Snoqualmie Valley Sports Journal Archive Edition

               Mount Si’s baseball team is in uncharted territory. The 3A state semifinals. Friday at Cheney Stadium in Tacoma, the Wildcats play Kennewick’s Kamiakin for the right to compete for the state title Saturday, also at Cheney Stadium. And like their previous two opponents, it looks as if Mount Si may have their work cut out for them.

                Kamiakin comes in with a 22-5 record, with their most recent win being last Saturday in their regional final, against Hanford. The CBBN league team from the Tri-Cities has faced some tough opposition this spring; the MaxPreps ratings list four league teams, including the Braves, in their top ten.

                The Snoqualmie Valley Sports Journal has looked at the latest stats for both teams (Mount Si/Pointstreak and Kamiakin/MaxPreps) and has crunched the numbers. Based on our read, Kamiakin looks like another formidable foe for Mount Si. The Braves beat the Wildcats as a team in many of the top offensive categories, including batting average, total hits, doubles, triples and runs batted in. It looks as if Kamiakin is a very good hitting team that can hit to all fields and can hit for average. Many of their top hitters are currently hitting over .400, led by junior Drew Oord’s .541 average. Oord is the Braves’ top hitter this spring, with 12 doubles and 44 runs batted in. But one major stat Oord is lacking in, and the Braves appear to be struggling in as a whole, is hitting the ball out of the yard. Kamiakin only has 13 home runs on the season, whereas the Wildcats, led by shortstop Tim Proudfoot’s eight, have 19 homers.

                Another area that favors Mount Si is in the team speed area. The Wildcats have stolen way more bases than the Braves, 89-29. And Kamiakin’s catchers have gone a combined 4-15 in caught stealing attempts this spring, so if Mount Si coach Elliott Cribby is smart, he will keep the kids moving on the basepaths when they reach base.

                Pitching is another area where Mount Si beats the Braves. Kamiakin’s ace, senior Garrett Anderson, is 11-0 this spring with a 2.24 earned run average. Hitters are hitting .179 off him and he has struck out 82. Sobering numbers, indeed, but there is a possibility the Braves may save Anderson for a possible state title game. Meaning they would use a #2 pitcher in the semi against Mount Si. A possible candidate for that could be senior Bryce Drury. Drury pitched the regional final for Kamiakin and had to carry the team on his back to a 1-0 win over league rival Hanford. Drury pitched a complete game three-hitter, striking out six. His overall stats, though, suggest he could be beatable for the Wildcats. Drury is just 2-1 with a 4.01 ERA. Hitters are hitting .241 off him and he has only struck out 30 hitters this spring. Whereas, Mount Si’s two “horses”, juniors Trevor Lane and Reece Karalus, both sport solid W-L records  (a combined 11-2) with an earned run average of around 2.00. Lane and Karalus were both spectacular last weekend in the two Wildcats wins at regionals.

                Mount Si’s bats are well-balanced, but so are Kamiakin’s. Seniors Blake Raekes (.475 avg) and A.J. Griffiths (.473) do a nice job complimenting Oord’s offensive skills, so these two will be worth watching as well.

                Kamiakin hasn’t played outside of league that much this spring, so their lack of knowledge of how strong teams from other areas of the state are could be an issue for them. And they have a long bus ride in store, at least four and maybe closer to five hours depending on if they make any rest stops on the way. And while their league is known for some pretty long bus rides, as the league spans from Wenatchee and Yakima to the Tri-Cities and Walla Walla, this long ride will outdo all those by a long shot. Fatigue from such a long trip, even though they’re used to it, could also be a factor to pay attention to.

                This is a matchup that people will definitely keep an eye on, and we will do the same. Look for our preview and pick on Friday morning here at SVSJ.