SHS sports preview: Baseball
2015 record in league, overall: 6-6, 13-10 — tied for third in Olympic League; 3-1 at districts, 0-1 at regionals
Head coach: Dave Ditlefsen (11th year)
Top returning players: Nigel Christian (sr.), Ian Dennis (sr.), James Grubb (jr.), Logan Hankinson (sr.), Daniel Harker (sr.), Austin Hilliard (jr.), Evan Hurn (sr.), James Thayer (jr.), Gavin Velarde (so.)
Key newcomers: Nick Faunce (sr.), Ian Miller (so.), Ethan Richmond (sr.), Justin Porter (jr.), Jonathan Serrano (jr.), Johnnie Young (fr.)
Key competition: North Kitsap, Olympic, Port Angeles
Expectations are high for the upperclassmen-heavy and “battle-tested” Wolves’ baseball team.
After finishing tied for third in the regular season last year, Sequim went on a run at districts going 3-1 defeating White River, Sammamish and Liberty. They went on to lose a one-and-done game to Squalicum at regionals.
Head coach Dave Ditlefsen said players feel they played their best baseball toward the end of season.
“We felt we were pretty battle-tested through league and saw good teams on a daily basis,” he said.
Sequim brings back seven starters with eight pitchers having varsity pitching experience, Ditlefsen said.
No. 1 pitcher Tanner Rhodefer, an all-Olympic League first teamer who went 5-4 with a team-best 2.63 ERA (per seven innings), and 64 strikeouts in 61-and-a-third innings, graduated, along with outfielder Dusty Bates, an all-league second team selection, who hit .354.
However, players feel anyone can get on base at the plate this season.
“From 1-15, we can all hit line shots,” second baseman Evan Hurn said. “This is definitely the best team I’ve played with.”
Hurn, a senior, was named to the all-league first team after pacing the SHS offense with a .400 batting average and led the Wolves with nine extra-base hits (five doubles, three triples and a home run), 18 RBIs, 26 hits, a .524 on-base percentage and .615 slugging average.
After last season, several players competed on summer teams and a number of them started hitting and drill practices on their own starting in October up to four days a week.
“They’ve all come in mid-season form,” Ditlefsen said. “They are a veteran team with several of them three-year starters. We’re not starting out teaching the little stuff anymore.”
Ditlefsen has made a few shifts including moving Hurn back to second from shortstop, Austin Hilliard to centerfield from third base and creating platoons at third base and the corner outfield spots.
All-league second team designated hitter and pitcher Nigel Christian becomes Sequim’s No. 1 pitcher (2-2, 3.23 ERA per seven innings) followed by James Grubb (1-2, 3.21 ERA), whom Ditlefsen said had a good summer playing ball.
Bolstering the rotation are Hilliard (2-0, 3.34 ERA) and Daniel Harker (2-2, 4.45 ERA).
Harker, who also plays first base and hit .304 with five extra-base hits and 11 RBIs, said he’s looking to pitch more this season after an injury.
Both Hurn and Harker said their expectations are high this season, too, because everyone hit and the underclassmen are invested.
“The younger guys have been putting in a lot of work,” Hurn said. “Like the freshmen last year, they got a taste of it qualifying for state. This year they want to win because they are going to lose a lot of people next year.”
Sequim’s roster includes seven seniors.
To get to regionals again though, Hurn said they are going to need to be more patient at the plate.
“We need to learn how to take a walk,” he said. “We’re an aggressive team but we could do more damage on the bases.”
The Wolves open their season today, March 16, in Shelton and host their first game at 4:15 p.m. against North Kitsap on March 29.
