Led by trio of Division I bound pitchers, Olympia baseball aims for deep run

Like every high school sport, baseball was impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

There was no 2020 season, and the 2021 season was severely curtailed. But Olympia High School, which finished runner-up to Moses Lake for the 4A championship in 2019, might have come back from two years of intermittent play even stronger.

“It was hard, don’t get me wrong,” said Bears’ coach Derek Weldon. “But we were always able to do as much or more than other sports because we’re outside. Baseball was one sport that fit with all the rules and guidelines.”

With Olympia practicing as permitted and its players competing during summers with travel ball teams that were barely slowed by COVID-19, the Bears began the 2022 season with four straight wins.

“Definitely getting shorted out of two seasons sucked,” said senior pitcher Rylan Haider. “You could feel this year when we came out as a whole we were ready and eager.”

The roster is deep, with nine seniors and 47 total players spread between varsity, JV and C team, led by three pitchers already bound for Power Five conference universities: Senior Taber Fast – despite never having played in a high school game before this season – has signed with Texas Tech; Haider has signed with Washington State and junior Sax Matson is verbally committed to the Cougars.

‘I’ve never had three pitchers committed to Division I schools at the same time before,” said Weldon. “This is certainly the deepest staff we’ve ever had. There are guys who won’t pitch an inning on varsity this year that have better stuff than any of our guys had my first year, in 2018.”

Four other pitchers have also appeared for Olympia in its first four games.

“Every guy we’ve thrown this year has only thrown a handful of pitches under 80 miles per hour,” said Weldon.

But the three aces are special.

“They all have elite stuff. There are reasons they’re either signed or committed to D1 schools,” Weldon said.

Fast, the grandson of Darcy Fast, who pitched for the Chicago Cubs in 1968, was set to follow his friend and now fellow Texas Tech signee Drew Reynolds to W.F. West for high school but ultimately decided Olympia would be a better fit.

The WIAA denied him immediate eligibility, so he sat out his freshman season. Then the 2020 campaign was cancelled. Last spring, he missed the entire year with a broken thumb.

“It was extremely frustrating,” Fast said.

But Texas Tech had seen him as early on as middle school and offered. Now, he’s set to make the most of his one high school season.

“Taber has the most electric stuff. He’ll be in the upper 80s to low 90s. The ball explodes out of his hand. He can spin it and throw strikes,” Weldon said. Fast says he makes certain to throw each pitch the coaches call “with intent. I want to be consistent and get guys out.”

The lone member of Olympia’s big three recruited as a two-way player, Fast will be in right field for the Bears on days he doesn’t pitch. He said his family’s reputation for success in sports is a positive, not a negative.

“There is no pressure on me. My family lets me do my thing,” he said. “I’ve got a lot of support behind me. They’ve taught me a lot about how to play this game and really get after it.”

Haider, who pitched some in 2019 for a pitching staff led by upperclassmen Mike Caine and Alden Herrick, is the veteran leader of this season’s staff and another hard thrower.

“He’ll be mid to upper 80s; slider, change up,” said Weldon. “His change is his best secondary pitch, but he doesn’t need to throw it a lot because, for this level, his velocity is so good. He’ll fill the zone up, he’s very efficient.”

Playing under Weldon for four years has led to a mutual understanding of what the next pitch should be.

As the most experienced senior, Haider feels a responsibility to lead but is also driven by the talent surrounding him this season.

“I definitely feel a leadership role. I hope that some of the younger guys who aren’t quite there yet can look up to me,” he said. “But I also feel with all these young guys having the talent they do I still need to prove myself every day.”

Matson also has a three-pitch repertoire and throws in the low to mid 80s.

“I really like working my curve when I need it,” he said. “I try to throw everything with the same arm speed so I can be effective with all my pitches.”

“Sax is a tough competitor on the mound,” Weldon said.

With strong pitching and a solid defense, the Bears can keep winning, Weldon said, if they can “find our offensive identity.”

Though a junior who was in the eighth grade when the Bears reached the final game in 2019, Matson harkens back to that team when assessing Olympia’s chances at a long post-season run this spring.

“Looking at the roster then versus now we have a lot more talent,” he said. “Coach Weldon has told us multiple times we haven’t done anything yet. We know we have to prove ourselves. With the talent we have, though, I think we can be back there again.”

So far, Fast has led the Bears with a .571 batting average, followed by senior Lane Fowler at .455 and junior Evan Nicol at .444. Weldon also expects big things from junior Logan Shepherd and a surprise starter at third base, freshman Trace Pruitt.

Despite this season’s senior-heavy roster, the Bears have mixed in several juniors and a sophomore or freshman in each game’s lineup. Olympia could have a strong squad for years to come.