Eds. note: The Herald’s All-Area teams and Player of the Year are selected by Herald staff based on first-hand observations and voting by area coaches and fans.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Trever Morrison
Sr., SS, Archbishop Murphy
To read more on Morrison, click here.
COACH OF THE YEAR
Bill Hummel, Meadowdale
After an up-and-down regular season for his young Mavericks, Hummel led them on an improbable run to the state tournament, including upset wins over Marysville Pilchuck and Glacier Peak in the district tournament.
ALL-AREA TEAMS
First Team
Pitchers
Sam Boone
Sr., Shorewood
The Thunderbirds ace won 10 games, had a 1.05 earned-run average and struck out 60 batters in 60 innings to lead the Thunderbirds to a Wesco 3A South title. The junior also had a 1.10 walks/hits per inning pitched and was named first-team All-Wesco.
Coaches comment: “Sam had a great year and became a complete pitcher this year. He was able to throw a lot of quality strikes.” — Wyatt Tonkin
Derrick Mahlum
Sr., Archbishop Murphy
The Wildcats right-hander finished 11-1 with a 0.79 ERA and 90 strikeouts to lead Archbishop Murphy back to the Class 2A state semifinals. Mahlum also recroded five complete games and three shutouts and was named first-team All-Cascade Conference.
Coach’s comment: “He was so consistent all year long. He kept us in every game when he was on the mound. He was 17-1 over two years, which is remarkable.” — Stan Taloff
Tanner Braun
Sr., Glacier Peak
The Grizzlies right-hander went 5-2 and had an earned-run average of 2.13 this season but he saved possibly his best performance for one of the most important games of the season. Braun tossed a complete-game one-hitter to lead the Grizzlies to a 10-1 win over Wesco 3A South champ Shorewood to earn the final state berth from District 1. Braun also hit .338 and knocked in 11 runs.
Coach’s comment: “Tanner Braun was the catalyst for our team both on the mound and at the plate. He was one of the best leaders I’ve ever coached.” — Bob Blair
Catcher
Michael Mazza
Sr., Cascade
The Bruins backstop hit .400 and had an on-base percentage of .510 to lead Cascade to a third-place finish at districts and a berth at state. He scored 27 runs, knocked in 28 and had 12 doubles, all while playing strong defense behind the plate. According to coach Scott Stencil, Mazza started every varsity game (91 in a row) since he was a freshman.
Coach’s comment: “In addition to his impressive offensive statistics, he is also a great defensive catcher … He is one of the hardest workers I have had at Cascade since I started coaching here.” — Stencil
First baseman
Jorgen Arnesen
Sr., Edmonds-Woodway
The Warriors’ lanky lefty hit .323 and also had 10 extra-base hits to lead E-W to a Wesco 4A South title. He also knocked in 15 runs as the Warriors’ four-hole hitter.
Coach’s comment: “He always competes and is a great teammate and came up with some big hits for us.” — Dan Somoza
Infield
Russell Crippen
Sr., Snohomish
The Panthers third baseman hit .405, posted a .608 slugging percentage and stole 20 bases to lead Snohomish to a first-place finish in the Wesco 4A North. He also had an 1.90 ERA and 44 strikeouts as a pitcher. Crippen is headed to play college baseball at Abilene Christian University.
Trever Morrison
Sr., Archbishop Murphy
The Wildcats shortstop hit .523 and led the Cascade Conference with five home runs to help Murphy return to Yakima and earn a third-place finish at the Class 2A state tournament. He also had 11 doubles and 28 stolen bases and was named the Cascade Conference Player of the Year.
Coach’s comment: “He’s a great leadoff guy. He’s able to put the ball down, drag bunt and get on base. He can hit the balls into gaps. As a leadoff hitter in high school, he hit five home runs just this year. He could have hit third or fourth because he has power as well.” — Stan Taloff
Kyle Nobach
Sr., Marysville Pilchuck
The Tomahawks second baseman was a leader at the plate and in the field for an MP team that finished first in the Wesco 3A North. Nobach had six doubles, two triples and two home runs but his steal of home for the game-winning run against Oak Harbor in the district tournament epitomized Nobach’s aggressive style.
Outfield
Joakim Soderqvist
Sr., Jackson
The Timberwolves outfielder hit .415, had a .692 slugging percentage and posted an on-base percentage of .562 to lead Jackson to a second-place finish at districts. He also stole 15 bases, had five triples and played strong defense in center field for the Timberwolves.
Coach’s comment: “He was best in the big games and was like a player-coach for our team. His stats don’t tell how good he is. He made play after play in center field.” — Kirk Nicholson
KJ Brady
Jr., Cascade
The Bruins outfielder hit .321, scored 30 runs and hit five triples to lead Cascade to the state quarterfinals. The University of Washington commit also had 16 RBI, seven stolen baseas and an on-base percentage of .486.
Coach’s comment: “K.J. did a great job this year consistently getting on base as our leadoff hitter. He was patient and willing to take walks … He had a tremendous year and I am looking forward to having him back for his senior season.” — Scott Stencil
Cameron Sterne
Sr., Shorewood
The Thunderbirds outfielder hit .385 and led his team with 28 runs scored and three home runs as the Shorewood took first place in the Wesco 3A South.
Coach’s comment: “Cameron was our captain and leader, played extremely well definsevly and was a speedy dangerous hitter.” — Wyatt Tonkin
Utility
Hunter Bingham
Sr., Monroe
The Bearcats outfielder hit .301 and slugged .466 in the No. 3 hole and played every outfield position, committing only one error all season for the Bearcats, who shocked Cascade in the district tournament after finishing in third place in the Wesco 4A North. Bingham finished the season with 10 doubles.
Coach’s comment: “Hunter is an excellent teammate, young man, and student, any recognition is well deserved for Hunter.” — Eric Chartrand
Designated hitter
Austin Holmes
Sr., Edmonds-Woodway
As the Warriors DH and leadoff hitter, Holmes hit .356, had a .449 on-base percentage and scored 13 runs to lead E-W to a first-place finish in the Wesco 4A South.
Coach’s comment: “Austin was our leadoff hitter and one of our hardest workers. He hit the ball hard all year long and was constantly on base for us.” — Dan Somoza
Second Team
Pitcher
Branden Kelliher, Jr., Lake Stevens
Stats: 51 IP, 8-2 record, 2.61 ERA, 83 Ks
Coach’s comment: “Branden was a real leader for us this year, on the mound, in the field and at the plate. People usually just talk about his pitching, especially his fastball, but he really filled a big hole for us this year as a cleanup hitter and as a middle infielder.” — Rodger Anderson
Alec Kisena, Sr., Jackson
Stats: 50 IP, 50 Ks, 1.24 ERA
Coach’s comment: “I gave him the ball in all the big games and he was great. He was the winning pitcher vs Snohomish in a 10-inning battle that he pitched all 10 innings.” — Kirk Nicholson
Cody Anderson, Jr., Marysville Pilchuck
Stats: 5 wins, 0.42 ERA, 39 Ks
Dominic DeMiero, Jr., Mountlake Terrace
Catcher
Alex Galgano, Sr., Archbishop Murphy
Stats: .388 avg., .642 slug, 9 doubles, 2 HR, 8 SB
Coach’s comment: “A power hitter with explosive hands at the plate.” — Stan Taloff
First baseman
Ian Hughes, Sr., Kamiak
Stats: .340 avg., 21 RBI, 2 grand slams, 0 errors, 12 HBP
Coach’s comment: “Slick fielding, power hitting first baseman who was our leader on offense in almost every category. Spent the whole season at first base with no errors and 143 put-outs. Great all around kid.” — Steve Merkley
Infield
Branson Barnecut, Jr., Glacier Peak
Stats: .378, 14 RBI, 13 2B, 1 HR
Coach’s comment: “Branson Barnecut was our best player this year. I would guess that he was the player on our team that other coaches worried about the most.”— Bob Blair
Alex Hull, Sr., Edmonds-Woodway
Stats: .373 avg., 12 doubles, 11 SBs, 14 RBI
Coach’s comment: “He hustles on every play and was an outstanding defensive shortstop and hitter for us in the three hole.” — Dan Somoza
Haakon Lande, Jr., Snohomish
Stats: .344 avg., .500 slug, 22 RBI, 2 HR, 6 SB
Jay Leverett, Sr., Sultan
Stats: .473 avg., 4 HR, 16 extra-base hits
Coach’s comment: “Despite easily being the best player on the team, he is a great teammate. He encourages everyone and picked up his teammates whenever they made a mistake on the field.” — Scott Sifferman (Sultan athletic director)
Outfield
Sean Elledge, Sr., Glacier Peak
Stats: .390, 12 RBI, 5 2B, 3 3B
Coach’s comment: “Sean Elledge is a phenomenal athlete. Coming back to baseball after a three-year layoff he did not miss a beat. His competitiveness and intensity played a key role in our success this season.” — Bob Blair
Jake Luton, Jr., Marysville Pilchuck
Tyler McGuire, Sr., Meadowdale
Stats: .358 avg., 25 runs, 6 doubles, 15 SB; 0 errors in CF
Coach’s comment: “He played a flawless center field, starting all 25 games there and committing zero errors.” — Bill Hummel
Utility
Alex Baumgartner, Jr., Jackson
Stats: 339 avg. .484 slug, .446 on base
Designated hitter
Ben Dmochowsky, So., Snohomish
Stats: .288 avg., .455 slug, 8 doubles, 1 HR, 12 RBI, three game-winning hits
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