Photo by Chris Chow on Unsplash
By Jonah Graham
The Skagit Valley Community College’s Baseball team has gotten some exciting new recruits this year. A quarter of the team is incoming freshmen, with backgrounds from many high schools. Starting the incoming lineup is Alec Highland, a recruit coming out of Sumner.
The next recruits are Kevin McClellan, Trey DePonte, and Caden Wolfson. These three are coming from Anacortes, Aiea, and Lakewood. Coming from Crescent Valley, Gig Harbor is Jackson Van Eyk, followed by Kyle Hennington from Fife, with Aiden Roddel and Kobe Sandstrom continuing their journey as teammates out of Ferndale. Reidar Vane is a recruit out of Arlington, Owen Murdock is out of Sedro Woolley, and Marques Brown wraps up the incoming freshman coming down from Mount Baker. These players will be met by the remaining players from last year, hungry to play after a season cut short. With ten players exiting the team from the 2019-2020 season and eleven new recruits, these incoming freshmen will have a lot of leadership to look up to and follow when they are back to being able to compete.
Speaking to Skagit Valley College student and baseball fan, Aiden Casey. “I am sad that this season is crammed and I am not able to watch the team like I have in past years, but I am happy to hear we have an older team that is focused on winning.” Other fans of our team have shared the same thoughts as him, but speaking to the Head Coach, Shane Servoss, he has not been deterred. He answered a series of questions about the season and state of the team for The Cardinal.
How has this season impacted your ability to compete?
“(We play) In conference games only with limited travel and no overnight stays”
How has this season affected the chemistry of the team?
“The inability to practice in a full team capacity like normal years has set us back in the team chemistry area. We use Zoom and have used a sports psychologist to help with improving team chemistry.” Using a sports psychologist is not out of the ordinary for college teams.
How has this season impacted bonds between players and coaches?
“Between players, the bond has been a slower process due to limited practice numbers. The same goes for coaches, however, the coaches have focused on connecting with each player more in order to make sure they are mentally healthy and successful.”
How are you anticipating these new players will affect the team?
“We have a great incoming class with a ton of impact players.” An “impact player” is a recent term that has been coined in the sports world, the last ten years or so. It defines a player that knows his job, knows what he has to do, and performs to a higher level than those around him, his peers, or competition.
What things are you working on to better the team from last season?
“Our pitching staff and overall depth will help us build on last year’s success.”
As a player how are you persevering through the season with the regulations?
“Coaches and players are all expected and encouraged to make the best of any situation.”
Have any players made major adjustments since last season?
“We are always looking to make adjustments in order to be better than the day before.”
Hopeful words coming from the Head Coach and looking at last year’s record, words that carry merit. Last year the Baseball team went 8-4, only playing 4 teams. The best game they had was a 13-3 victory over Clackamas Community College. The season was just getting to a start when Covid-19 hit, canceling 34 remaining games. As unfortunate as that was, it provides promise that the now overwhelmingly sophomore team will show up this season with something to prove, excited to play. A long layoff from true competition is bound to have some lasting effects, as shown in the MLB. Last June, the league and players union came to an agreement, not unlike the one set in front of community colleges now. A shorter season, with a small area of competitors. On the big stage, teams were designated to stay and compete within their division. AL East, AL West, AL Central, and AL North. NL East, NL West, Nl Central, and NL North. Skagit is competing on a smaller stage, but still has a lot of competition to play in the NWAC. With over 25 teams spanning from the Canadian border to southern Oregon, there are many teams that will offer good games. With no overnight stays, the southernmost teams in Oregon such as Umpqua and South West are out of the equation, but inner-city teams in places like Bellvue, Tacoma, and Shoreline will still be a lot to handle for our team. The season is set to resume this spring, so be on the lookout for this team ready to make headway.
