Polk County itemizer observer., June 10, 2015, Image 11

Polk County Itemizer-Observer • June 10, 2015 11A
Polk County Sports
2015 ITEMIZER-OBSERVER ALL-REGION BASEBALL TEAM
PITCHERS
Logan Hatley
Dallas
The senior pitcher finished
his high school career with a
stellar 2015 campaign. Hatley
finished with a 6-2 record, but
Hatley’s impact went far be-
yond that. He led the team in
innings pitched, ERA (1.19),
strikeouts (102), and oppo-
nents batting average (.182).
He threw four complete
Hatley
games during the 2015 cam-
paign, en route to earning first team all-Mid-
Willamette Conference honors. He also received
the league’s Pitcher of the Year award for the
second-straight season, helping lead Dallas to
the first round of the state playoffs.
Troy Trembly
Perrydale
The senior pitcher had a
strong end to his high school
career at Perrydale. Trembly
went 8-3 on the pitcher’s
mound, recording a 2.72 ERA
while throwing 64 strikeouts
and just nine walks. He was
Trembly
also dangerous at the plate,
where he hit .557. Trembly had 44 hits, two
home runs and 38 RBIs. Trembly was versatile for
the Pirates, seeing time in the infield when not
pitching. He earned first team all-Special District
2 honors for his performance, one of two Pirates
to earn that honor during the 2015 baseball sea-
son. Trembly also earned second team all-state
honors.
INFIELD
Luis Amador
Central
The sophomore infielder not
only provided the Panthers
with a consistent glove at
first base, Amador also gave
Central critical depth on
i t s p i t c h i n g s t a f f.
Amador had a .957
Amador
fielding percent-
age, second highest on the team
and had a 1.50 ERA in limited ac-
t i o n o n t h e p i t c h e r ’s
mound. But Amador
was also effective
through his batting.
He led the team in
hits with 39 and RBIs
with 25. He also had a
team-high 11 doubles.
Amador earned second
team all-conference hon-
ors for his efforts during the 2015 sea-
son, proving this up-and-coming ath-
lete will be a major part of the Pan-
thers’ offense and defense for the
forseeable future.
score the winning run in Dal-
las’ 9-8 win over Springfield
in the play-in round. But the
truth is, Wallace was making
a big impact far before that
fateful play. In his first year
playing varsity, Wallace
found a role in the infield,
providing a steady hand at
second base. He was also ef-
Wallace
fective at the plate, batting
.441 en route to recording 30 hits and 21 RBIs.
He also drew 10 walks reaching base in 40 of 68
at bats. Once on base, he was still a threat, going
a perfect nine for nine on stolen bases. Wallace
earned first team all-MWC honors for his per-
formance and was just one of several young
players to come up big for Dallas’ baseball team
during the 2015 campaign.
Tanner Earhart
Dallas
The sophomore shortstop
proved that he could be an
effective weapon on both of-
fense and defense. Earhart
had 30 assists and a .850
fielding percentage in the in-
field. At the plate, he record-
Ta. Earhart
ed 33 hits and 17 RBIs.
Earhart provided the Dragons with another
speedster once on base, going a perfect eight
for eight on stolen base attempts and scored 25
runs. Earhart, who earned all-league honorable
mention, figures to be a big part of the Dragons’
lineup going forward, and he showed great
promise and potential to live up to those expec-
tations.
Wes Riddell
Central
The senior shortstop/pitcher
proved he’s no one-sport
wonder after a stellar foot-
ball season. Riddell estab-
lished himself as a leader on
the baseball field as well.
Riddell had 35 hits, includ-
Riddell
ing two triples and four
home runs, proving he was one of the Panthers’
most reliable, and dangerous, bats. On defense,
Riddell had a .887 fielding percentage. As one
of Central’s top two pitchers, Riddell went 8-2
while throwing a team high 36 strikeouts in 39
innings of work. Riddell received second
team all-MWC recognition as he helped pro-
pel the Panthers into the state play-in
round.
OUTFIELD
Kyler
Fleming
Central
Zach Wallace
Dallas
The sophomore second
baseman made his pres-
ence felt in a big way
for the Drag-
ons. Wallace
stole home to
Amador
The senior
outfielder
followed a
strong bas-
ketball
Fleming
c a m -
paign
up with an equally
strong baseball season.
Fleming was among
Central’s most con-
s i s t e n t b a t t e r s,
recording 25 hits,
while driving in 22
runs, the second
most on the
team. On de -
fense, Fleming had a perfect fielding percent-
age, recording 46 putouts without committing
a single error. Fleming was named first team
all-MWC, the Panthers’ lone representative on
the first team. The senior provided leadership
both on and off the field, making him one of
Central’s most invaluable players during the
2015 campaign.
and defense went a long way toward helping
the Pirates in 2015.
Humberto
Alarcon
Central
The sopho-
more utility
p l a ye r
h e -
lped
Alarcon
Cen-
tral in a variety of posi-
tions during the 2015
campaign. Whether
he played in the in-
field, pitched or was
called upon at the
plate, Alarcon
proved he has a bright
future ahead of him. Alarcon
earned second team all-
league honors for his efforts
during the season, proving
that opposing coaches were tak-
ing notice of his progress as well.
Everett
Minahan
Dallas
Minahan has
been making
his presence
felt in multi-
ple sports
Minahan
a n d
baseball was no excep-
tion. The junior outfield-
er/pitcher made just two
errors and had a .889
fielding percentage for the Dragons.
Minahan also recorded 18 hits in
54 at-bats, while driving in 10
runs. Minahan went 2-2 on the
pitcher’s mound with a 1.37
ERA, good for second best on
the team, behind Hatley. He
threw 31 strikeouts and just
five walks in 30 2/3 innings
of work. Minahan earned
second-team all-MWC
recognition for his per-
formance for the Dragons.
CATCHER
Treve Earhart
Dallas
Earhart proved that
just because he was
a freshman didn’t
mean he wouldn’t
be effective.
Tucker
Ta. Earhart
Earhart earned
Weaver
s e c o n d
Tr. Earhart
team all-
Dallas
MWC honors after providing
Weaver, a junior, played
an anchor at the plate for
a major role in Dal-
the Dragons’ pitching staff.
las’ success during
Earhart had poise and calm in
the 2015 season. In
key moments throughout the
the outfield, he had a
season. Earhart had 166 putouts
.947 fielding percentage with
and just three errors for a .984 field-
54 putouts and 18 assists. But ing percentage to help lead the Dragons. He
he did more than that. As the was also a strong performer at the plate,
Dragons’ No. 2 pitcher, Weav- recording 29 hits in 63 at-bats, driving in 16
er went 6-1 with a 2.56 ERA. runs in the process, while striking out just
He threw 64 strikeouts and once. Earhart figures to be a key player for the
threw five complete games, duration of his high school career. His fresh-
including one shutout. At the man campaign showed that he could become
plate, Weaver had 21 hits in one of the top players in the league going for-
52 at-bats had 10 RBIs. Weav- ward.
er also drew 10 walks for an
Weaver
on-base percentage of .500.
Weaver was named second team all-league for
his efforts during the 2015 campaign. And his
role with the Dragons should only grow during Scot McDonald
his senior year.
Dallas
COACH
UTILITY
Chad Price
Perrydale
One of Perrydale’s senior
leaders, Price played a big
role in nearly every facet of
the game. On defense, Price
boasted a .964 fielding per-
centage, while committing
just two errors. He had 24
Price
putouts and 39 assists on de-
fense. Price was also a force to be reckoned with
through his hitting. Price hit .388, recording 33
hits, nine doubles and one triple. He drove in 14
runs and drew 21 walks. Price earned first team
all-league recognition and earned an all-state
honorable mention for his performance during
his senior campaign. Price’s impact on offense
The 16th-year coach led the
Dragons to one of its most
memorable seasons in re-
cent years. McDonald helped
Dallas finish 19-9 overall and
16-5 in MWC play to place
McDonald
third in the league standings.
The Dragons took two of
three games from Corvallis, marking the first
time in McDonald’s tenure that Dallas won the
season series against the Spartans. Under Mc-
Donald’s guidance, the Dragons advanced to
the first round of the Class 5A state baseball
playoffs before falling to eventual state cham-
pion Hood River Valley.
—
The 2015 all-region high school baseball team
was selected by Itemizer-Observer Sports Editor
Lukas Eggen, along with heavy input from area
coaches.
Hatley: Senior to play at Linn-Benton
Continued from Page 10A
“I remember talking to
my dad and complaining
about first base because
they didn’t touch the ball
enough,” Hatley said. “I
wanted to try catching be-
cause they get to touch the
ball every single time. My
dad said I should be fine
pitching, but I said I didn’t
pitch every single day. He
told me major league pitch-
ers don’t pitch every single
day. That’s when I started to
pay attention to some major
league pitchers and what
they’re doing.”
From that moment, Hat-
ley, a leftie, became a stu-
dent of the game, watching
all he could, especially left-
handed pitchers like Randy
Johnson and Jamie Moyer.
While major league play-
ers have more power, Hatley
learned valuable lessons
that helped him grow.
“ You see them walk
around the mound, take
deep breaths and calm
down,” Hatley said. “I knew I
couldn’t throw as hard as
them or get as much move-
ment as them, but if I could
try and take what they were
doing and use it when I was
on the mound, I was excited
to see what would happen.”
As Hatley arrived at Dallas
High, a successful first sea-
son playing on the freshman
squad gave him hope for the
future.
But it was after his first
year of summer ball that he
got a glimpse of the team’s
hopes for him.
“(Former player) Jarrett
Peterson came up to me and
said, ‘are you ready for a state
title?’” Hatley said. “I had
never been on varsity and I
said we can’t win a state title
playing junior varsity and we
didn’t win in summer ball.
He told me I could be a
starter on varsity and that the
team was kind of expecting
it.”
Hatley lived up to those
expectations, earning a spot
in the varsity rotation as a
sophomore. By his junior
year, any doubts he may
have had were long gone as
he earned the Dragons’ No.
1 spot in the pitching rota-
tion and earned the MWC’s
Pitcher of the Year award.
“In the end, it’s still just
about putting the ball in the
right spot and getting some
movement on it,” Hatley
said.
Entering his senior year,
Hatley had established him-
self as one of the league’s
best pitchers. His fast ball
became perhaps his hardest
pitch to hit.
“I throw a two seam fast-
ball and it breaks a little at
the end,” Hatley said. “I al-
ways wondered why mine
was so effective. I don’t
throw that much harder
than other pitchers.”
It wasn’t until last fall that
he would get an offer to con-
tinue playing beyond high
school.
—
There was a time Hatley
dreamt of playing for Ore-
gon State and beyond right
out of high school.
“My sophomore year, I
had really high expecta-
tions,” Hatley said. “You
LUKAS EGGEN/Itemizer-Observer file
Dallas senior Logan Hatley led the Dragons with a 1.19 ERA during the 2015 season.
think everyone is going to
play a sport in college. … I
thought I would go to OSU
or even get drafted.”
Unfortunately, reality
began to set in.
“My junior year, I start fig-
uring some things out,” Hat-
ley said. “I realized I wasn’t
throwing hard enough to be
on OSU’s staff.”
Throughout his junior
year, Hatley had looked at a
few lower-division schools,
but entered his senior year
without an idea of where he
would end up after high
school.
That changed during the
fall when he began receiving
interest from junior colleges.
Chemeketa was first, fol-
lowed by Linn-Benton.
“Five other (junior col-
leges) contacted me saying
‘why didn’t you talk to us
sooner?’” Hatley said. “That’s
when I knew I was going to
play somewhere. It was a re-
lief.”
Linn-Benton stood out
amongst his choices.
“(Dallas) coach (Scot Mc-
Donald) told me how they
closed down their program
and they’re starting it back
up basically as a channel to
OSU,” Hatley said.
His opportunity to play at
the collegiate level is a
chance he’ll be forever
grateful for.
“When you’re younger,
you think everyone is going
to play in college in some-
thing,” Hatley said. “Then
you realize it’s not that com-
mon. I’m just happy that I
haven’t played my final
game yet.”
Hatley knows that any po-
tential path to playing base-
ball professionally requires
time and hard work. He’s
just hoping he gets the
chance to keep playing the
game he loves a little bit
longer.
“I don’t see myself as one
of the top players of the
country,” Hatley said. “In
other sports, the top players
go to the top schools, then
to the top of the draft. In
baseball, you have more op-
portunities for players to get
chances. That’s all I want is a
chance.”