Gig Harbor baseball staying hopeful during extended spring hiatus

Last year, the Gig Harbor High School boys baseball team finished third in the Class 3A state tournament, capping a 20-7 season.

This year, the beginning of the season has been pushed back as Pierce County schools in Washington have been closed due to an executive order from governor Jay Inslee in response to COVID-19.

Unfortunately, that means that all athletics and academics have been postponed until at least April 24 for all schools in the Peninsula School District.

“It was really surprising. We were pretty sure that we were going to be canceled for a while, and everyone thought it was going to be two weeks,” said coach Pete Jansen. “When they said six weeks, it was kind of a shock because that’s a long time.”

Not exactly what spring dreams are made out of.

Originally, the Tides were slated to play their first game of the season March 14 against Bellevue. If the Tides keep to their original schedule, the first game back after the extended hiatus would be an away game against Peninsula.

“At first, I didn’t even think it was real. Just seeing this virus going across the world, you think ‘there’s no way this could actually be happening right now’,” said junior Zach Toglia. “But then as time progressed, you realize how real this situation is. It’s honestly scary.”

Toglia still has another year left to play baseball for the Tides, but senior teammates like Owen Wild and Zane Skansi won’t get to play with this group again if the suspension isn’t lifted.

Luckily for Wild and Skansi, they are committed to play baseball in college for Gonzaga and Utah, respectively.

“I hope we get a chance to watch them play. I feel bad for the seniors and not just on our team, but all the seniors on all the high school teams,” Jansen said. “They’ve all worked hard and I hope they get to play.”

However, as the beginning of the season is under an increased mystery, the Tides are still looking to keep themselves in whatever shape they can until they properly begin their season.

Players are still communicating with each other and organizing team meet ups to throw the ball around and keep loose as they wait out the delay to the season.

“There’s been a lot of talk about [getting together]. Some of the guys have been talking about meeting every couple of days,” Toglia said. “This is the first time that a lot of us have gone without playing sports for 10-plus years.”

But despite the hurdles, the Tides are trying to make it work for their team. A team that has a lot of good talent that would be returning a majority of their starters from last year.

In fact, Jansen believes that the new players are just as good if not better than the ones they are replacing.

“I expect that this team will compete at a high level,” he said. “We lost three starters from last year, and the guys stepping up are equally talented or more talented.”

One of the guys stepping up and trying to claim an open spot is Tyler Peterson. Peterson is a junior and is vying for second base for the Tides.

Currently, Seattle University is looking at him to play college baseball. But despite what may wind up as a lost season, Peterson is adding his talent to what could arguably be the strength of this team: the infield.

“Starting pitching is really solid, but we have a really good infield,” Jansen said. “I’ve been stressing to our guys that if they make the routine plays consistently, then we are not going to give the other team extra outs or extra baserunners.”

The infielders are set to be a really strong defensive unit that limits extra opportunities the other team has. They also are anchored on the mound and behind home plate.

Wild will obviously be the ace of the staff as he was the 3A South Sound Conference MVP last season. But they are also returning players like senior Luke Finnigan.

Finnigan was integral in the Tides championship run last year as he got three of the six wins they had in the postseason, finishing the season really strong.

“We lost our starting catcher but we have two catchers that are equally as talented as [the one we lost],” Jansen said. “[Senior] Luke Deschenes and then there is a junior named Sam Hodges that is really talented… they can call a good game, they have good arms and they can throw guys out.”

Even with all the closures and delays the Tides are facing, they still have a level of confidence that they can make a final four in the state tournament, if the season resumes at some point.

What will get them there is their team chemistry that starts with guys hanging out after practice to sharpen their skills.

“We have a lot of guys who are really familiar with baseball and have been playing for years, so we already have a lot of natural talent coming in,” Toglia said. “We really didn’t need to be taught the game again… We’ve got a really good team.”

As the state of Washington continues to try and prevent the spread of COVID-19, these players will not be playing in any games for the time being.

But that won’t stop them from getting together and tossing the ball around to keep their arms loose, and probably getting some fresh air.

Until further notice from the government and the school district, the Tides will be back on the diamond again at 4 p.m. Monday, April 27 at Sehmel Park to play as the visitors against Peninsula.

This story was originally published March 18, 2020 at 6:00 AM.