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About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 23, 2018)
FEBRUARY 23, 2018, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE B5 Wentworth signs with Grays Harbor By DEREK WILEY Of the Keizertimes McNary senior Collin Wen- tworth had dreamed of this day ever since he was 5 years old. On Feb. 7, in front of his family and teammates, Went- worth celebrated his baseball signing with Grays Harbor Community College. “I’ve always wanted to play college baseball, ever since I was a little kid, and it’s just unreal right now,” said Wen- tworth, who began playing at Keizer Little League when he was 5. “It’s (baseball) meant the world to me. It’s kind of like my backbone for everything. I love it.” After emailing several schools and also considering Southwestern Oregon and Linfi eld, Wentworth toured the Grays Harbor campus, lo- cated in Aberdeen, Wash., in October. His visit included dinner with Grays Harbor head base- ball coach Mike Brunner. “We liked what we saw with Collin physically and what his abilities were and we loved what we learned about Collin on his visit and what kind of person he was, how he communicated and you could tell he was excited and passionate about baseball and his future,” said Brunner, who travelled more than 370 miles roundtrip to be at Wentworth’s signing ceremony. “You can’t help to be excited about a HOT, continued from Page 1 Lucas Garvey fi nished with 12 points, three rebounds and three assists. KEIZERTIMES/Derek Wiley McNary shortstop Collin Wentworth throws out a runner last season. Wentworth has signed to play next season at Grays Harbor Community College. young man’s future if he is. We knew he was a good fi t for us and we’re extremely happy that he’s going to be a Choker.” Wentworth’s current head coach, Larry Keeker, at Mc- Nary, remembers the fi rst time he saw Collin play. He was in the eighth grade, playing on a youth team at McNary. “I got a chance to just watch him play a little bit and he caught my attention right away,” Keeker said. “His dad had been able to teach him a certain skill set, even at that age.” After Wentworth’s fresh- man year, Keeker invited him to play on McNary’s Division I team, made up of mostly re- turning varsity players, in the summer. “I loved his attitude at that point in time, very business- like, very mature,” Keeker said. “He was not afraid to jump in with the older guys and play and just do his job. He caught my attention as the varsity coach at an early age.” As a sophomore, Wentworth split time between the junior varsity and varsity teams. He was then promoted to the starting varsity shortstop last season as a junior. Wentworth prides himself on his defense. “He spends a lot of time working on his defense, his hands, his feet, his exchanges,” Keeker said. “He has a passion that any kid that’s going to play baseball in college or any other sport, that he has instilled al- ready that he has a desire to get better. That’s one of the quali- ties that’s really going to help Collin as he progresses through this season and then in college as well.” He’s also been a leader for the Celtics. “We’re super excited that Collin is to continue his base- ball career in college,” Keeker added. “Collin is a quality young man. He represents our program in a positive way.” Wentworth enjoyed man- ning the middle of McNary’s infi eld with second baseman Josh Benson, who graduated last June. “He’s just one of my best friends,” Wentworth said. “I love playing with that kid and just rolling double plays with him is fun.” At the encouragement of another teammate, catcher Tyler Covalt, Wentworth has shown off his athleticism this winter, joining the McNary swim team. “It’s been different and a lot harder than I thought it was going to be,” Wentworth said. “It’s just a fun experience.” After two years at Grays Harbor, Wentworth hopes to continue his baseball career at a four-year university and get his degree in physical therapy. Andrew Jones added four points, seven assists and fi ve rebounds. “The one thing that our group’s been is just consis- tent, just mentally we’ve been pretty engaged and consistent the entire time,” Kirch said. “We feel good about that.” McNary has remained at No. 5 in the 6A OSAA pow- er rankings and fi rst in the Greater Valley Conference af- ter Sprague lost three games in a row. The Celtics were sched- uled to fi nish the regular sea- son Tuesday, Feb. 20 against No. 15 McMinnville but the game was rained out. The top eight teams get two home playoff games. “I don’t think we can fall below fi ve,” Kirch said. “There’s a chance we could bump up to fourth. That’s a good spot to be in. It’s excit- ing. We’re playing at our best as the season ends, which is what you always hope for as a coach. “We’ve had great support from our administration and our students have been awe- some. The community was great. It almost felt like a home game over at West. It’s like that snow ball gets roll- ing down hill, we just want to keep riding it. Kids are playing with a lot of confi - dence in themselves so we’re excited.” LADY CELTS McNary’s girls also de- feated West Salem 45-43 on Friday. The Lady Celts led 26-15 at halftime before holding on for the win. Kailey Doutt posted a double-double of 25 points and 10 rebounds. Paige Downer had seven points. Abbie Hawley added six and Sabella Alfaro pulled down fi ve rebounds. The fi rst round of the 6A girls state playoffs begin Tues- day. FREE Technology Workshop " Taking the Fear Out of Technology " GUEST SPEAKERS • RAFFLE • DEMOS • SNACKS SATURDAY, FEB 24 9 am to 1pm free admission CENTER 50 + 2615 Portland Rd NE, Salem, OR 97301 For more information, call 503-588-6303 Don’t Lose Money from a ZILLOW ZESTIMATE CALL BOB FIRST Keizer’s go-to Realtor with over 16 years in the real estate & mortgage lending industry Call or Text 503-983-4086 3975 River Rd N Suite 3 - Keizer bobshack 1 @gmail.com BOB SHACKELFORD Broker Bob Shackelford is a licensed real estate broker in Oregon. WorshipDirectory These Salem-Keizer houses of worship invite you to visit. Call to list your church in our Worship Directory: (503) 390-1051 John Knox Presbyterian Church JOIN US FOR SUNDAY WORSHIP 452 Cummings Lane North • 393-0404 8:30 am • 10 am • 11:30 am • 6 pm PEOPLESCHURCH 4500 LANCASTER DR NE | SALEM 503.304.4000 • www.peopleschurch.com Father Gary L. Zerr, Pastor Saturday Vigil Liturgy: 5:30 p.m. Sundays: 8:15 a.m. & 10:30 a.m. La Misa en Español: 12:30 p.m. Celebration Services Faith Lutheran Church , ELCA 4505 River Road N, Keizer • 503-393-4507 www.FLCkeizer.org Saturday Evening 6:00 pm Pastor Linda Matz Easterling Sunday School - 9:00 am Worship Service -10:00 am Children’s Programs, Student and Adult Ministries 1755 Lockhaven Dr. NE Keizer 503-390-3900 www.dayspringfellowship.com Sunday Morning 9:00 am and 10:45 am www.KeizerChristian.org Rev. Dr. John Neal, Pastor Worship - 10:30 a.m. Education Hour - 9:15 a.m. Nursery Care Available www.keizerjkpres.org