It was the youngest South Kitsap team of coach Jim Fairweather’s seven-year tenure.
Despite an 0-5 start to the season, the Wolves finished 13-10 to avoid their first losing season since 1988. They put together two three-game winning streaks and one with four straight victories.
The result was two starters and five honorable mention performers on the 2010 All-Kitsap County Baseball team as voted on by the sports editors of the Kitsap News Group. That includes the Port Orchard Independent, the Bremerton Patriot/Central Kitsap Reporter, North Kitsap Herald and the Bainbridge Review.
2010 All-Kitsap County
Baseball Team
Starters
C — Michael Nelson, South Kit-sap, sophomore: With senior Gordy Anderson moving from behind the plate to the mound, coach Jim Fairweather needed a replacement. After starting the year on junior varsity, Nelson quickly was called up based on assistant coach Jay Powers’ recommendation. Nelson became such a vital part of the Wolves’ lineup that Fairweather used him as a designated hitter when another sophomore, Alex Sablan, was behind the plate. Nelson finished with a .378 batting average along with a team-best .603 on-base percentage. He also had two home runs and led the team with 19 RBI.
“He’s got great upside,” said Fairweather, adding that Nelson is becoming more involved with the football team’s weight-lifting program. “He’s going to be a beast to deal with.”
1B — Danny Orr, Kingston, senior: Orr played an integral part in Kingston’s success this season, leading the Buccaneers back to the state tournament for the third year in a row. While his defense was solid, he was most impressive at the plate.
2B — Tyler Baumgartner, Central Kitsap, senior: The consistent Baumgartner finished the regular season with a .468 batting average, four home runs and 28 RBI, hitting from the No. 4 position of the batting order.
3B — Jordan Halstead, Olympic, senior: With a reliable glove and consistent bat, Halstead made large contributions to an Olympic team that reached the Class 3A state tournament for the second time in three seasons. Halstead hit .411 in 64 plate appearances during the regular season, driving in 15 runs and scoring 10. He committed four errors on defense.
SS — Mitch Main, Bainbridge, senior: One of the few returners on a Spartan team that placed second in the Class 3A state championships a year ago, Main was a vital leader for Bainbridge’s 2010 squad. In addition to being a key player on defense, he averaged .438 at the plate, including four triples, and stole 15 bases.
OF — Drew Vettleson, Central Kitsap, senior: The ambidextrous Vettleson did just about everything for the Cougars, who made their fourth consecutive appearance at the Class 4A state tournament. Vettleson has signed a letter of intent to play next season at Oregon State University, but he also is projected to be drafted in the 2010 Major League Draft, which begins June 7. At the plate he finished the regular season with a .490 batting average, seven home runs and 29 RBI, all team highs.
OF — Stephen Gorman, Kingston, junior: While Gorman’s bat and glove were consistent, he contributed most on the base path. Gorman led the Bucs with nine stolen bases to go with his .375 batting average and 10 RBI.
OF — Alex Nettleton, North Kitsap, junior: Nettleton had a habit of getting big hits for the Olympic League champion Vikings. His six doubles, two triples and one home run led to 15 RBI, 12 runs scored and a slugging percentage of .609.
UTIL — Chris Campbell, Olympic, senior: Campbell did a little bit of everything for Olympic, seeing significant time on the pitching mound as well in the outfield. After a sluggish start, Campbell hit. 424 over the final 10 regular-season games and earned three saves, striking out 25 batters in 14 innings. Coach Nate Andrews said that if intangibles were taken into account, Campbell may have been the best all-around player in the Olympic League.
P — Gordy Anderson, South Kitsap, senior: Many quarterbacks also pitch, but Anderson was almost exclusively a catcher until this year. Despite that, he developed into the school’s No. 1 starter with a 4-1 record and a 2.26 ERA in 43 1/3 innings. He also struck out 44 batters and had 22 walks. Coach Jim Fairweather said Anderson was one of the few consistent players when the Wolves had a rough start to the season.
“He kept everyone calm,” Fairweather said. “It was nice to have a guy to rely on when everyone else was finding their way.”
P — Josh Herrera, Kingston, junior: Herrera was a standout on a Kingston roster full of talented pitchers. In 40 1/3 innings pitched, he had 27 strikeouts and a team-low 0.516 ERA. He also posted a regular season record of 4-1 with one save.
P — Daniel Jewett, North Kitsap, senior: Jewett, who will play at Truman State University in Missouri next year, led North Kitsap with 51 strikeouts in 41 2/3 innings pitched. He posted an ERA of 1.85, with a regular season record of 6-1. The senior also put up big numbers on offense.
P — Alex Smith, North Kitsap, junior: Smith had one of the lowest ERAs in the Olympic League, at 0.45. He struck out 32 batters and walked just nine in 31 innings, on his way to a 6-0 regular season record. On offense, he averaged .327, with a slugging percentage of .436.
P — Joe Stevick, Olympic, junior: Stevick emerged as the Trojans’ most reliable arm in a pitching rotation that included two-time All-Kitsaper Riley Crow. He finished the regular season with a 3-2 record and 1.71 ERA in 32 2/3 innings, throwing the majority of what Andrews called the team’s “big games.”
Coach of the Year — Scott McKay, Kingston: Without an ace on the mound, McKay used a technique he called “pitching by committee,” rotating between four or five starting pitchers for most of the year. The method worked. Kingston put up its best record in its three-year history, won the Class 2A Olympic League title as well as its first West Central District title, and finished the season as one of the top eight 2A teams in the state.
Honorable mention:
Nick Benish, junior, North Kitsap; Curtis Wildung, junior, Kingston; Ian Hollis, senior, North Kitsap; Mitch Cartwright, South Kitsap, senior; Ricky Johnson, South Kitsap, senior; Tanner Romo, South Kitsap, junior; Easton Sartor, South Kitsap, sophomore; Riley Voshell, South Kitsap, senior; Matt Ramstead, senior, Kingston; Nick Torento, junior, Kingston; Tyler Klopp, junior, Kingston; Berkley Nilles, senior, North Kitsap; Austin Abrahamsen, senior, North Kitsap; Zane Minder, junior, North Kitsap; Mitch Main, senior, Bainbridge; Chris Groat, senior, Olympic; Brandon Neet, senior, Klahowya; Kaden Tomlinson, freshman, Bremerton; Riley Crow, senior, Olympic; Blake Johnson, senior, Olympic; Joe Valley, junior, Klahowya; Keith Davis, senior, Olympic; Conner Whales, sophomore, Bremerton; Seth Green, senior, Klahowya; Brett McDonald, junior, Central Kitsap; Josh Kreifels, junior, Central Kitsap; Josh Sontag, sophomore, Central Kitsap; Devin Garcia, junior, Bremerton; Zach Bird, senior, Olympic.
