Six Challengers earn first-team honors

Danny Penza, Mail Tribune, Medford, Ore.
·4 min read

Jun. 7—The Cascade Christian baseball team's rise to the top of the Class 3A rankings this season was a rapid one, and the Challengers' top bats were rewarded for a Far West League title-winning season with plenty of recognition in a recent vote by the league's coaches.

Six different Challengers earned first-team all-FWL honors — catcher Triston Wallace, infielders Owen Thompson and Cody Reece, outfielders Cole Shields and Ashton Moody and designated hitter Austin Waits — while first-year head coach Kevin Shafer was picked as the league's coach of the year after leading Cascade Christian to a 23-5 record and the No. 1 seed in the 3A state playoffs.

Reece, the Challengers' speedy senior leadoff man, scored a team-high 41 runs and hit .365 with 10 RBIs. Wallace, a sophomore, led the Challengers in home runs with six and was fourth with 33 RBIs while hitting .406 and playing strong defense behind the plate.

Thompson had a big junior campaign, leading Cascade Christian with a .488 batting average and 37 RBIs. He was third on the team in home runs with four, while hitting nearly twice as many doubles (15) as any of his teammates.

In 113 plate appearances, Thompson walked more times (22) than he struck out (17).

Shields batted .411 with five homers, 31 runs and 36 RBIs, Moody hit .329 with 13 RBIs and scored 23 runs and Waits posted a .321 average with four home runs and 33 RBIs.

St. Mary's had a pair of first-team selections in senior outfielder Eli Haynes and senior utility man Travis Johnson.

Haynes, who made the switch from first base to the outfield during the offseason, hit .377 overall and .404 in league play, finishing with 10 RBIs, 24 runs and 14 stolen bases. Johnson had a strong season both at the plate and on the mound, recording a .329 average while scoring 19 runs out of the leadoff spot and going 6-4 with a 2.89 ERA and one save.

South Umpqua's Ever Lamm was named the FWL's player of the year in baseball.

In FWL softball, Cascade Christian's McKenzie Bonner, Katelynn Reed and Callie Sweem were the Challengers' top honorees, with the trio all being named to the second team.

South Umpqua swept the individual awards in softball, with Violet Richardson being named player of the year and JP Kelley taking home coach of the year honors.

ALL-FWL BASEBALL

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Ever Lamm, Sr., South Umpqua.

COACH OF THE YEAR: Kevin Shafer, Cascade Christian.

First Team

PITCHER: Ever Lamm, Sr., South Umpqua.; Jason DeShon, Sr., Brookings-Harbor; Jace Johnson, Jr., South Umpqua.

CATCHER: Triston Wallace, Jr., Cascade Christian.

FIRST BASE: Brayden Reedy, Sr., South Umpqua.

INFIELDER: Owen Thompson, Jr., Cascade Christian; Cody Reece, Sr., Cascade Christian; Justin Jenks, Sr., Sutherlin; Kade Johnson, Sr., South Umpqua.

OUTFIELDER: Cole Shields, Jr., Cascade Christian; Eli Haynes, Sr., St. Mary's; Garrett Schulze, Sr., Douglas; Ashton Moody, So., Cascade Christian.

DESIGNATED HITTER: Austin Waits, Sr., Cascade Christian.

UTILITY: Travis Johnson, Sr., St. Mary's.

Second Team

PITCHER: Beau Aldrich, Sr., St. Mary's; Tristan Ledbetter, So., Douglas.

CATCHER: Ean Lawrence, Sr., St. Mary's; Waylon McKnight, Jr., Sutherlin.

FIRST BASE: Liam Benade, Jr., Cascade Christian.

INFIELDER: Seth Valliere, Jr., Brookings-Harbor; Tauj Flora, Fr., Sutherlin; Kallen Christensen, Jr., Brookings-Harbor; Alan Gomez, Sr., St. Mary's.

OUTFIELDER: Thomas Mentes, Sr., Sutherlin; Andrew Camp, Fr., South Umpqua; Logan Fultz, Jr., Sutherlin.

DESIGNATED HITTER: Jordan Stevenson, Sr., South Umpqua.

UTILITY: Kyle Burger, Jr., Brookings-Harbor.

Honorable Mention

CATCHER: Jericho Paul, Sr., Douglas; Spencer Rosenerg, So., Brookings-Harbor.

FIRST BASE: Ethan Orman, So., Brookings-Harbor.

UTILITY: Grant Russo, Sr., St. Mary's; Evan Martin, So., Douglas.

ALL-FWL SOFTBALL

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Violet Richardson, Jr., South Umpqua.

COACH OF THE YEAR: JP Kelley, South Umpqua.

First Team

PITCHER: Tatum Kelley, Jr., South Umpqua; Maddie Taylor, Sr., Brookings-Harbor.

CATCHER: Montana Love, Jr., South Umpqua.

FIRST BASE: Haley Twyman, Fr., South Umpqua; Kami Koepnick, Fr., Brookings-Harbor.

INFIELDER: Kaydence Norton, So., South Umpqua; Jordan Crosby, Sr., Brookings-Harbor; Erica MacDonald, Sr., Sutherlin; Torrin Richardson, Sr., Douglas; Keirra Bennett, Jr., Douglas.

OUTFIELDER: Ashlyn Vey, So., South Umpqua; Kiersten Chapman, Sr., South Umpqua; Josie Vermillion, So., Sutherlin; Ava Gill, Jr., Sutherlin.

UTILITY: Ashley Radmer, Sr., Sutherlin.

Second Team

PITCHER: Tahlor Westrom, Jr., Sutherlin.

CATCHER: Jordan Pryor, Sr., Brookings-Harbor.

FIRST BASE: Alaura Hale, Sr., Douglas.

INFIELDER: McKenzie Bonner, So., Cascade Christian; Mady Pratt, So., South Umpqua; Micah Wicks, Jr., Sutherlin.

OUTFIELDER: Katelynn Reed, So., Cascade Christian; Charlie Nolte, Sr., Brookings-Harbor; Kelcie Ziegler, Sr., Brookings-Harbor; Malia Schultz, Fr., Douglas.

UTILITY: Callie Sweem, Sr., Cascade Christian; Bella Hester, Jr., Douglas.

Honorable Mention

FIRST BASE: Maile Scaglione, Jr., Cascade Christian.

INFIELDER: Hannah James, Sr., Brookings-Harbor.

Reach reporter Danny Penza at 541-776-4469or dpenza@rosebudmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @penzatopaper.