WIAA let Pierce County baseball players down, then blamed them for it | Opinion

As representatives of the Puyallup and Gig Harbor Baseball Booster Clubs, we write on behalf of our student-athletes, coaches and families to express our deep frustration over the planning, communication and overall handling of the 2025 3A/4A State Baseball Championships by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA).

In the Tacoma News Tribune article, “Messing with a Memory: Bad vibes linger after canceled WA state baseball games,” several comments from WIAA Executive Director Mick Hoffman stood out — not for their leadership, but for their insensitivity.

One specific comment stands out: “We had a couple teams show up with high expectations that didn’t perform. I think that amplifies the angst.”

This statement wasn’t just unprofessional — it was dismissive, cold and deeply out of touch. To suggest that student-athletes were upset simply because they “didn’t perform” erases the real impact of the WIAA’s decisions.

These young athletes and their coaches dedicate immense time, effort, and heart to earn a place in the final four of the state tournament. To have their performance casually dismissed is, quite frankly, unacceptable. Regardless of the outcomes, they deserve respect from those in leadership roles representing the WIAA.

When we reflect on this situation, we’re reminded of the priceless moments lost — moments our players, coaches and families will never get to experience due to the WIAA’s mismanagement of the entire event.

For the seniors, qualifying for the Final Four was supposed to provide them with their final two high school games.

For the underclassman, playing in a state Final Four is a rare and hard-earned opportunity. Some may never return.

For the coaches, they’ve spent countless hours preparing their players for the opportunity to play on the big stage.

The WIAA took all of this away.

These games represent a once-in-a-lifetime moment, forged through years of work, discipline and teamwork. To shrug off that significance is more than tone-deaf — it’s harmful.

What made this worse was the abrupt way the decision was delivered. Coaches, players and parents — some literally in hotel hallways — were informed with no notice that their tournament was over. No final game. No opportunity to compete. Just a sudden announcement and a co-third-place designation. That’s not just poor planning; that’s a total lack of empathy.

And this wasn’t a one-off misstep. It was the culmination of several avoidable failures:

• Delayed Venue Announcement: Parker Faller Field in Yakima was reportedly selected in September 2024. Yet teams weren’t officially notified until April 2025. That left teams and families scrambling for lodging, often more than 45 minutes away. For an event of this size and importance, that’s simply unacceptable.
• No Lodging Support: If eight teams qualify every year, why doesn’t the WIAA reserve hotel blocks in advance? Teams would still cover costs, but the act of reserving rooms would ease a huge logistical burden and show basic respect for those participating.
• Unfit Facilities at Parker Faller Field: The field lacked the lighting necessary for evening play — a fact Yakima Valley College itself acknowledges by avoiding night games. Whether the WIAA ignored this or failed to vet the site, it was a costly and inexcusable oversight. What contingency plans were in place, if any?
• Canceled Consolation Game: Canceling the third-place game robbed every player — senior or not — of the final experience they had worked all season, and in many cases, their entire high school careers to reach. These weren’t just “consolation” games. They were the culmination of thousands of hours of sacrifice. Dismissing them diminishes the very essence of high school sports.

Let us be clear: this isn’t about losing. Both of our programs own their performance on the field. Our frustration stems from what happened off the field: the lack of care, the lack of communication and the lack of accountability.

The decisions made by the WIAA had real consequences — lost opportunities, broken routines and stolen memories. And instead of compassion, what we got were sound bites.

We don’t apologize for the emotion our families have expressed. That emotion comes from love, loyalty, and a shared belief that our athletes deserve better.

We are proud of our players. We are proud of our coaches. And we are proud of our communities, who represented themselves with strength, class, and heart.

But we will not stay silent when student-athletes are failed.

This letter isn’t written out of bitterness — it’s written with hope. Hope that future state tournaments will be planned with transparency, professionalism, and empathy. Hope that student-athletes — all student-athletes — will be treated as more than just entries on a bracket. Hope that the WIAA remembers what this is all supposed to be about.

Because for these kids, it’s not just a game. It’s a memory they carry for the rest of their lives. Let’s start acting like that matters.