From the largest schools in the area to some of the smallest, the local high school baseball landscape is teeming with top-tier, next-level talent.
There currently are 13 local players known to have signed or committed to play NCAA Division I baseball, including eight who are headed to Pac-12 programs.
The high-end talent is dispersed across the area’s three main conferences, with five Division I-bound players in Wesco 4A, five in Wesco 3A and three in the Cascade Conference.
“It’s not that often kids go straight from high school to D-I for baseball,” Edmonds-Woodway coach Dan Somoza said. “And to have that many players around here is pretty amazing.”
Perhaps most impressive is that five local players have either signed or committed to perennial powerhouse Oregon State University, currently the nation’s top-ranked team in all six major collegiate polls.
Those five players are in addition to former Snohomish standout and current OSU freshman reliever Jake Mulholland, who sports a dazzling 1.01 earned-run average in 35 2/3 innings pitched this season for the Beavers.
“I think there’s always college talent in this area,” Glacier Peak coach Bob Blair said. “But (five) guys going to Oregon State — the No. 1 team in the nation — that’s kind of unheard of.”
Highlighting the OSU-bound players is Lynnwood senior shortstop Kyler McMahan, who was ranked No. 100 in the nation last November on Baseball America’s list of the top 100 high school prospects.
“He’s the best position player I’ve seen in a while,” longtime Jackson coach Kirk Nicholson said. “He’s really good. He’s a guy that throws at 90 (mph) across the infield, is really fast and swings it. He’s a five-tool guy. I’d be shocked if the pros aren’t on him.”
If selected in the Major League Baseball draft in June, McMahan would be faced with a decision between playing college baseball or heading straight to the minor leagues.
If he takes the college route, McMahan would join a pair of local OSU-bound seniors in Cedar Park Christian pitcher Michael Attalah and Glacier Peak shortstop Ryan Ober. McMahan and Ober have played summer ball together for several years and consider themselves best friends.
“It’d be awesome having a best friend by my side,” Ober said. “I don’t think too many guys get to say that about their college athletics experience.”
In addition, the Jackson duo of junior outfielder Carter Booth and sophomore catcher Ben Steck already have committed to the Beavers.
The area’s other Pac-12 recruits are Shorewood senior shortstop Arthur Pate (Washington), Archbishop Murphy senior outfielder Collin Montez (Washington State) and Kamiak junior infielder Morgan White (Washington State).
Rounding out the area’s Division-I recruits are Edmonds-Woodway senior pitcher Nick Hull (Grand Canyon), Jackson senior pitcher Jacob Bogacz (Northern Colorado), Archbishop Murphy senior shortstop Connor O’Brien (Seattle University), Meadowdale junior catcher Travis Hagan (Seattle University) and Shorecrest senior outfielder Jason Sarver (Coppin State).
“I wish they were all on my team,” Somoza said with a laugh. “But it’s fun. It makes it a lot more fun to compete against top-notch players. And all those guys are really class guys that we’re playing against. They play the game the right way, they play hard, they have a lot of fun and it’s contagious to their teammates.”
“This area has had some unbelievable groups of kids that have come through,” Nicholson added. “We’ve had some legitimate players come through here. It’s been amazing for a couple years now.”
The area’s top-tier talent is further reflected in Baseball Northwest’s rankings of the state’s top seniors. Four local players are in the top nine, with McMahan at No. 2, Attalah at No. 5, Pate at No. 7 and Ober at No. 9. In all, nine local players are ranked in the top 30.
“The talent in the Northwest is really good, and it’s been pretty awesome to see all these great players just in this little area, too,” Somoza said. “That just shows there’s some great high school coaches, great summer coaches and good trainers around here.”
Nicholson said summer baseball programs have had a major impact in developing the area’s talent.
“Summer ball is amazing around here,” he said. “There is amazing talent out there that gets to play against each other over and over and over. And as a result, they’re pretty good players after it’s all said and done.”
Division I-bound players certainly provide major contributions to their high school teams in on-field productivity, but their impact stretches beyond the box scores. That’s the case with Archbishop Murphy’s duo of future Division-I players, Wildcats coach Max Whitt said.
“(Their teammates) really look up to them,” Whitt said of Montez and O’Brien. “Every single day they’ll come in and be the first ones on the field, the first ones in the cage and teaching boys the ropes — what they do before the game and everything like that. So they’re really good leaders, and it’s just something that a lot of kids look up to.”
Lynnwood coach Fraser Dizard echoed a similar sentiment with regard to McMahan.
“He kind of brings the level of play up a couple of notches,” Dizard said. “There’s no better way to get better than to practice with people who are better than you.
“Our program has been pretty good the last couple of years, and I think (McMahan’s) been a big part of it,” Dizard added. “He makes other kids in the school want to play. … We’ve had more guys trying out the last couple of years. I don’t know if that has any direct correlation to him, but I think just having someone in the program that’s a D-I guy definitely (puts) a name out there and is a good thing.”
Another benefit of Division-I talent is the exposure it provides other top players who have received less college attention. For instance, longtime Shorewood coach Wyatt Tonkin said a Division I coach attended one of the Thunderbirds’ recent games to watch a commit on the opposing team. Afterward, Tonkin said, the coach was impressed with one of Shorewood’s players.
“The talent in the league brings eyes out for other kids,” Tonkin said. “It really helps. And (the coach) may see somebody that doesn’t really fit what they’re looking for right now. Maybe they’re loaded in outfielders, but he sees an outfielder that has an impressive day at the plate. And (then) he runs into another coach that’s Division II or Division III and needs an outfielder, and he puts this kid’s name out there. Things like that happen all the time.”
Somoza also pointed out that many players have turned success at the junior-college level into opportunities with Division-I programs.
“I’ve had a lot of guys go that route, which is a very popular route for baseball,” Somoza said. “So that’s another way kids get to Division I.”
Among the most talent-rich local programs over the years has been Jackson, which has had numerous players move on to Division I or the minor leagues — including two alums who reached the majors. For Nicholson, seeing his former players advance to the next level is more rewarding than winning.
“I’ve won state. My team has played a lot of big games. And the truth is, there’s nothing better than to see your kids get to go on and get some of their college paid for, play at the next level, go to the minors — and some guys to the majors,” Nicholson said. “There is nothing bigger than that. That’s so much bigger than wins and losses in high school baseball.”
And whether the player is wearing a Timberwolves uniform or not, Nicholson enjoys watching local talent play high-caliber ball.
“We have as good of talent around here as anybody does,” Nicholson said. “Year in and year out, we just see a lot of guys who are pretty good. And it’s fabulous. It’s so cool to watch them play and get a chance as a coach to be on that field, whether they’re with us or (on the opposition).
“You see those guys go on (to the next level) and you’re like, ‘Wow, it’s cool that I got to coach against those guys.’ It’s so great to watch that. We have exceptional talent in this area.”
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