This story was edited to reflect the fact that Newport pitcher Cole Wiper did not undergo a surgical procedure, but rather dealt with an impingement in his shoulder during the 2010 high school season.
With two of the most highly regarded pitchers in the area holding down the front-end of their rotation, the Newport Knights look poised to again become a serious threat in 4A KingCo.
Led by head coach Hal DeBerry, who is in his second season in the wheelhouse for the Knights, Newport is loaded with experience with a roster that includes eleven seniors and not a single sophomore. One of the major benefits for DeBerry and his staff to a roster filled with upperclassmen is the fact that they can rely on the players to provide a great deal of leadership. “I think that leadership is really a key thing at any level of baseball and I think the seniors have gone through some of the highs and some of the lows and they understand the history and tradition here,” DeBerry said.
One of the toughest obstacles for the Knights will be replacing the offensive productivity lost with the graduation of Trace Tam Sing.
Tam Sing, now at Washington State University, was the leader in several offensive statistical categories including batting average (.435), base hits (27), triples (2), home runs (2) and stolen bases (7).
Another important piece to the puzzle in 2010 was Jeff Gonzales, who is now at the University of Washington. With Fisher suffering from mononucleosis and Wiper recovering from an impingement in his shoulder, Gonzales was the workhorse in the Knights rotation, winning seven games and finishing the season with 54 strikeouts in a total of 46 innings, all team-highs.
The silver lining in that dark cloud comes in the form of Wiper and Fisher, who are both healthy and ready to make one final run together at the school they grew up dreaming about playing for.
“Growing up in this area, everyone knows about Newport baseball and you dream about being a part of it,” Wiper said. Last year’s leader in ERA (.88), DeBerry will no doubt look to the University of Oregon-bound senior to fill some of the void left with the graduation of Gonzales.”With the guys we have that played last year, they can certainly help sure that up,” DeBerry said of compensating for the loss of Gonzales. The Knights will look to Fisher not only at the top of the rotation, but in the middle of the lineup as well. “To be able to have Jared healthy is great because we never really got a chance to get him in a groove offensively [last season],” DeBerry noted.
Along with their two Division 1 signees, the Knights also return Daniel Altchech and Billy Sahlinger, both of whom will prominently factor into any playoff run the Knights make in 2011.
Altchech led the team in runs scored in 2010 with 18 and Sahlinger contributed a great deal offensively as well, leading the team in doubles (6) and RBI (15).
DeBerry believes that after their experiences last season, Sahlinger, Altchech and outfielder Nate Anderson will all help pick up the slack at the plate.
But none of the Knights believe it will be easy.
Playing in one of the toughest conferences in the state in 4A KingCo, which includes powerhouses Redmond (2010 4A KingCo regular season and tournament champs), Skyline (state playoff team in 2010) and Issaquah (state playoffs eight of past 12 years including two state titles in 3A) among others, the Knights know it will take more than warm thoughts to get back to Safeco Field.
“As tough as the league was last year, it’s probably tougher this year,” DeBerry said. “This isn’t a league where you can rest on laurels or predictions, you’ve got to go out and bring it every single game or you’re going to get beat.”
The Knights believe that with a championship pedigree that includes six state titles of their own, they have the tradition, talent and work ethic necessary to rise to the top of the conference once again.
Depending on how things fall, we’ve got as good a chance as anybody,” DeBerry said, noting that in 2009, the Knights finished fourth in 4A KingCo but still made a run to the state tournament, ending with a fourth place finish.
All of that is too far down the line for DeBerry to look now though.
“What I’ve tried to talk about with our players is that the goals are about today,” DeBerry said. “We can’t win next week’s game tomorrow, that’s kind of how we try to focus things.”
Newport Knights at a Glance
Major Losses: Jeffery Gonzales, Trace Tam Sing
Impact Newcomers: Nate Anderson, JR, OF
Key Returners: Daniel Altchech, SR, IF/C; Billy Sahlinger, JR, IF/RHP; Cole Wiper, SR, P/IF; Jared Fisher, SR, P/1B
Crucial Matchups: Tuesday, March 22 VS Issaquah, 4pm; Monday, March 28 VS Redmond @ Hartman Park, 6pm; Wednesday, March 30 @ Skyline, 3:45pm; Friday, April 29 VS Skyline, 4pm
From the Dugout: “I don’t think that there was much of a change between [previous head coach] Brian Fisher and myself. I think that was good for me because it wasn’t something where nobody knew where I was coming from”… “My background is in college baseball and there’s no fall ball in high school, there’s no winter work. You get out here and ten days later you’re going. It’s something I’m still adjusting to.”
