EVERETT — Archbishop Murphy’s Stan Taloff Jr. is batting 1.000 — 6-for-6.
Taloff has won six Cascade Conference titles in six seasons since taking over the Archbishop Murphy baseball team in 2009.
This season, the Wildcats are looking to keep their coach’s average perfect.
“It’s pretty amazing to have six straight league titles in a row, and all (three) years I’ve been here we’ve won,” senior shortstop Sean Clancy said. “I wouldn’t say there’s any more pressure. We have basically the same team coming back, minus a few seniors. But I think we added on a few young kids that are pretty good.”
A steady stream of talented players has been key to the Wildcats’ success, Taloff said. In recent years he has coached players such as Trever Morrison, now at Oregon State, Levi MaVorhis (Kansas State) and Tyler Kane (University of Washington).
“We’re really blessed with good talent year in and year out,” Taloff said. “I think it’s been guys willing to buy in to what our philosophies are for the game and playing all aspects of it, playing every single pitch.”
Once again, Archbishop Murphy returns a talented squad. Clancy was a first-team All-Cascade Conference shortstop last season when he hit .304. Other returners include senior catcher Ernie Gamboa, who hit .344, and pitcher Connor Sand — the Wildcats’ No. 2 starter last season behind Ryan Dorney, who graduated and is now pitching for Saint Martin’s University in Lacey.
Clancy, Gamboa and Sand are three of 11 returnees for Archbishop Murphy.
“We are blessed to have the amount of returners that we do have,” Taloff said. “There’s a nucleus there. It’s an optimistic look. We have to replace an all-league pitcher in Ryan Dorney, but that’s what happens every year. Everybody steps up.”
Along with the six consecutive conference titles, the Wildcats have won three District 1 championships (2009, 2010, 2013), three regional titles (2010, 2012, 2013) and one Class 2A state championship (2012) in Taloff’s tenure.
“We don’t really think about the past and how we’ve done in previous years,” senior Cole Brandt said. “We’re more focused on the great team that we have coming up this year. I think we’ll make a great run. I wouldn’t say there’s pressure, (but) I definitely want it a little bit more with it being senior year. I want to go out with a win and I think we can. We’ve got a good shot.”
The Wildcats know it’s not going to be easy to repeat as conference champs. Last season Archbishop Murphy finished one game ahead of Granite Falls. Cedarcrest and South Whidbey also were in the mix, just two games behind the Wildcats.
Things may be tougher this year with the addition of Cedar Park Christian-Bothell to the Cascade Conference, as well as King’s fielding a baseball team for the first time.
“Baseball is definitely the league’s best sport,” said Sand, who was 3-1 last season with a 1.22 earned-run average. “Every team is competitive. Every team can beat each other. It’s pretty tough. You just have to go out there everyday and be prepared for a battle. We don’t take any team lightly. We can’t let anyone sneak up and bite us.”
Cedar Park Christian defeated Archbishop Murphy 3-1 in a non-conference game last year.
“It’ll be a little bit more of a challenge this year, considering we’re adding Cedar Park Christian and they’re a very good school …,” Brandt said. “Cedarcrest is always really good, Granite Falls is going to be tough again and I’m interested to see how King’s does. They’re a new program coming up, but I’ve heard about some good players coming from there. It’ll be a challenge, but I think we’re ready for it.”
Taloff is in his 35th season as a head coach and had exactly 550 career wins coming into the season.
“The concept that we live off of is: ‘To win the game is great, to play the game is greater, but to love the game is the greatest,’” Taloff said. “With that, I think it’s important that they understand the gift that they have to be able to play at this level. If they love the game, they’re going to come together as a team and that’s going to be crucial for success, year after year.”
Archbishop Murphy, which went 1-1 in last year’s 2A state tournament, is looking not only to win another league title, but perhaps a state crown.
“As far as the short season that we have, our goals are, first of all, to defend the league title,” Taloff said. “Following that, get on to districts, get out of districts and into regionals, win regionals and go to the final four and have a chance to win that.”
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