Peninsula baseball aiming for 3A SSC title if spring sports resume in late April

Last year, Peninsula baseball took second in the 3A South Sound Conference.

Eight starters were slated to return this year. The team, coming off a quarterfinal loss to O’Dea in last year’s state tournament, was ready to make a run at the conference, and beyond that, complete their return to the state tournament once again in Pasco.

But those goals will have to wait.

Through April 24, at least.

With Peninsula’s season initially scheduled to begin at an Ellensburg Jamboree on March 14, governor Jay Inslee closed all schools statewide through April 24 out of concern of the spreading of COVID-19.

And with that went high school athletics.

“To be honest, it’s pretty heartbreaking,” said coach Michael Johnson. “I know there’s a lot of frustration amongst the boys, especially the senior group. My heart breaks for those kids who work so hard and look so forward to (their) senior season. The team has put a lot of high expectations on themselves and they were really excited for the opportunity to go out and achieve some goals that have been set.

“There’s disappointment, there’s frustration, but really, within the clubhouse, from a coaching perspective, we’re just really driving home the concept of staying together and understanding that while some time will be missed, the opportunity will come.”

If the season does return, though, expect the Seahawks to be ready.

Despite the losses of first baseman Anders Vogel and pitcher Griffin Bakken, Peninsula will return the rest of their defense, which includes all-league pitcher Trent Buchanan.

“We just have a lot of talent, and everybody is really dialed in,” Johnson said. “They’ve bought in, they’re working hard, and they’re really excited to get going.”

Twenty-six games may not be the reality for Peninsula’s schedule this year. But what could still be a reality is the goal of a conference title, a goal shared by teams in what Johnson calls the best conference in the state.

Two of last year’s final four teams in the state tournament reside in the SSC. Only one team, however, finished above Peninsula during the regular season.

The team across town.

“In the grand scheme of things, we’d love to dethrone Gig Harbor at the top of the conference,” Johnson said. “We do know our conference got tougher this year. Every team has improved.”

And with that comes a very simple ideology.

“Really, it’s just winning one game at a time. We had a good conversation to start the year about winning the moment, winning each game and seeing where it takes us,” Johnson said. “We rode a really solid defense last year, and we’ve carried that over to this season and making the big plays when they’re there for us.

“But really, it’s about winning every pitch, being in the moment, being together, and playing for the guys next to us. I feel like if we do everything we’re capable of, there’s a good opportunity for us to win that conference title.”

For a league as strong as the 3A SSC, there’s competitiveness. There’s also nastiness involved among the ball clubs, particularly when they all share the goal of a conference championship and state tournament berth.

Within the Peninsula-Gig Harbor rivalry, however, is a unique dynamic for the teams that compete just five miles from each other: friendship.

“A lot of these kids grew up playing baseball together throughout little league,” Johnson said. “In addition to school ball, a lot of these kids are teammates in the summer. There’s a good healthy rivalry that comes along with being teammates for so long.

“What I love about it is (that) all of these kids love to compete. They all work hard on both sides. Both teams are competitive and hard-working. … But when it’s all said and done, we are still a close community and these kids enjoy spending time with each other. It’s something that they’re able to talk about for years to come.”

For now, the season will not begin until April 27. Given that practices are school-related activities, Peninsula’s ability to gather before that date is still up in the air. Peninsula School District’s interim Superintendent, Dr. Art Jarvis, even suggested that sports may be canceled for the entire season.

In the words of Johnson -- specifically to the seniors who can’t complete their final season in its entirety -- your time will come.

“There are a lot of kids that are impacted, not just on the baseball field,” Johnson said. “My heart breaks for them, but I want to encourage everyone that’s missing out for now to keep their heads up and realize their time will come.”

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