RIDGEFIELD – Prior to their 10-3 win over the Port Angeles Lefties on Tuesday, the Ridgefield Raptors held a practice on the field at the Ridgefield Outdoor Recreation Center.
“It was probably the most disorganized wedding rehearsal you’ve ever seen,” said Jason Krohn, the Raptors director of baseball and game-day operations. “It’s hard to get 30 baseball players coordinated.”
The Raptors were practicing for the on-field wedding of one of their teammates, pitcher Eli Shubert, who will wed Erin Thum of Vancouver before Wednesday’s game at the RORC.
“It sort of started out as a joke – to get married on the field,” Shubert said. “But then I asked my fiancé, and she said ‘We could do it.’ “
Krohn and Shubert have known each other since Krohn coached the pitcher at Eagle High School in Eagle, Idaho.
“After Eli told me that he was getting married this summer and would have to leave the team, I started scheming ways to keep him with the team as long as possible,” Krohn said.
That led to the idea of having a “Bull Durham-style wedding,” as Krohn put it.
“From there, it kind of grew legs,” Krohn said. “And then the bride was strangely OK with it.”
Thum is 2019 Evergreen High graduate who played soccer at Evergreen and Lower Columbia College. She met Shubert when they were both students at LCC in 2019.
Shubert spent this past school year at Lewis-Clark State in Idaho. Thum followed him to Lewiston, and the two were engaged on Nov. 16.
The couple is planning a more traditional wedding ceremony with family and friends on Saturday in Woodland, but Wednesday’s ceremony will be a legal wedding.
“At first, I thought we’d just do a mock wedding, sort of a practice for the real thing on Saturday,” Shubert said. “But then Erin said ‘No, let’s do it for real.’ ”
The on-field ceremony will be led by an ordained minister, who is also the Raptors’ play-by-play man, Josh Worden.
“As we were planning this on a budget of zero, we were looking for volunteers, for ideas,” Krohn said. “When we talked about a minister, Josh meekly raised his hand and said ‘Uh, I’ve done this before.’
“I just really love how all of our employees have stepped up and pitched in where they could, all getting together around Eli.”
The wedding will happen at 6 p.m. and fans are encouraged to arrive early for Wednesday’s 6:35 p.m. game to be part of the festivities.
“Because they are having a church wedding on Saturday, we don’t have to worry about the pomp and circumstance, even though our ceremony will be a legal wedding,” Krohn said. “They really want this to be a get-in, get-out kind of thing.”
Afterwards, Shubert expects to pitch an inning in Wednesday’s game.
“It will be my last game with the team, so go out with a bang,” Shubert said.
Three moments
Port Angeles’ Shea Thomas hit what looked a routine fly to right in the second inning. But with the wind behind it, the ball sailed over the right-field fence for a home run.
Run-scoring hits by Caden Connor, John Peck and Cody Morales put Ridgefield up to stay in the third inning, 3-1.
The first four Raptors would reach base and eventually score in a five-run fourth inning.
Three players
John Peck went 4 for 5 with three runs, a double and two RBI.
Starting pitcher Joey Martin gave one run on three hits over five innings of work, striking out eight.
Caden Connor went 2 for 5 with two runs, a double and three RBI.
Three numbers
Eight – The number of Raptors starters who either drove in a run or scored a run.
Five – The number of times John Peck reached base.
3-1 – The Raptors’ second-half season record.
