Community roundup: Evans tops podium at Mark Galloway Shootout

Earlier this month Garrett Evans was inducted into the West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame. On Saturday he celebrated by demonstrating just why he was worthy of the honor.

The 66-year-old Evans, who’s based in East Wenatchee and is a legend of northwest auto racing, took the checkered flag at the Mark Galloway Shootout on Saturday at Evergreen Speedway.

The Galloway Shootout, a 100-lap race for Pro Late Models on the track’s 5/8-mile oval, is one of the Monroe racetrack’s premier events. Evans took home the $6,000 prize for finishing first.

Evans, a four-time NASCAR Northwest Series champion, finished first in qualifying, but started 10th on the grid as the top 10 spots were inverted. He gradually worked himself up through the field before passing Randy Marshall for first place with about 20 laps remaining. Evans led the rest of the way.

Marshall finished second and Thomas Stanford took third to round out the podium.

Four Trojans earn All-American honors

Everett Community College had one softball player and three baseball players named junior college All-Americans.

Sophomore softball pitcher Kaylie Hoskins, a graduate of Lake Stevens High School, was named a National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-American for the second straight year. Hoskins went 17-4 with a 3.02 ERA and led the Northwest Athletic Conference in strikeouts with 289 in 146 innings.

Meanwhile, baseball players Konnor Palmeira, Ben Steck and Xavier Ulrich were named ABCA/Rawlings Pacific Association Division All-Americans. Palmeira, a sophomore first baseman from Kahului, Hawaii, was named to the second team after batting .322 with eight homers and 41 RBI in 49 games. Steck, a sophomore catcher and Jackson High School graduate, and Ulrich, a sophomore designated hitter from Vancouver, Washington, were named third teamers — Steck batted .323 with three homers and 26 RBI, Ulrich batted .317 with one homer and 14 RBI.

Atwood signs with White Sox organization

Tulalip native Andy Atwood has signed to play with the Chicago White Sox organization.

Atwood, who attended O’Dea High School and lists Everett as his hometown, spent the final three seasons of his college career as an infielder at the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley, where in 2021 as a senior he batted .341 with 10 homers and 34 RBI in 58 games to earn first-team All-Western Athletic Conference honors. He finished out 2021 and started 2022 with the Great Falls Voyagers of the independent Pioneer League, and this year he was batting .333 with three homers and 20 RBI in 23 games when he was signed by the White Sox.

Atwood was assigned to the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers of the Single-A Carolina League.

Reynolds wins Canada Cup with USA Softball

Snohomish High School graduate Sami Reynolds, who just completed her senior season as an outfielder with the University of Washington softball team, was part of the U.S. team that claimed the championship at the Canada Cup International Softball Championship held last week in Surrey, B.C. The U.S. finished 7-2 at the tournament, beating T.C. Colorado 5-1 in the deciding game. Reynolds’ main highlight was an RBI double in the 7-0 victory over the Netherlands in the loser’s bracket semifinal.

Next up for Reynolds is serving as an alternate for the U.S. team that competes at the World Games, which take place July 7-17 in Birmingham, Alabama.

Snohomish Summer Smash returning

The Snohomish Summer Smash tennis tournament for girls and boys high school players is set to take place July 21-24 at Snohomish High School. The tournament is open to players who are incoming freshman through graduated seniors, and offers Gold, Silver and Bronze divisions for girls singles and doubles and boys singles and doubles, as well as a mixed doubles division. Last year’s tournament featured 130 players from 32 high schools stretching from Bellingham to Seattle.

The entry fee is $35 for singles and $50 for a doubles team, and the registration deadline is July 13. For more information, visit the tournament’s website.

Pickleball courts introduced in Mill Creek

The Mill Creek City Council held a ceremony last Wednesday at Highlands Park celebrating the conversion of tennis courts into multi-use courts that include pickleball. The conversion happened at courts at both Highlands Park and Heron Park.

The conversion happened in the wake of pickleball being named Washington State’s official sport. The drive to make pickleball the state sport was led by state senator John Lovick, who is a resident of Mill Creek.

If you have an item for the community sports roundup, email Nick Patterson at npatterson@heraldnet.com.