Puyallup ace Micheles primed for encore season

Chris Micheles knows the pressure is on him when he sets up from the left side of the bump.

The pressure is understandable coming off a junior season where the Puyallup High ace picked up second team All-American honors after finishing with an 8-0 record and posting a 0.85 earned run average with 60 strikeouts over 57.1 innings pitched. The left-hander also picked up big win over Leesville Road High during the 2015 USA Baseball National High School Invitational in Carey, N.C.

That was last year. This year is different for the Vikings ace in his attempt to help Puyallup return to the Class 4A state tournament.

Expectations are high for Micheles and the Puyallup Vikings.

“You definitely know there’s always going to be expectations put on anyone, whether you’re at the bottom of the pack or at the top of the pack,” Micheles said. “I’m lucky enough to develop mentally not to let that dictate how I perform … it’s nice because Puyallup’s staff is up there in terms of best pitching in high school in the state.”

It wasn’t a fluke that Micheles picked up All-American honors, or the fact he went into last season with a scholarship offer from UW — even though he hadn’t thrown a pitch for Puyallup varsity.

The talent has always been there for the young hurler. And so has the ability to improve.

“You know, he’s a lot stronger. Last spring, he finally realized what his potential could be,” Puyallup coach Marc Wiese said. “He’s always one of the first to arrive and is one of the last guys to leave, putting things away. The kid just has a tremendous work ethic. He’s going to have a good year.”

That extra work is already being put to the test as Puyallup’s staff is going through some adjustments at the start of the new season. Last year, Micheles had a lot of help on the mound. Not often are pitchers gifted with a catcher the defensive prowess that Brendan Illies, now at the University of North Carolina, displayed under his tenure with the Vikings.

Illies had total control of Puyallup’s pitching staff, making life easier for the starters. Things are different now. When Micheles is on the mound, he has to be in control. It’s part of the responsibilities that come with being an ace of a staff.

“(Illies) took control of every ballgame last year, as he called every game. (Coach) Wiese didn’t call any games,” Micheles said. “It’s going to be interested without him, but it’s going to fun to watch … a lot of it is on the pitcher (now).”

It’s personal responsibility that’s emphasized by Puyallup baseball: Everyone is responsible for their own development.

It’s the environment that has pushed Micheles to get to where he’s at in his career.

“There might be teams better than us, there might be players individually than us,” Micheles said. “But as a staff, as a complete team, we are the Puyallup Vikings, and no one can beat us. We can go against anyone on any given day, whether you’re the top team in the nation or the worst, we are potentially going to beat you.”

Fearless on the mound, Micheles is ready for his encore season with Puyallup baseball.

This story was originally published March 8, 2016 at 2:45 PM with the headline "Puyallup ace Micheles primed for encore season."