On the surface, Mountain View baseball enters the postseason after a nearly identical year as 2018. Both 2018 and 2019 teams won 3A Greater St. Helens League titles; both had just one league defeat.
But this year feels a whole lot different than 2018, when the Thunder went 1-2 and was quickly eliminated from the playoffs.
“We’re a lot more of a family,” senior pitcher Andrew Selden said. “We have really come together as a team.”
High school teams can go in a lot of different directions after a disappointing end to a season. The Thunder chose the path that led to a third league title in four years and a 19-1 record.
They enter Saturday’s bi-district playoffs as the GSHL No. 1 seed and will play the winner of Bethel (9-11) and Peninsula (14-5) at 4 p.m. at Propstra Stadium.
“I think they’re ready,” coach Aaron Coiteux said. “I think they have a little chip on their shoulder.”
The Thunder lineup is also tearing the cover off the ball and the defense has been nearly flawless. Led by 10 seniors, Mountain View is batting .354 and averages 7.6 runs per game.
Mitchell Allison leads the way with a .414 average. Garrett Moen (.391), Riley McCarthy (.375), Isaiah Parker (.375) and Andrew Gulliford (.339) only touch on how deep the lineup is this season.
There’s been half as many errors this season (27 compared to 48 in 2018).
That’s given Selden plenty of opportunity to shine. The senior ace has struck out 55 in 41.2 innings and boasts a 6-0 record and 0.92 ERA.
Selden admits he didn’t always take things as seriously as he should have last year. He didn’t ice after games and would get down on himself when his team fell behind.
He’s more engaged this season, an example of the buy-in Coiteux has seen from more of his players this season.
“They’re playing for one another and I think that’s what is dangerous about teams,” Coiteux said. “You don’t want to fail for you buddy. Last year we didn’t have that. We had some kids that just wanted stats. It showed toward the end of the season when we just didn’t play well.”
Captains Moen and Gulliford and fellow seniors Gavin Trono and Parker have been instrumental in creating a more family-like atmosphere for the Thunder. It started in the offseason after Mountain View saw Kelso, a team it swept in league play, reach the state title game.
“Knowing anybody can get hot at any time, whether it’s us after winning 19 games or a three seed out of the district,” Moen said. “Anyone can get hot, so we have to bring our game every day.”
It helps that the Thunder were rewarded with a first-round bye this season with an altered playoff bracket. Now, just one win will clinch the Thunder’s fourth state spot this decade.
It’s certain the Thunder aren’t getting complacent this time around.
“Don’t take anything for granted,” Gulliford said. “You have to play every out as your last.”
