Finally

Gavin Dahl is now eligible to play for Evergreen State this season. The man, who’s claim to fame is that he gave up a home run to now Atlanta Braves outfielder Ryan Langerhans when he was in high school, will be seen on the mound trying to shut down the Seattle University Redhawks,  this weekend.

Games start at 10 AM both Saturday 3/31 and Sunday 4/1.

Breaking News

Ian Pereida-Perry has a broken jaw and will miss next weekend’s series against Seattle University. His return is unknown.

Vikings Conquer Evergreen

After a rainout on Saturday, March 17th, Western Washington University took both games against Evergreen State in a double header on Sunday. The Vikings lived up to their high ranking as they crushed the Geoducks 28-0 in the first game and 22-0 in the second game. In the second game Western combined 3 pitchers to throw a perfect game facing the minimum 15 batters and never allowing an Evergreen player to reach base before the game was called after 5 innings.

The Geoducks held it close in the first game when after two inning, Western had a slim 1-0 lead. But the third inning was a story in itself as Geoduck starting pitcher Trevor Kinahan lost his command due to his index and middle finger suffering from erosion on the fingertips giving him no grip. Because of a lack of pitchers for this weekend, Kip asked Trevor to stay out and do what he could and Kinahan gutted it out for three plus innings before Antonio Olguin came in relief. The Evergreen offense only mustered two hits, both coming in the final 5th inning when Jesse Norris legged out an infield single and Zach Newman dropped one over the third baseman’s head into shallow left field.

The second game fared no better for the men in green with Matt Swinkey on the mound. The Vikings continued their potent offense as the first 7 batters all reached base and scored before an out was recorded and after the first inning the Geoducks found themselves in a 9-0 hole.

Evergreen State is on Spring Break now and will resume play on March 31st when they host the surprising Red Hawks from Seattle University. With a more full line up and his players having some experience, coach Kip Arney expects a much better performance from his players.

Season Preview

Evergreen State College baseball returns for a 4th year. In it’s short 3 year history, Evergreen has only one win under it’s belt and it came last year in the season finale against Seattle University. This season marks a new era of Geoduck baseball as only 3 players return from last year’s roster, and only 1 of whom saw considerable playing time on the field. Ex-player Kip Arney was brought back after graduating last year to take over the on field coaching duties and try and turn this program around. Evergreen has been the bottom feeders of the competitive Northern Pacific Conference West. The conference consists of 6 teams spanning both the states of Washington and Oregon. Western Washington University, Eastern Washington University, Seattle University, Evergreen State College, University of Oregon, and Central Oregon Community College. In the previous years, Western and U of O have been battling for the top spot in the conference and both entered the year ranked in the top 10 nationally with Oregon being ranked as high as 3rd. And after a surprising start from Seattle, including stealing 2 of 3 from Oregon down in Eugene last weekend, they received some national attention as their school entered the “others receiving votes” category in the polls.

Evergreen State welcomes back sophomores Zack Newman (first base) and Nat Hagood (third base/pitcher). Also returning for his final season is senior shortstop Antonio Olguin who will also see some time on the mound this year. With so few players coming back from last year’s squad, Arney looks at this team as a new beginning. “All the players from the teams of the past were the same core group of players that came in together as freshman so they left together as seniors, which means this team has a realistic chance to erase the negative atmosphere that hangs around the names Evergreen State and baseball when those two words are put together.

This team features an array of players that stretch the nation from Massachusettes to Georgia, from Montana to New Mexico, along with a few players from the home state of Washington.

A few players of note:

Pitcher/SS Trevor Kinahan out of Georgia brings a flawless glove and excellent power to the field and Kip looks for him to step up as a leader of this squad.

3B/OF Ty Elliston from Massachusettes is a solid linedrive and contact hitter and will be relied upon to wreak havoc on the basepaths.

P/OF/3B Gavin Dahl, a local kid, brings an infectious positive attitude with a strong desire to play all day everyday and a rocket for an arm, which will soon be realized by other teams and they’ll think twice about running on him when he’s roaming the outfield.

1B Zack Newman hails from California and brings with him a vacuum disguising as a first baseman’s mitt. Is quoted for having said he “likes to crowd the plate because he has no problem taking one for the team.”

SS/OF/P Antonio Olguin of New Mexico would receive a ten out of ten if points were awarded for style. A true 5 tool player with speed, power, great glove, can hit for contact, and pitch.

OF/P Ian Pereida-Perry from California is a scrappy player with a dependable bat and speed to burn in the oufield. His recent injury will definitely be felt until his return.

C Dan Visser brings smarts and a tremendous arm behind home plate. Even though up till today he was ineligible to play in the games, he still practiced with the team and his leadership is obvious and Kip will rely on him to be an on the field general.

Season Outlook

With the lack of a homefield (home games are played at Olympia High School and practices are held at neighboring parks or just on campus in a flat land of grass), the Evergreen State ball club doesn’t get the facilities it deserves but never complains. In the past Evergreen has fell victim to the 10 run slaughter rule too many times to count where if one team is leading by ten or more runs after 5 innings, the game is finished. Kip has made it very clear that he’s not expecting miracles but this year’s goal “is to play a complete 9 or 7 inning game every time out.” If the team can stay close, the stigma of losing big will fade away and the team will develop a belief in themselves that hasn’t been there in the past.

Visser In, Pereida-Perry Out

After being struck in the jaw by a thrown ball on Wednesday March 14, centerfielder Ian Pereida-Perry will sit out the opening series March 17-18 against Western Washington University. This is a huge blow to the team as a number of players, pitchers in particular have been hit with the injury bug and Evergreen will take the field with only 3 pitchers for the entire weekend. Sophomore third baseman Nat Hagood will be resting in the dugout as well for the series as he’s nursing a sore shoulder on his non throwing arm. The timetable on his return is unknown as he’s currently undergoing physical therapy. On the flip side, after an off field battle with the league and their eligibility policies, catcher Dan Visser received notification today that he is eligible to play this weekend and the duration of this season. The National Club Baseball Association, whom Evergreen State is  a part of, has an age limit rule of 25 years old max with a few exceptions. One of those exceptions is if you entered the armed forces straight out of high school. Visser chose the route of going to college for a short time before entering the armed forces and then coming back to school. The league initially ruled Visser ineligible to play but after an lengthy appeal process, the 27 year old catcher was given the nod that he can play. Kip Arney is very excited about this news because, “Dan brings intelligence and leadership that this team needs.” With 4 catchers on the Evergreen State roster, Visser will also see considerable time in the outfield this weekend to compensate for the injury to Pereida-Perry.

Pereida-Perry Injured

In an unfortunate accident on the practice field today, centerfielder Ian Pereida-Perry was hit in the jaw on a thrown ball by catcher Dan Visser. In a simulated game, Pereida-Perry was leading off second when Visser attempted to pick him off after a pitch. The ball struck Pereida-Perry on the right jaw and he immediately dropped to the ground in pain. Rushing over to check on him, manager Kip Arney saw blood coming from Pereida-Perry’s mouth but he was able to walk off to the side under his own power. After a few minutes of regaining his composure, Pereida-Perry stepped into the batter’s box but after grounding out to second base, he claimed the pain to be too much and he turned in his cleats for the date. His status for this weekend’s season opener is questionable.

Movie of the 2006 season

2007 Roster

1 – Ian Pereida-Perry (UTL, P) Throws R, Bats R
2 – Kip Arney, Manager
3 – Matt Swinkey (P) Throws R, Bats R
4 – Antonio Olguin (OF, SS, P) Throws R, Bats S
5 – Megan Edwards (C) Throws R, Bats R
6 – Ben Robbins (C) Throws R, Bats R
9 – Trevor Kinahan (P, SS) Throws R, Bats R
10 – James Zubowicz (OF) Throws R, Bats R
13 – Ty Elliston (3B, OF) Throws R, Bats R
14 – Jesanna Rothstein (2B, OF) Throws R, Bats R
21 – John Reitenbach (2B) Throws R, Bats R
22 – Zack Newman (1B) Throws R, Bats R
24 – Jesse Norris (OF) Throws R, Bats R
30 – Gavin Dahl (OF, 3B, P) Throws R, Bats S
33 – Scott Gebert (1B) Throws R, Bats R
44 – Dave Raileanu (C) Throws R, Bats R
51 – Dan Visser (C, OF) Throws R, Bats R
87 – Nat Hagood (3B, P) Throws R, Bats R