Young Ilwaco baseball team seeks continued improvement

Published 3:42 pm Monday, March 18, 2019

ILWACO — Ilwaco brings back nearly everyone from a baseball team coming off its best season in years. As a young team playing several freshmen regularly, Ilwaco took second in the Pacific League at 11-3 last season in Doug Pellerin’s first year as head coach.

The team lost only two players, Brandon McMullen and Matthew Minnick, to graduation. More newcomers this year, including Jeb Sheldon, add to the team’s depth. Ilwaco has 20 players on its roster this year.

Trenton Cox and Landin Frank kept most league opponents in check last year and return as the pitching duo. Chris Wood is the catcher.

Reese Tynkila, an All-League centerfielder, is the team’s hitting star. He has started the year on fire, with four hits in the opening double-header in Vancouver and a six-for-seven double-header to open league play against Life Christian.

Nate Hopkins proved to be a sure-handed second baseman as a freshman last year and had the team’s only hit in its season-ending playoff loss to Toutle Lake. Sophomore Dylan Simonson will get some time at shortstop, as will Cox when he isn’t pitching.

League champion Ocosta beat Ilwaco 8-1 and 8-3 last year, and dethroning them will be a difficult task. The Wildcats return stars Kobe Beck and Cole Hatton, and are already 4-0 after crushing Northwest Christian and North Beach in a pair of double-headers. Ilwaco was outscored 27-0 in its District playoff games against Kalama and Toutle Lake. Ilwaco, like many Pacific League teams, has tended to be overpowered by the Central League when the playoffs arrive.

As Ilwaco’s core gains age and experience, they will try to change that. As usual, they are challenging themselves in their non-league schedule. They took Central League champ Wahkiakum to five innings in a 10-0 loss, and lost 9-2 and 16-6 against a pair of tough opponents, Fort Vancouver and Columbia. This Friday Ilwaco will host Naselle, a perennial 1B contender, at 4 p.m.

The Fishermen are already 2-0 in the Pacific League after demolishing Life Christian 40-3 in a double-header Saturday.

Marketplace