A teacher once told Joey Dettrich, then a seventh-grader, that his dream of becoming a professional baseball player was “unrealistic.”
For a class project on career aspirations, Dettrich wrote about how he planned to be a big leaguer someday. The teacher failed him for picking an impractical goal and made him start over.
“It pretty much broke my heart,” said Dettrich, now a senior at Arlington High School. “I thought, ‘All right. Well, maybe she’s right.’”
Fortunately, Dettrich never gave up. And now he’s one step closer to reaching a so-called unrealistic goal.
Dettrich, a 6-foot-4, 165-pound left-handed pitcher, verbally accepted a 33-percent athletic scholarship to play baseball for the University of Washington. Washington made the offer in August after Dettrich played in several showcase events.
Besides praising Washington’s academic reputation, Dettrich said of the Seattle campus: “It felt like you were at a higher level than anybody else. I just felt more comfortable there.” He also considered Washington State, Oregon State and Hawaii.
Dettrich, who plays for the Washington Wave select team, throws two pitches: a fastball (two-seam and four-seam varieties) that tops out around 88 mph, and a curveball, which he calls his “out pitch.”
He said he still encounters doubters but they motivate him even more: “I kind of like that just because it gets a little fire in my belly.”
To grasp the extent of Dettrich’s passion, consider this: About five years ago he saved money by mowing lawns, picking berries and washing cars and purchased a commemorative brick at Safeco Field for $100. The brick says:
Joey Dettrich
Future Mariner
As for that seventh-grade teacher, Dettrich plans to give her a special present someday: a copy of his first professional baseball contract.
Playmaker has room to grow
Running back/defensive back Justin Glenn of Kamiak attacked from multiple angles in the Knights’ 49-13 victory over Shorewood on Friday. He contributed three touchdowns (an 83-yard kickoff return, a 31-yard run and a 41-yard punt return) and had a 22-yard interception return that led to another score. “He’s a playmaker,” Kamiak coach Dan Mack said of the 5-11, 185-pound Glenn, “and he got a chance to make some big plays.”
Mack said Glenn’s offseason weight-room work paid off, but there’s room for improvement: “He has put on a significant amount of muscle, but he isn’t where he needs to be by any stretch of the imagination.”
“He’s a special kid,” Mack added. “He’s a great person (and) a good teammate who does well in the classroom.”
Stilly Cup rewind
This year’s Stilly Cup football game, a 14-6 Stanwood victory, had the lowest combined point total since 1996, when Stanwood won 10-7. The lowest point total since the current trophy came into existence 35 years ago was Arlington’s 6-0 triumph in 1972.
Their just desserts
Every time the Mariner football team wins a football game, coach John Ondriezek rewards his players with ice cream the following Wednesday. With four victories in their first five tries this season, the Marauders have had a chance to scarf down plenty of cold stuff this year. Junior quarterback Tyler Tuiasosopo (12 total TDs) has helped lead the charge, but the ice cream hasn’t slowed him down a bit. “He’s getting out of the pocket now. He has quicker feet,” said Mariner senior Jerrel Grant.
Mike Cane, Herald Writer
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