Major League Baseball’s best pitchers this year, It was to watch his brother David play football.

“He was there on Senior Night for his brother, and at first I didn’t recognize him because he had his hood up over his hair,” said Vicki Gorman, the school’s athletic director. 
“He came for his brother. He wanted it to be about his brother. He didn’t want it to be about him.”

Like it or not, it might be all about him soon. Snell, who graduated from Shorewood in 2011, just finished off his first all-star season for the Tampa Bay Rays, and is one of three finalists for the American League Cy Young Award.

Snell is a frontrunner for the prize, but for Snell’s high school coach, Wyatt Tonkin, and the Shoreline community, his potential for greatness was apparent, both in his ability and his character.

He had the ability to strike out 19 batters in seven innings, but his coach remembers him for how much fun he made the game when he wasn’t playing it.

“He had the certain intangibles you just couldn’t teach,” said Wyatt Tonkin, Shorewood High School’s baseball coach since 1999. “The four years went by so fast, but it was really remarkable and it was fun.”

Wyatt Tonkin, Shorewood High School’s baseball coach, and Vicki Gorman, the school’s athletic director, stand beneath Shorewood High School’s retired jerseys on Thursday, Oct. 18, 2018. Blake Snell’s jersey was retired by the school in 2016. Photo credit: Ryan Phelan


Snell’s intangibles exuded themselves in his leadership, Tonkin said. He led by example and on the field effectively paired a competitive fire with lighthearted fun. People gathered around him in the locker room.

Now in just his third season in Major League Baseball, the 25-year-old left-hander won 21 games -- the best in the majors -- while posting an earned-run average of 1.89, the best in the American League. For Snell, who jumped straight from high school into professional baseball, it has been a breakout year.

Even back when he pitched for Shorewood, the stats spoke for themselves.

“When we retired his number, (See previous article) I had to go into the gym, and it's was a packed gym,” Tonkin said. “We were playing Shorecrest, our archrivals, and I had to read his stats. They were like cartoon numbers. I said people aren’t going to believe this.”

Over his three years on the varsity team, Snell earned an ERA of 1.38, and struck out 218 batters over 131.2 innings. He went undefeated his senior year and won eight games, with a ERA of 1.00, which was fifth in Washington state. Four of those wins were complete-game efforts, in which Snell pitched all nine innings.

Blake Snell 2011 Shorewood
Photo by Wayne Pridemore
Despite Snell’s success on the field, Tonkin offered just as much praise for Snell’s character off of the pitcher’s mound.

“He’s a fun guy,” Tonkin said. “He is a jokester, a prankster and a happy-go-lucky guy. He had a smile that nobody could resist. 
But once you handed him that ball, and he went between those lines, he became a lion. He would compete like nobody else. You just had that feeling when he was on the mound that we couldn’t lose.”

Over the years, the Shorewood baseball team has been blessed with talented pitchers, Tonkin said. The kind you don’t need to press to work hard.

“I think that's one of the reasons why our program has been successful, and it's one of the things I emphasize,” Tonkin said. “It’s not too tough when you get kids like Blake.”

Shorewood High School baseball coach Wyatt Tonkin stands next to the school’s trophy case on Thursday, Oct. 18, 2018. Tonkin has been the coach since 1999. Photo credit: Ryan Phelan 



Coach Tonkin’s life has long been rooted in baseball. He pitched for O’Dea High School in Seattle before playing for Bellevue Community College and later the University of Washington. In 1976, he was drafted by the Atlanta Braves and spent three seasons pitching in the minor leagues before being released.

“When your glass just shatters, you have to pick it up and start over,” Tonkin said, sliding some keys across the table as if they’re a pink slip. “You’ve geared your whole life to play baseball, and all of a sudden they say you can't anymore.”

But baseball is still there and his Shorewood cap and polo shirt say it before he does. He credits his wife Alice for giving him the confidence and motivation to get into coaching.

“Once I got into it I just couldn’t get enough,” Tonkin said. “I just loved the heck out of it. I loved the kids and the atmosphere. It's kind of fun to set the direction and build your own program.”

The trophy case contains several awards and pieces of memorabilia from the baseball team at Shorewood High School on Thursday, Oct. 18, 2018. This included a ball signed by coach Wyatt Tonkin following his 300th career win in 2017. Photo credit: Ryan Phelan

Tonkin has spent 21 seasons at the helm of the program. In April 2017, he collected his 300th career win for the team he has spent his entire coaching career. (See previous article) That same year, he was elected to the Washington State Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

Tonkin’s openness to new skills, methods and inspirational tactics has enabled the program’s success under his tenure, Gorman said. He often speaks at coaches clinics around Washington and Oregon.

“It’s how much you learn after you think you know it all that really counts,” Tonkin said.

In a coaching career filled with successes, one of Tonkin’s greatest moments came in 2010, when his team made a surprise run to the state championship on the backs of its young pitchers, including Snell. Along the way, Snell beat Puyallup High School, the top-ranked team in the state, in the first round of the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association Class 4A regionals. Ultimately, Shorewood made it to the state championship at Safeco Field.

“We go to warmup and I get called to go underneath the stadium for a coin flip,” Tonkin said. “Then I come out to hit infield, and there is just a sea of blue -- from way up behind third base all the way behind home plate.”

Blake Snell’s retired jersey hangs in Shorewood
High School on Thursday, Oct. 18, 2018.
Snell was drafted 52nd overall
in the 2011 MLB June Amateur Draft.
Photo credit: Ryan Phelan
They lost that game but laid the groundwork for the following season, in which the team won 24 games and lost just three. Snell contributed heavily toward that win total, striking out 118 batters over 56 innings pitched.

“I never really thought at that point when we were coaching that he’d be a Cy Young candidate,” said Shea Tonkin, Wyatt’s son and former assistant coach for Shorewood. 
“But he definitely was Cy Young quality when we coached him. That's for sure.”

“We’re kind of a small community even though we’re right next to Seattle,” Gorman said. “But the Shorewood community came out big-time for the team.”

Snell has not forgotten Shorewood. In his spare time, he has come back to Shorewood to help out the school’s basketball team, which he also played on in high school, as an assistant. 

A professional athlete, particularly one as hardworking as Snell, working with players imparts valuable lessons, not just for sports, but for life itself, Wyatt Tonkin said.

“When he did come to Seattle this year, everywhere I looked there were guys there who had played for us, and they were all there to see Blake,” he said. “He’s modest, but he also understands that a lot of kids are looking up to him. He is so much a part of the community.”

Snell was in town when the Rays played the Mariners on June 3. He pitched his first major-league start in Safeco Field against one of his idols, Felix Hernandez, who won the Cy Young Award when Snell was a senior in high school. On that day, Snell struck out his first seven batters.

“What I’ve learned from kids like Blake is that for an athlete like him, it's not a mindset, it's a lifestyle,” he said. “When he was a junior, and he pitched at Safeco Field he said, ‘Coach, I’m going to be here again one day.’”
“He was serious.”


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Shoreline Little League Majors Baseball All-Stars 3rd in District 8 Tournament

Thursday, July 19, 2018

SLL Majors All-Star #73 Rory Swanson tries to throw out a NESLL player
at 1st base on Saturday.


Walking to the #9 Mickey Merriam field on Saturday, the moments of joy from the last 3 games fill your mind.

The task at hand seemed to be a tough one, as their challenger that day was the NE Seattle team. NESLL had outscored their first 2 opponents by a combined score of 17-2, while SLL had a 3 game scoring difference of 15-5.

The tension was high throughout the game with lots of great plays on both sides. You could hear "Go play" and "Nice catch" from players, parents, coaches and umpires all game long. The final score was 1-0 in favor of the NES boys. This loss sent SLL into the 2nd chance bracket where a win on Sunday would put them into the championship on Monday.

Sunday's game was against a Queen Anne LL team that earned their chance to play by winning their last 2 games in the 2nd chance bracket by beating Woodinville LL 2-1 on Friday and defeating North Central LL by a score of 3-0.

SLL Majors All-Star #2 Dillon Carrell reaches out to make an incredible catch in centerfield during Sunday's game.

While listening to the comments by the crowd during the game, you got the sense that both teams were biting their nails with gripping anticipation before every pitch thrown. The combination of a quick lead by Queen Anne and an impressive performance by their starting pitcher, led to SLL playing from behind and trying everything they could do to get on-base. 


SLL Majors All-Star #15 Brooks Murray watches a called third strike go by,
late in Sunday's game.

Both teams had to deal with a very questionable strike zone being called that day, but the QALL team overcame that obstacle much better than SLL.

Normally mentioning the calls made by an umpire is thought to be a faux pas, because it is a very hard job to do and coaches will always tell their players to control what they do instead of worrying about what is out of their control, like umpire calls.

However, during the course of this game you heard both sides questioning the strike calls being made against the other team. It wasn't them wondering about the calls being made on their team. But again, the QALL team did a great job playing through that situation and they earned the win.

The game ended with an 8-1 score and SLL was eliminated in 3rd place. With 12 teams in the tourney, it was a good result that all of the other teams would have been grateful with.



After the game ended on Sunday, the boys exchanged pins with the QALL players and then they received their District 8 All-Stars Tournament participation pins. As they left the field they wished luck to the QA boys in the championship game the next day.

It was a well played tourney for this group of guys and I'm sure all of Shoreline will be wishing them all the best for their season next year.

All photos by Geoff Vlcek



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State Champions - the Shoreline Royals

The Shoreline Royals holding the Championship trophy

The 16u Shoreline Royals baseball team won their Mickey Mantle State Championship playoffs on Monday, July 16th at Shorecrest High School against the Legends Baseball Club from Monroe. The playoffs were hosted by Washington Elite Baseball.

The playoff structure was a double elimination tournament, like the College World Series where a team must lose twice to be eliminated from the playoffs. To advance to the championship day, the Royals had to win at least three of their first four games over the weekend.

The Royals gave up early leads in the first three of the four games but ended up sweeping the competition and compiling a perfect record to the championship round. In fact, the Royals, at one point of each game, trailed as much as 10 runs in game one, 5 runs in game two, and game four by 6 runs but rallied back each time to take the lead and held on for the wins.

Coach and Shorecrest grad Timothy Lee (2011) described the Royals as gritty. “These guys never quit once no matter the circumstance.”

Going into the championship game, the Royals were the only team left with a perfect 4-0 record and therefore had to be beaten twice by the Legends to lose the playoffs.

In true fashion, the Royals again trailed the game by 5 runs but came back and took the lead in extra innings (8) only to lose off a walk-off of a final score of 8-9.

Following the disappointing lost, coach Tim reminded his team that they had overcome tougher situations and to stay calm. “I told them to just take deep breaths and relax. We were making too many mistakes because we put pressure on ourselves.”

Royals by the Scoreboard

It seemed to work, as the Royals went on and put a pounding on the Legends the second game. Gannon Dow was the losing pitcher of the first game but immediately came back to start the second game mentally refocused. He went 3 innings, gave up only 2 hits, recorded 6 strike outs, 1 walk and no runs. Ben Lockwood came in relief for Dow and sealed the deal for the Royals, beating the Legends in a mercy-rule shortened 5 innings of a final score of 15-2.

The Shoreline Royals are hosting their free tryouts for their 2019 teams next season at the end of the month. Sign up here.

Shoreline Royals 16u Roster
  • Davis Stallings – Shorecrest
  • Alex Culver – Shorecrest
  • Ryan Henrickson – Shorecrest
  • Travis Johnson – Ballard
  • Jack Fields – Ballard
  • Kolby Herling – Shorecrest
  • Gannon Dow – Shorecrest
  • Carwyn Corcoran-Sipe – Shorecrest
  • Matthew Potter – Shorecrest
  • Roc Ransdell – Ballard
  • James Huffman – Shorecrest
  • Ben Lockwood – Shorecrest
  • Paul Teilmann – Ballard
  • Sam Gocus – Shorecrest
  • Mark Summer – Ballard
  • Jett Randall – Shorecrest
  • Head Coach: Timothy Lee
  • Assistant Coach: Brandon Officer

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Shoreline Royals expanding in 2019

Tuesday, July 10, 2018

16u Shoreline Royals winning a championship in Spokane in June 2018

The Shoreline Royals, a select baseball organization that was founded on promoting a more competitive level of baseball in the Shoreline area is growing and expanding to have more teams in 2019.

11u Shoreline Royals winning a championship
in Tacoma in April 2018
The success of the program has seen explosive growth drawing athletes from different neighborhoods from Kenmore, Edmonds, Ballard, and more.

To accommodate the level of interest, the Royals are trying to field five teams next year and are having tryouts in July.

Tryouts are free to attend and will be held at Shorecrest High School, 15343 25th Ave NE, Shoreline 98155. Sign up online here

Co-Founder and 16u Head Coach Tim Lee says, “We are so excited to see the growth in the Royals. The organization was built off the right values which is why we attract so many talented kids and great families to our program.”

The Shoreline Royals are a 501 © (3) nonprofit.


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Shorewood grad ties American League record in game against the Mariners

Tuesday, June 5, 2018

Blake Snell, right, in a 2016 game
Photo courtesy Tampa Bay Rays
Sunday June 3, 2018 Safeco Field

Tampa Bay starting pitcher Blake Snell, a 2011 graduate of Shorewood High School, tied an American League record by striking out the first seven Mariner batters that he faced.

Blake was in complete control during the six innings that he worked. Tampa Bay was leading 1 to 0 when he left.

There was a large group of family and Shoreline friends attending the game to cheer him on.

The Mariners came back and scored 2 runs off the Ray's relief pitchers to give Felix Hernandez the win. 

--Wayne Pridemore


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Shorecrest family night at the Mariners May 19 - order tickets now

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Get your tickets now for the Shorecrest High School family night at the Mariners May 19. Tickets are discounted. Everyone will be seated in the same section - and the school will get a shout out on the board!

If you want your family and friends to sit together, order all the tickets in one order - or meet other staff, faculty, parents, students from the Shorecrest group!

But order soon - the deadline is April 27!



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Shorewood baseball edges Everett 6-5

Wednesday, April 4, 2018

Supportive Shorewood baseball fans
Photo by Lisa Hirohata

Everett 5, Shorewood 6

Everett High came to Meridian Park's fields on Friday, March 30th to face the 2-2 Thunderbirds.

Junior pitcher Kaiden Graves got the start, going 4 solid innings. Everett put up runs on some defensive mis-steps, but Shorewood got two back in the third inning.

Relief Pitcher Kevin Hirohata
Photo by Lisa Hirohata

Relief pitcher Kevin Hirohata held Everett off with 3 scoreless inning. Entering the bottom of the 7th with Everett leading 4-2, Sam Mainwaring started off the comeback with a single, advancing to second on an error.

Connor Testerman makes the stretch
Photo by Tracey Miller

Shorewood batters David Snell and Brandon Main were hit by a pitch and walked to load the bases. A balk by the Everett pitcher scored Mainwaring to go 5-3.

Bryce Lindberg goes for the fly ball
Photo by Tracey Miller

Cameron Highet went to first after being hit by a pitch.

The excitement increased when Everett turned a double play to ring up two outs. Bryce Lindberg came up with a clutch single, scoring Main and Highet to even things up 5-5.

Grady Hampton gets a hit
Photo by Tracey Miller

Grady Hampton got on base with a swinging bunt, putting Kaiden Graves at the plate. He put the ball in play and the Everett third baseman was unable to execute, scoring Lindberg for the win!

T-birds games this week:

Mon 4/2 at Marysville-Getchel
Tues 4/3 at Lynnwood
Wed 4/4 versus Lynnwood at home

--Lisa Hirohata



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Shorewood grad Jacob Bockelie awarded two new athletic honors in college baseball

Sunday, March 25, 2018

Jacob Bockelie
Photo courtesy NWC


Shorewood High School Grad, Jacob Bockelie (class of 2014) was awarded two more honors for his baseball play over the week of March 12-18th.

1. Jacob received a national honor for being selected to D3 Baseball team of the week. Only nine position players (Jacob is an outfielder/1st base) and 6 pitchers are selected for this recognition from throughout all of Division 3 NCAA baseball.
OF Jacob Bockelie, Sr., Pacific Lutheran
Brockelie finished the Whitworth series with a .750 batting average (9-for-12), four runs scored and three RBIs, helping the Lutes take over first place in the NWC standings. His only home run was a walkoff in the 13th inning. He had a hit in every game of the series along with a .824 on base percentage.

2. Jacob was the Northwest Conference position Student Athlete of the Week for the second straight week. This is the third time Jacob has won this award (second in two weeks) over the past two seasons. Jacob plays baseball for Pacific Lutheran University (a Division 3 Level college in the NCAA) in the Northwest Conference.
Bockelie finished the Whitworth series with a .750 batting average and played the role of hero in game 1 of the series, belting a walkoff home run in the bottom of the 13th. He also finished with four hits in both game 1 and 2 of the series, as well as a hit in every game of the series for a .824 on base percentage.
Pacific Lutheran’s freshman Justin Armbruester and senior Jacob Bockelie have been named Northwest Conference Baseball Pitching and Position Student-Athletes of the Week, respectively. 
Both Armbruester and Bockelie’s performances led Pacific Lutheran to a series sweep over Whitworth to take first place in the NWC standings.

Jacob played baseball for Coach Wyatt Tonkin for four years at Shorewood. 



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Shorewood baseball off to a good start

Mason Foltz gets the ball into Matt Wanke
Photo by Tracey Miller

Shorewood baseball has gotten off to a good start with a 2-1 varsity record. The season opening game versus Timberline on Wednesday, March 14th was a test for this young team, which return only 2 seniors from the 2017 varsity squad.

Defensive struggles resulted in a 6-2 loss.

Kenji Miller on the mound
Photo by Tracey Miller

The Tbirds began to get their bearings in their second game at Glacier Peak on Tuesday March 20th. Senior Mason Foltz started a rally in the top of the seventh inning, tying the game at 3-3. Trent Hynek started the 8th inning with a single, and hits from Joe Lynch and Cameron Highet led to the winning run. Stellar pitching performances were turned in by David Snell and Kenji Miller.

SW 4, GP 3.

Kaden Graves gets a hit
Photo by Tracey Miller

Shorewood was led to a win Friday, March 23rd versus Monroe by starting pitcher Kaden Graves. He pitched 6-2/3 innings, with 9 strikeouts, and had two hits on the day. It was a 0-0 game until the bottom of the sixth inning when hits by Bryce Lindberg, Brandon Main and Kevin Hirohata scored the go-ahead run. Shorewood added insurance runs on a costly error by Monroe and a hit by Kaden Graves. The Tbirds were able to shut down the Bearcats in the top of the seventh to secure the shutout.

Monroe 0, SW 3.

--Lisa Hirohata



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Shorewood grad named Athlete of the Week in Northwest Baseball Conference

Saturday, March 17, 2018

Jacob Bockelie gloves the pitch
2014 Shorewood v Glacier Peak
Photo by Wayne Pridemore
Shorewood High School Grad, Jacob Bockelie (class of 2014) was awarded the Northwest Conference "Position Student Athlete of the Week" for the week of March 5-11.

Jacob played baseball for Coach Wyatt Tonkin for four years at Shorewood.

This is the second time in as many seasons that Bockelie has earned Hitter of the Week from the NWC, previously capturing the award on February 14, 2017. 

Jacob plays baseball for Pacific Lutheran University, a Division 3 level college in the NCAA, in the Northwest Conference. He is a senior.

Bockelie finished the week with a .438 average with five RBIs and four extra base hits. He blasted a triple in game two of the series against Pacific, and drove in two runs to tie the game to help the Lutes win all four games played during the week.



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Shoreline baseball coaches square off

Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Coach Brain Hamshaw
Shorecrest High School grads and current Shoreline residents - Brian Hamshaw, the head JV Coach at Shorecrest and Tim Lee, the Head C Coach at Ballard High School, will play a non-league Metro vs Wesco baseball game at Shorecrest High School 6:30pm on Monday March 19th.

Both coaches co-founded the Shoreline Baseball Association and coach teams for their summer program as well.

Currently, there are 11 players in the Shoreline Baseball Association who are playing in the Shorecrest program, which features six sophomores on varsity, already.

Coach Tim Lee
Coach Lee graduated in 2011 and played four years for current Head Varsity Coach, Alan Bruns.

Prior to coaching at Ballard, Coach Lee was mentored at Shorewood High School by Wyatt Tonkin and Frank Marier as an assistant during their 2015 season where the T-Birds earned 2nd in the AAA State Tournament. 

Coach Hamshaw was a 1994 graduate and has been an active member of the athletics community in Shoreline. 

Holding past positions of President of the local little leagues, he is now the current Head Football Coach at Kellogg Middle School.

Coach Hamshaw also coached Tim when he was playing in North King County Little League.
Coach Tim had some fun thoughts on playing his former school and coach: "It'll be a lot of fun playing against Brian. When I was at Shorewood, I had never lost to Shorecrest so we'll will try our best to make sure it stays that way Monday night."

 Shorecrest High School is located at 15343 25th Ave NE, Shoreline 98155.

3-17-18 Update: the game will be at 6:30pm on Monday

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Former Shorewood player pitches victory over Seattle Mariners

Monday, August 21, 2017

Blake Snell, right, pitches for the Tampa Bay Rays
Former Shorewood pitcher Blake Snell was the winning pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays when they beat the Seattle Mariners 3-0 Sunday at the Rays' home field in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Snell, a 24-year-old left-hander, struck out eight Mariner batters while giving up two hits and two bases on balls in seven shutout innings.

This was Snell's second straight victory after he defeated Toronto Tuesday, August 15, when he struck out seven batters and gave up four earned runs in six innings.

The two victories gave Snell a 2-6 season record after he had been winless in his first 14 starts with the Rays.

Snell had a 6-8 record last season. He has spent part of each season with AAA Durham of the International League.

He had a 9-0 record as a Shorewood senior in 2011, when the Thunderbirds were state 3A runners up.



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Shorecrest grad plays for the Everett AquaSox

Thursday, June 29, 2017

Ted Hammond
Photo by Shari Sommerfeld
By Frank Workman

A year ago, 2012 Shorecrest grad Ted Hammond watched the MLB draft and hoped.

He hoped his name would be called, that he’d be selected by a team. Hoped that his days of ball playing wouldn’t be over.

Hammond had just graduated from Seattle U., and like most college grads, he’d come to a fork in the road.
“I know I’d gotten the attention of some teams, especially during the first half of my senior year,” Hammond explained. “But the calls died down as the season went on.”

When he wasn’t drafted, he gave himself 14 days to be contacted by a team, any team, at which point he’d give up the ghost and put his degree in Business Finance to use.
“On the fourteenth day, on the dot, I got a call from the Mariners, my hometown team. I went down to Peoria and pitched for their Arizona Rookie League team last summer, as an undrafted free agent,” he said.

Usually the life of a minor leaguer means saying goodbye to home and living in temporary quarters.

But this season finds Hammond a member of the Everett Aquasox, in short-season A ball in the Northwest League.

As a result, he’s sleeping in his own bed at the family home in Lake Forest Park, where he relishes the role of big brother to sisters Erica, 10, and Natalie, 6, when he’s not on the road with the team.

When asked about his fondest memory from his North King County Little League days, where he played for his dad, Dave, the LFP Water Commission President, no one moment stood out.
“I just remember having fun, playing with all my friends, and how beautiful a place Hamlin Park was to play in. Even today, where baseball can often feel like a ten hour-a-day job, I try to go back to the joy I felt playing the game as a boy.”

Alan Bruns, his baseball coach at Shorecrest, has clear recollections of Hammond.
“My best memories of Ted’s career at SC was a dominant stretch of three consecutive complete-game shut-outs against Meadowdale, Lynnwood, and Glacier Peak. Over that span he had 31 K’s and only four walks. 
"This happened in 2012 during his senior season, and at that point in the season he helped earn us a top 10 state ranking. He was so tough, commanding 3 pitches, with an explosive fastball and a terrific hammer of a breaking ball.” 

Scots football coach Brandon Christensen remembers his two-time All-Wesco quarterback similarly. 
“He was always a tough competitor who would strive for perfection… a blessing and a hindrance for him. He was tough on himself. Hard work was never an issue and I’m sure that competitive nature is what drove him to his success in baseball. It’s great to see it paying off for him.”

Whatever Hammond’s future holds, the humble hometown boy appreciates those who got him to this point.
“I want to thank all my coaches, teammates, and the people who rooted for me, and helped me get here.”


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Three Shorewood baseball players on all-Wesco-South first team

Wednesday, June 28, 2017

Will Smith
Photo by Wayne Pridemore
Three Shorewood baseball players have won places on the all-Wesco-3A-South first team.

Division coaches have elected Thunderbird senior pitcher Will Smith, T-Bird senior infielder Arthur Pate and Shorewood senior outfielder Jake Frederickson to the 15-member first team.

Three Shorewood players and two from Shorecrest won places on the 13-member second team. 

Shorewood second-team players are senior pitcher Tanner Oxnevad, senior outfielder Bryan Host and freshman designated hitter Trent Hynek.

Shorecrest players on the second team are senior infielder Kegan Corcoran-Sipe and junior outfielder Brent Berger.

Two Shorewood and two Shorecrest players and four other Wesco South players won honorable mention.

Arthur Pate
Photo by Wayne Pridemore
The players are Shorewood seniors Patrick Antush and Connor Adams, and Shorecrest seniors Kasey Shibayama and Jason Sarver.

Shorewood finished second in the division with a 13-4 Wesco 3A record (15-5 overall) during the regular season.

 The Thunderbirds then finished second in the Northwest District 3A tournament before losing in the first round of state play and finishing with a 17-7 season record.

Shorecrest finished at the bottom of the Wesco South with a 6-11 record (7-13 overall).

The Shorewood junior varsity had a 13-4 Wesco 3A record (14-6 overall). The Shorecrest JVs had a 5-11 Wesco 3A record (6-13)

Our news partner, the Seattle Times had a full report on the all-Wesco-3A-South baseball teams here.



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Shorewood to open state baseball play Saturday

Sunday, May 14, 2017

SW players huddle before start of game
Photo by Wayne Pridemore

Shorewood will open state baseball play with regional games Saturday, May 20, at the Curtis High School baseball complex in University Place south of Tacoma.

The Thunderbirds (17-6) will meet Lakeside (17-5) at 10am with Bainbridge (17-6) meeting Gig Harbor (20-6) at 1pm. The two first-round winners will play later Saturday, with the winner of that game qualifying, along with three other regional winners, for the state 3A semifinals and finals May 26-27 at Safeco Field in Seattle.

Shorewood qualified for state play as the No. 2 Northwest District team after losing to Edmonds-Woodway Saturday, May 13, in the district championship game at Meridian Park fields.

Our news partner, the Seattle Times, said this about the district championship game: read here.



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Shorewood baseball loses District championship 2-1 - still in State tournament


3A District 1 Tournament final
Meridian Park Field Saturday 5/13
SW vs Edmonds-Woodway  EW 2 SW 1

Photos by Wayne Pridemore

The Shorewood Thunderbirds are warmed up and ready to go for a game against Edmonds-Woodway at  Meridian Park Field. The Saturday afternoon game decided the championship for the 3A District 1 Tournament. Both teams have already qualified for the state tournament which begins next week end.


T-Bird shortstop, Arthur Pate, has tagged second base for an out and sets up for a throw to first.





Shorewood's Kevin Hirohata is called out in a close play at first base. Shorewood lost to the Edmonds-Woodway Warriors. The final score, 2 to 1.



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Shorewood baseball plays for Wesco Championship Saturday

Saturday, May 13, 2017

TBirds congratulate senior Jake Fredrickson after a recent home run
Photo by Lisa Hirohata

The Shorewood High School baseball team will vie for the Wesco 3A District title against Edmonds-Woodway on Saturday, May 13th at 4pm at Meridian Park Ballfields.

Senior Tanner Oxnevad owns the mound
Photo by Lisa Hirohata


The T-Birds (17-5) beat Arlington (18-4) in a gutsy 3-1 performance by pitcher Tanner Oxnevad on Tuesday May 9th.

Sophomore Brandon Main advances from first to second
Photo by Lisa Hirohata


The win assured Shorewood a berth in the state tournament which starts Saturday, May 20th. This is their fifth state appearance in the last eight seasons.



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Shorewood 2-0 over Marysville Pilchuck in baseball playoff game

Sunday, May 7, 2017

Shorewood's baseball team takes to the field in the playoff game against Marysville-Pilchuck.


Boys' varsity baseball
5/7/17 Meridian Park field
Shorewood 2 - Marysville Pilchuck 0

Photos by Wayne Pridemore


Shorewood senior Will Smith was the winning pitcher. Smith fielded a bunt in the top of the seventh inning and made the throw to first for an out.



Shorewood's Kevin Hirohata, playing first base, chases a foul ball to the fence.



Shorewood's Jake Fredrickson has made coach Wyatt Tonkin a happy man. Jake rounds third base after hitting a home run in the sixth inning that scored two runs for the T-Birds.

Shorewood won the game 2 to 1 and advances in the playoffs. The Thunderbirds will play next Tuesday evening at 7pm.




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Senior Night for Shorewood Baseball Monday night

Wednesday, May 3, 2017

Shorewood varsity baseball graduating Seniors

SW baseball vs Edmonds-Woodway
At Edmonds-Woodway
5/1/2017
SW 2 - EW 0

It was senior night for Shorewood in the game against Edmonds-Woodway. The Thunderbirds graduate eleven players this year.

Photo by Wayne Pridemore

The Thunderbird parents were taking lots of photos of their sons. This was the last home game.

How many games have they attended, and how many photos have been taken over the years?

Arthur Pate
Photo by Wayne Pridemore

Shorewood shortstop Arthur Pate makes the throw to first for an out. Shorewood won the game 2 - 0.

The teams were scheduled to play again Tuesday in Edmonds.





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