Totems baseball team is focused on the fundamentals

Sammamish youthful softball squad is focused on continued improvement.

By Shaun Scott • March 22, 2018 2:38 pm
Sammamish Totems senior catcher Noah Shaw earned Class 2A all-state honors as a junior during the 2017 season. Shaw, who played third base last season, will be the Totems’ starting catcher this spring. Shaun Scott/staff photo
Sammamish Totems senior catcher Noah Shaw earned Class 2A all-state honors as a junior during the 2017 season. Shaw, who played third base last season, will be the Totems’ starting catcher this spring. Shaun Scott/staff photo

Totems expecting to push for a playoff spot

Sammamish Totems head coach Gary McGregor wants his team to put the ball in play as much as possible this year.

“We had too many strikeouts last year. We have been working on that in the batting cages these first couple of weeks of practice. We are looking for our guys to put the ball in play. We don’t have any big boppers (hitters). I know it sounds cliche but we have to get guys on base and get them around and score them any way we can,” McGregor said.

The Totems return seven starters from the 2017 squad. Totems’ senior Noah Shaw, who earned Class 2A all-state honors last season, will make the move from third base to catcher. “Noah is one of our season captains and he has a lot of schools looking at him right now,” McGregor said.

The Totems ace on the hill will be senior co-captain Anthony Styer. Styer will also play third base and first base when he isn’t pitching. Ben Furstman will be in his fourth consecutive season as the starting second baseman.

“We’ve got our core guys coming back but we don’t have any pitcher that throws 80, 85 to 88 (miles per hour). We do have guys who will put the ball over the plate and who will throw strikes. We will let the defense work behind them,” McGregor said.

Head coach: Gary McGregor

Last year: 2-18 overall (Finished in eighth place in the KingCo 3A/2A Division in the regular season)

Key returners: Noah Shaw, C; Daniel Brown, P/OF; Ben Furstman, 2B; Anthony Styer, P/1B/3B

Softballers looking to build on experience

Last season, the majority of the Sammamish Totems softball team’s varsity roster were freshman.

The Totems struggled in the KingCo 3A/2A Division, but longtime head coach Jessica Cabales expects things to be different this spring. Cabales, who will be in her 21st season leading the Totems softball program, is fully entrenched in the Sammamish High School community.

“I actually went to high school here, my dad went to school here and my kids go to high school here,” Cabales said. “We are a third generation family at this school. It has been an excellent time being part of this community. We’ve just been involved for so long that we feel like its part of us and we are part of it.”

Totems’ outfielder Juliette Leong will be the only senior on the team.

“This will be her fourth year on the varsity squad. She will play infield and outfield for us,” Cabales said.

Even though the Totems have a plethora of underclassman, Cabales said they gained valuable varsity experience last season which should bode well for them this year.

“We have a super young team but now we have so much more experience. We are looking forward to this season and future seasons,” she said.

Cabales said freshman players Angelina Martinez and Kylie Ravenscraft will make an immediate impact in the starting lineup in 2018.

“Angelina is a really strong player and knows the game very well. She is very quick. Kylie covers a lot of ground in the outfield and has great knowledge of the game. We’re looking forward to seeing what they can do,” Cabales said.

Head coach: Jessica Cabales

Last year: 0-16 overall; finished in eighth place in the KingCo 3A/2A Division

Key players: Juliette Leong, INF/OF; Sabine Cabales, P; Angelina Martinez, SS; Kylie Ravenscraft, CF