HERMISTON
Wednesday, March 16, 2016
East Oregonian/Hermiston Herald
Page 5
Bulldogs hope competition leads to wins
2016 SCHEDULE
B ULLDOG
B ASEBALL
COACH: Lance Hawkins,
2nd year
2015 SEASON: 11-15,
4-8 CRC (3rd)
POSTSEASON
STORY: Hermiston lost
1-0 to St. Helens in play-in
round. They last missed the
playoffs in 2012.
LOSSES: OF/C Jay
Lindeman,
C
Landon
Gammell, OF/RHP Cole
Smith, 2B Kyler Mikami,
OF/RHP Michael Gossler,
OF Chase Knutz, 1B Dylan
Caldwell.
RETURNERS:
OF/
LHP RJ Robles, sr., OF/
RHP Hayden Edmiston, sr.,
INF Caden Schwirse, soph.,
1B Kaden Caldwell, jr., OF
Mitch Brown, jr., 3B/RHP
Lukas Tolan, jr., U/RHP
Daniel Gossler, jr., SS/RHP
Chase Root, sr., 1B/RHP
Tyler Sexton, sr.
By SAM BARBEE
East Oregonian
W
hen Pete Carroll
took over as
head coach of the
Seattle Seahawks in 2010,
he instituted a policy of
team-wide competition, a
system he used while in
charge at USC.
The policy states that
no position is set in stone,
each is up for competition
between the potential
starter and potential
back-up. With only a
Mar. 15
at Ridgeview
4 p.m.
Mar. 18 vs. Central Catholic (DH) 4 p.m.
Mar. 19
vs. Roosevelt (DH)
noon
Mar. 25
at Kamiakin
2 p.m.
Mar. 25
at Kennewick
4 p.m.
Mar. 30
at La Salle Prep
4:30 p.m.
April 1
vs. Rex Putnam (DH)
4 p.m.
April 8
at Parkrose
4 p.m.
April 16 vs. The Dalles (DH)*
noon
April 19
at The Dalles*
4:30 p.m.
April 23 vs. Hood River (DH)*
noon
April 26
at Hood River*
4:30 p.m.
April 29
at Pendleton (DH)*
4 p.m.
May 3
vs. Pendleton*
4:30 p.m.
May 6
at The Dalles (DH)*
4 p.m.
May 9
at Hood River*
4:30 p.m.
May 13
vs. Pendleton*
4:30 p.m.
*League game
File Photo
RJ Robles, a senior lefty for Hermiston, leads a staff that head coach Lance Hawkins is relying
on in 2016.
handful of seniors lots of
underclassmen, second-
year Hermiston baseball
coach Lance Hawkins
will employ the policy of
competition this season
with his Bulldogs.
“It’s constant battle.
We need that everyday
competition, because
that’s how you get better,”
Hawkins said. “And I
think we get complacent.
We’re gonna put some
guys in uncomfortable
positions and go, ‘Let’s
battle it out.’ ... It’s the
Pete Carroll: Compete,
compete compete.”
Hermiston has talent,
but most of it is young.
The Bulldogs are buoyed
by lefty RJ Robles, who,
as a junior, might have
been Hermiston’s best
and most consistent
starting pitcher. Along
with senior side-armer
Hayden Edmiston, Robles
will consistently be at the
top of the rotation, and
Hawkins is depending on
them.
“I’m relying on our
pitchers,” Hawkins said.
“I’m relying that our
pitchers do what they
did last year. There’s no
reason why they shouldn’t.
The league’s gonna be
tougher than hell, again.”
A bright spot on last
year’s squad was third
baseman Lukas Tolan. He
accrued the most varsity
innings of any player last
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the inside track on the
penultimate bag.
However, that policy of
competition still rings true
at the hot corner.
“He’s gotta carry
himself, hate to say it,
like more than a sopho-
more,” Hawkins said of
Tolan. “I tell you what,
there’s some guys who
are gonna push him, even
though he started every
game.”
The Columbia Basin
Conference is traditionally
a good league, with
Pendleton, The Dalles and
defending state champ
Hood River Valley all
returning hefty portions
of their lineups from last
season. Hawkins knows
the league schedule
will test his club, but
is optimistic his new
policy of competition can
cultivate a winning culture
in Hermiston.
“We gotta win. We
gotta win now. We haven’t
had a CRC championship
or an IMC championship
since ‘82. It’s time.
There’s no reason why we
can’t be right in the mix.
Just gotta have these guys
start believing it.”
Anders
Lind is one
of the top
returning
golfers for
the Herm-
iston boys
this eason.
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2016 SCHEDULE
Mar. 15
Mar. 21
April 1
April 2
April 4
April 6
April 7
April 12
April 20
April 22
April 28
May 8
May 19
May 20
EO File photo
2016 SCHEDULE
Mar. 18
at The Dalles Invitational
Mar. 21
vs. Sunnyside
Mar. 31- April 2 at Raven Rumble
April 4
at Wildhorse Invite
April 10
at Bend Invitational
April 11
at Bend Invitational
April 14
vs. Pendleton
April 18 at Mountain View Tourney
April 19 at Mountain View Tourney
April 21
Hermiston Invitational
April 25 at Crook County Tourney
April 26
at Corvallis
April 27
at Corvallis
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Steve Bertelson
T
he Bulldogs graduated their top varsity
five from last season, and have a whole new
group for the 2016 slate.
Juniors Sydney Adams and Makenzie Lind were
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coach Josh Brown, and played in a couple events. He’s
KRSHIXOWKDWWKHJLUOVFDQJDLQFRQ¿GHQFHDVWKHVHDVRQ
goes and advance to state.
“The girls are doubtful (they can get to state)
because they’re young,” Brown said. “They’re
doubtful, but I keep painting that target. It’s defi-
nitely feasible.”
BOYS
COACH: Aaron Lind, 1st year
2015 SEASON:7KH+HUPLVWRQER\V¿QLVKHG
fourth at the state tournament last season. Paden
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$GDPV DQG .HHJDQ &UDIWRQ ¿QLVKHG WLHG IRU
18th. Anders Lind came in tied for 27th, and
Jared Thacker was tied for 38th.
LOSSES: =DF $GDPV 3DGHQ /D&RXUVLHUH
Keegan Crafton.
KEY RETURNERS:$QGHUV/LQGMU=DFK
Thacker, jr.
Michelle Jurcich
GIRLS
COACH: Josh Brown, 1st year
2015 SEASON: The Hermiston girls did not
advance out of districts last season.
LOSSES: Madison Welch, Taunie Brock, Saige
Smith, Lyndsee Anderson, Britnee Hayden.
KEY RETURNERS: Sydney Adams, jr.,
Makenzie Lind, jr., Grace Blackhurst, soph., Sonja
Peterson, soph., Alexis Lambert, jr.
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