Community Sports

Peninsula fastpitch off to a hot start

The Peninsula fastpitch team started the season strong, running up a 7-2 record and rising to No. 2 in the state in Class 3A in ranking by high school sports website Max Preps.

The Seahawks are coming off a 2022 season in which they won league and district championships and advanced to the state tournament. All but one player from that squad returned this year.

Peninsula’s players are aggressive in the batters box, on the base paths and with their tempo. They play with class and sportsmanship but opponents quickly understand that the Seahawks are on the diamond to win.

Coach Paul

Their mindset comes partly from coach Mike Paul, a direct leader who looks to take advantage of any weakness he sees. He is unique in the South Sound Conference in the way he controls the game: He calls out three numbers before every pitch or at bat. Only his team knows which number in the sequence is used during that inning to relay either the pitch he wants thrown or if he wants his batters to swing or take a pitch.

Peninsula softball coach Mike Paul hits pop-ups during warmups. Photo by Bryce Carithers.

The number calling may make him sound like Dustin Hoffman in “Rainman,” but it is highly effective.

On March 27, the Seahawks (3-0 South Sound Conference), dismantled Central Kitsap (2-3, 1-1) in a 13-0 win.

Peninsula ace Alli Kimball opened on the mound for the Seahawks and threw gas from the very first pitch. All she did last year was throw two perfect games and earn a Gatorade National Player of the Year nomination.

Kimball whips the ball to the plate with such velocity that batters must decide to swing in the first second or all that is left is to hear the loud slap of the ball into the catchers mitt. She has a league-leading 1.65 ERA and has struck out 48 batters in 24 innings.

With the game against CK well in hand, Paul replaced her at the end of the fourth inning with Glory Eastabrook. She was effective as well, throwing hard rise balls that the Cougars could not catch up to.

At the plate

So the Seahawks have a elite pitcher with a quality No. 2 and an experienced coach, but can they hit? You bet they can.

Malia Coit leads Peninsula in stolen bases and has a .1000 fielding percentage. Photo by Bryce Carithers.

Five Seahawks are batting above .500, two players over .400 and three more over .300. They are disciplined enough to earn walks but continually take hard, level swings that rocket balls past infielders and force outfielders to play near the fences.

First baseman Ava Miranda leads the Seahawks with a .632 average, 17 RBI and 10 runs scored. The sophomore hit a two-run home run and a two-run double against CK.

Junior third baseman Kallee Waage hits .583 average, while junior Sophia Hooper is an even .500 with 7 RBI. Junior second baseman Malia Coit is batting .500 with 4 RBI, nine runs, a team-high six steals and a .1000 fielding percentage.

Senior catcher/third baseman Hailey Ruckle also hasn’t committed an error and is batting .421. She uses a level swing and her speed to get on base often.

In addition to fine pitching, senior Glory Eastabrook carries a .417 average with 5 RBI, 10 runs and a team-leading five doubles. Her sister Grace Eastabrook, a versatile utility player, has 4 RBI and 5 runs.

Peninsula celebrates another win. Photo by Bryce Carithers.

Kimball is also a quality hitter and plays an excellent shortstop when she isn’t pitching. The senior is batting .364 with 6 RBI, six runs scored and a triple on the season.

Defense

The Seahawks also play sound, fundamental defense. Their best defender looks to be catcher Ruckle. She showed amazing concentration on a pop fly behind the plate against the Cougars.

The ball came down as close to the fence as possible and she caught it with her chin pressed against the chain link in a display of complete concentration. The energetic Ruckle also has a fine arm to throw out runners and is capable of catching for Kimball, which is not a easy task when you consider the velocity and movement on her pitches.

The Seahawks’ only two losses this season were to quality Class 4A teams, Jackson and Bothell. They will be tested in the league by Gig Harbor (4-3, 4-0) and Timberline (4-2, 2-1).