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.
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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
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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
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Rev. Dr. John Neal, Pastor
Worship - 10:30 a.m.
Education Hour - 9:15 a.m.
Nursery Care Available
www.keizerjkpres.org