2008 prep baseball: Five players to watch
Published 4:54 pm Monday, March 24, 2008
Derek Jones
Snohomish
Positions: LHP/1B/OF College plans: Signed with Washington State University Outlook: After being named The Herald’s 2007 All-Area Baseball Player of the Year, Jones is back for what should be another special season. The second-year team captain is Snohomish’s No. 1 starting pitcher and a powerful hitter (six home runs last season). Snohomish baseball coach Kim Hammons called the senior a proven leader who keeps teammates loose and also gives them direction.
Kramer Scott
Edmonds-Woodway
Positions: OF/LHP/1B College plans: Signed with University of Portland Outlook: Like any smart player, Scott focuses on how he can improve, not on what he’s already accomplished. After setting a program record with a .513 batting average last season, the senior, an all-state first-team honoree, came back this spring ready to work. “He’s not cocky about it and from what I’ve seen he’s just kind of back to square one,” Edmonds-Woodway baseball coach Matt Barker said. “He’s working on his timing and not coasting on last season.”
Doug Joyce
Stanwood
Positions: C/RHP College plans: Signed with Florida International University Outlook: Limited by mono last season, Joyce is a four-year starter who brings size (6-foot-3, 218 pounds) and intelligence to the field. “He’s just a big, strong looking kid with a real strong arm. He’s got a real air to him behind the plate,” Stanwood baseball coach Tony Wolden said of Joyce, ranked No. 6 on Baseball Northwest’s Washington Class of 2008 list. In addition to providing solid defense, the senior hit well over .400 the past two seasons, Wolden said.
Jake Theis
Mountlake Terrace
Positions: RHP/DH College plans: Signed with Washington State University Outlook: Ninth-year Mountlake Terrace baseball coach Andrew Watters said Theis, known for his outstanding accuracy on the mound, has the best mixture of ability and control of any pitcher he’s coached. “His biggest strength is that he has done a good job in throwing strikes and staying ahead of hitters,” Watters said of Theis, ranked 20th on Baseball Northwest’s Washington Class of 2008 list. The 6-foot-5 senior is also a powerful hitter and is working on his consistency at the plate, said Watters.
Matt Gorman
Meadowdale
Positions: RHP/3B/1B College plans: Signed with the University of Washington Outlook: The future Husky uses his 6-foot-4, 210-pound body to fire scorching fastballs on the mound. “He throws hard. That’s the primary thing that you see. He is a big, strong high school athlete,” Meadowdale coach Bill Hummel said. Gorman, whose pitch velocity has reached 91 mph, has a pretty good changeup and is developing a curveball, said Hummel. One of Meadowdale’s better hitters, the senior drilled three doubles and drove in five runs in the Mavericks’ first two games this season.
