Community Sports

Peninsula High baseball atop the South Sound Conference

Peninsula High School’s South Sound Conference-leading baseball team is playing for more than meets the eye, according to coach Michael Johnson.

The Seahawks (6-3, 5-1 SSC) are playing for their fallen brothers Caleb Wanaka and Jake Moore, who both died in tragic incidents in the offseason.

An emotional memorial was held on Saturday, April 2, before the Seahawks’ 6-5 win over Stadium High School at Cheney Stadium in Tacoma. Wanaka, a 17-year-old member of the class of 2022, died June 28, 2021, in a vehicle collision on the Key Peninsula.

Troy Buchanan dives headfirst into home plate as his teammate takes over the umpire duties. Courtesy of Ed Johnson

Johnson praised the senior leadership of Landon Pate, Hunter Bennett, Dakota Ortwein, Ben King, Duren Miller, Reece Zusy, Trevor Grande and Nathan Hawkins.

“Through the ups and downs, all of these seniors have continued to battle and I could not be prouder of the way they have handled themselves up to this point in the season,” Johnson said.

Here is a look at some of the key players on a team fighting for a South Sound title.

Pitching staff

“The biggest surprise for me this year has been the performance of our pitching staff,” Johnson said. “Coming into the season we knew we would have to throw sophomores Gavin Sheets and Grayson Ford into the fire. We were confident that they could compete, but I don’t think we can honestly say we saw these types of performances coming.”

Sheets has a 0.71 ERA with 25 strikeouts in 19 innings, giving up only two runs. Ford has a 1.78 ERA with 28 strikeouts while allowing only four runs.

Gavin Sheets has 25 strikeouts on the season for Peninsula. Courtesy of Ed Johnson

“Both bring an extreme confidence to the hill each time they get the ball. At the midway point, these two have solidified themselves as the top two options in our rotation,” Johnson said.

Johnson added that seniors Bennett and Ortwein “both have demonstrated great poise in tough situations and continue to keep hitters off balance.”

Bennett has a 3.96 ERA with 24 strikeouts in 17 innings and Ortwein has a 1.16 ERA with seven strikeouts and one run allowed in six innings. That adds up to 84 strikeouts between the four pitchers.

Offense

On offense, Johnson praised the efforts of senior Miller, juniors Payton Knowles and Troy Buchanan and sophomore Aiden Deschenes.

“These four continue to get on base, come through in big moments and have contributed to a large majority of our offensive production thus far,” Johnson said.

Knowles has a .484 batting average with 15 hits, three doubles, two triples, nine RBI, 12 runs and 11 steals. With numbers like that, Knowles should be in the SSC league MVP discussion at the end of the year.

Troy Buchanan rips a shot to centerfield for the Seahawks during a recent game. Courtesy of Ed Johnson

Deschenes is batting .375 with six hits and nine RBI, while Buchanan is hitting .321 with nine hits, nine runs and six stolen bases. Miller is batting .313 with a team-leading 5 doubles, a triple and seven RBI.

Peninsula also has a fine defensive infield with players who can gobble up grounders and make accurate throws to  athletic first baseman Miller. The outfield is composed of quick ground-covering fielders with accurate, strong arms who keep baserunners from advancing.

A spirited group

Johnson has his team diving head-first, slapping high fives and playing inspired baseball while leading his team through difficult off-field circumstances.

He is a players’ coach who keeps the team loose enough to perform but also runs a tight ship, as was evidenced in a game last week against Yelm. A frustrated Seahawk threw his bouncing bat to the ground after getting hit in the back by an errant pitch.

The home plate umpire was about to interject, but before he could Johnson sprung off the bench and forcefully but respectfully corrected his player on controlling his emotions before turning to the dugout and saying: “I don’t want to see any of that again.”

Coach Michaerl Johnson congratulates sophomore Aiden Deschenes during a recent game. Courtesy of Ed Johnson

A lot of “yes, coach” responses  were heard as Johnson calmly returned to the dugout after making his point. Only a few minutes later, when that same player scored on a hustling play, the forgiving coach was out of the dugout again — this time fist-bumping and congratulating the player on a job well done.

Looking ahead

This is Johnson’s 7th year in the Peninsula program and his fourth season as head coach. In three seasons of actual play (the 2020 season cancelled because of Covid), his record is 31- 20 with two playoff appearances and a state tournament run in 2019, when Peninsula advanced to the quarterfinal round.

The Seahawks’ only losses have come to quality teams in Olympia, O’Dea and River Ridge. The Seahawks still have some navigating to do for a league title, including tough home-and-away series against Timberline and Capitol.

They also have important games against their talented crosstown rivals, Gig Harbor, on April 26 and 27 at Sehmel Park. That series may decide the conference championship.

Duren Miller provides athleticism at first base and is hitting .313 with five doubles. Courtesy of Ed Johnson