They felt this was their year. Now Peninsula baseball’s seniors are waiting while the season is on hold

In the words of four, college-committed seniors on Peninsula’s baseball team, this is their year.

Or, it was supposed to be.

At the very least, Peninsula’s athletic programs — moreover, all spring athletics statewide — are suspended through April 24, which puts the Seahawks’ goal of making a run at the state title in jeopardy.

After Governor Jay Inslee shut down schools statewide while taking measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, high school sports were additionally put on hold.

And so the Seahawks are forced to sit and wait for a season that may — or may not — return.

“A lot of us are really bummed,” said Reid Sturn, a four-year varsity senior committed to Linfield College. “This was our year. Last year, we almost made it to the final four… but this year, it was our year. We have six seniors who could potentially go on and play (in college). … It just sucks. We’re staying at home. We all can’t even go hang out together, even a small group of us go hit or throw because of this.”

Joined by Sturn are three other seniors committed to play at the college level, including four-year outfielder Peter King, who will play at San Jose State University.

Senior Trent Buchanan has committed to pitch at Tacoma Community College, and catcher Jayden Bunch will play at Corban University in Salem, Oregon.

But what makes the season suspension all the more disappointing for the Seahawks was their rise to the near-top of the standings. In 2017 — the boys’ freshman year — Peninsula dwelled near the South Sound Conference basement at 6-14.

Peninsula improved in 2018, finishing 8-11.

In 2019, the Seahawks improved dramatically, and took second place in the conference with a 19-7 record, including a state quarterfinals appearance.

For the team, a state title this time around was not out of reach.

“A state title (was the goal), for sure,” King said, who hoped to follow up on a successful junior campaign and .353/.526/1.055 slash line. “I honestly believe that this was the year we were going to win.”

With no team-related activities permitted, players are forced to train on their own or at their local facilities (if their doors are still open).

Without scheduled practices and team-related drills, finding a consistent routine has been the emphasis for the Seahawk seniors, particularly with summer leagues and college careers around the corner.

“I’m just trying to maintain as much of a routine as I can, and work through that,” Buchanan said, who sported an 8-1 record and 1.29 earned run average in his junior year at Peninsula. “[I’m] keeping my arm fresh and ready to go, working through my location, and trying to keep that sharp.”

Other seniors are finding unique ways to stay in baseball shape.

“I throw with my dad almost every day,” Bunch said, the .292-hitting catcher in 25 games for Peninsula last season. “I’ll go and do some tee work or make my little sister throw me front toss (drills). We all just have to stay active and keep it up, because you can’t stop. You’ve got to keep going no matter what.”

The closures of schools and athletics has extended beyond the high school level, up to professional leagues. And with that brings the NCAA’s plan to grant an additional year of athletic eligibility to student-athletes who lost out on the opportunity to compete.

For incoming college freshmen, this jeopardizes roster spots and playing time.

“I want to get drafted eventually,” King said. “That’s a big thing for me, trying to get out on the field as a freshman.”

In King’s situation though, only two seniors currently sit on San Jose State’s roster — neither of whom are outfielders.

And in regards to baseball-related careers, Sturn has plans that go off the field, too.

His goal is to hear his name called in the MLB Draft, but Linfield has a strong sports management program, which he plans to enter.

“[I’m] trying to pursue my baseball career even if it’s off the field, being a sports analyst or hopefully a manager someday,” Sturn said, who has played 66 career games with the Seahawks, and currently holds a career .310 average. “That’ll help me shape my future.”

Peninsula’s season is now slated for an April 27 return, only weeks before the playoffs — and a quest for a state title — would begin.

If the season is not canceled outright and does return on that date, the question looms on how conferences would select teams to appear in postseason tournaments.

The WIAA says conferences have the individual responsibility of filling the allotted spots.

Though no plan is set in stone at the time for the South Sound Conference, Peninsula coach Michael Johnson says that the ‘front running’ idea is a regular season tournament, which allows eight teams to battle for five spots before the postseason begins.

“The idea would be to get these boys as much time on the field as possible, while also offering a fair opportunity for all eight teams to earn a shot at the playoffs,” Johnson said.

So while Peninsula’s goal at dethroning Gig Harbor at the top of the league is still a possibility, it will have to be done differently.

“For every team, the goal is [state],” Buchanan said. “That’s the ultimate goal. We are excited about what happened last year and we were looking forward to this year. I’m looking forward to chasing the district championship, and the league championship. The crosstown rival, Gig Harbor, has held that for a while. And we felt like we had a good chance this year of taking that.”

Outside the baseball realm at Peninsula, golfer Preston Bebich is another college-committed senior that will miss out on most of his senior season, at the least. Bebich signed his National Letter of Intent and committed to Washington State University last November.

So now, Peninsula — and the rest of the sports world — waits.

“I know the seniors, especially, it’s tough, because we know this is our last year,” Buchanan said. “For everyone else, they’re losing a year of eligibility. We’re not saying much to each other, but we all know… we don’t want to say it, but there’s an elephant in the room that this could be our last, whether we play or not.”

This story was originally published March 31, 2020 at 6:00 AM.