Defending league, district champs

BREWSTER – The team that nearly won it all last year has everyone back minus one senior for the 2019 season.

“We are looking to improve on our performance from last season and have established some pretty lofty goals,” said sixth-year head coach Todd Phillips. “They are going to be very difficult to achieve but they are definitely achievable.”

The Bears finished with a 22-5 record last season that included the school’s fourth consecutive Central Washington 2B league title along with the District 5/6 crown, the first in three years. Brewster finished second at state behind Tri-Cities Prep, its best showing since winning first at state in 2016.

“We return 14 letter winners and nine starters from last year’s squad,” said Phillips. “We return seven All-League team members in Joe Taylor, Quincy Vassar, Corey Jarrell, Kade Kelpman, Isaac Baker, Jeff Sonneman and Logan McGuire.  Corey Jarrell and Joe Taylor were both selected to the all-state team and Joe Taylor repeated as the league MVP.”

Phillips said Cade Gebbers is looking to have a breakout season due to the work he put in the off-season in the weight room. 

“He is really hitting the ball well right now,” said Phillips of Gebbers’ improvement. “AJ Woodward has also put in a lot of off-season work playing baseball and is competing for a spot other than defensive and base running specialist.”

Conner Ashworth from Okanogan and Cascade’s Mason Kelly are new faces on the team this year.

“Conner brings another arm to the stable and was an All-State selectee last season,” said Phillips. “Mason Kelly brings a real solid glove to beef up our defense and he has a really high baseball IQ.  Both athletes were All-Caribou Trail League last year.”

Phillips has four eighth graders on the team this season but owning to the team’s depth this year the younger players have their work cut out for them to get as much playing time as young players in years past.

The Bears have a deep pitching staff with 14 solid hurlers “who can win a game against anyone we play and a couple other guys who can get on the mound if we need them to,” said Phillips. “This is going to be beneficial because we are looking at times where we may have to play six games in a week to make up all the reschedules.”

Assisting Phillips this season are coaches John Cleveland (10th year), Jerrod Riggan (10th year), Travis Todd (seventh year), and Jamie Sluys (first year).

Shelton falls

The Bears’ first game of the season was a tough non-league road opener last Friday, March 22, against 3A Shelton that lost to the state champions by a single run in last season’s playoffs. Shelton was originally scheduled to be Brewster’s seventh game this season but owing to early schedule cancellations, ended up being first. In spite of opening against one of last season’s heavy hitters, the Bears won, 5-3.

Bulldogs blanked

On Saturday, March 23, Brewster hosted 1A Okanogan from the Caribou Trail League and shut out the Bulldogs, 7-0. The Bears set the pace early with four runs in the first inning and never looked back.

Brewster was scheduled to host Bridgeport for a doubleheader on Tuesday, March 26, and will host Waterville-Mansfield for a D/H at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 30. Meridian High School from Bellingham will be in town for a game at 3 p.m., Thursday, April 4.