Ricky Denham swears that this will be just another baseball game.
Except for the fact that it will be his final start as a high school pitcher. And it will take place at Safeco Field. And it will come against a nationally-ranked team. And a win would send Denham’s Meadowdale High School baseball team to the state championship game.
Erase all those factors, and today’s Class 3A semifinal game against Auburn is really not that big of a deal.
“As long as I keep the same routine and do all the same stuff as far as warming up and stretching and saying my prayers, it won’t be any different,” Denham said. “Keeping the routine is the key. If I do the same as usual, I won’t get too excited or too down; I’ll just approach it like a normal game.”
The senior and University of Washington recruit will most likely take the mound for the final time as a high school pitcher today when Meadowdale plays Auburn in a 3A state semifinal that begins at 10 a.m. at Safeco Field. It’s remarkable that his career has even gone this far, considering where the Mavericks were a few weeks ago.
After clinching a spot in the 3A district tournament with six games to go, Meadowdale lost its final five conference games – all against 4A teams fighting for postseason berths – and had an unimpressive 9-11 record heading into the playoffs.
But at that point, something clicked. Five wins later, Meadowdale (14-11) is still alive as the tournament heads into its final two days.
“We started to do the little things,” said sophomore outfielder Chase Anselment, whose .361 batting average ranks second on the team behind Denham’s .372. “We started to wait for pitches, and the pitchers started hitting spots. We just need to keep doing that.”
The heroes have changed just about every game. Sophomore Roger O’Neill had the big hit in the bottom of the sixth inning of a district game to help Meadowdale come back from a 3-0 deficit to beat Shorecrest 4-3. Pitcher Matt Gorman overcame some early struggles to pitch five innings of shutout ball in last weekend’s 3-0 win over Franklin Pierce.
While Auburn (24-2) is the No. 1 team in the state and ranked 17th in the nation by Rise Magazine, the Meadowdale players believe that they can pull the upset if they keep doing the little things.
“They’ve got to put their pants on in the morning just like we do,” senior Bryan Hogue said. “They’ve got two losses, so there’s no reason for us to think that if we do what we’ve been doing the last two weeks, we’ll come out all right.”
The biggest key, of course, is Denham. The senior has posted an 8-3 record and 1.31 ERA this season behind a fastball that has been consistently clocked in the high 80s (head coach Bill Hummel said he hit the low 90s on at least one radar gun during the district tournament).
Denham no-hit Seattle Prep through six innings of his last outing, only to give up a hit in the seventh before earning the win.
“He got a little tired and gave up a single on an 0-2 curveball,” Hummel said. “It’s late in the season, and that happens.”
Not that Hummel is worried about his star pitcher tiring out today.
“He’s been getting the rest he needs now,” Hummel said. “In the playoffs, he’s only had to pitch once a week, so that’s helped.
“He’ll be fresh. He’ll be ready to go.”
Denham said that fatigue should not be a problem, adding that he feels as fresh now as he did at the beginning of the season.
The senior right-hander credits his offseason work with Bellevue-based trainer Kirk Bradshaw, who has helped Denham put on 50 pounds of muscle over the past two summers.
“It’s been an absolutely awesome thing,” he said.
When it comes to awesome, many people have used that adjective to describe Meadowdale’s opponent. This year’s Auburn team has been so dominant that they’re drawing comparisons to the 2006 Jackson team that breezed to a state title.
“They are good, and I know that,” Denham said. “But I still have to go out and think of it as another game.”
In the other 3A semifinal, Bonney Lake and Issaquah will battle for the rights to go to Saturday’s championship game, which will begin at 4 p.m.
In the 4A tournament, Snohomish (21-4) is facing a juggernaut that’s been almost as impressive. Tahoma (22-2) is the top-ranked 4A team in the state and has scored 10 or more runs in 14 of its 24 games.
The two teams will play at 4 p.m. today at Safeco Field, with the winner advancing to Saturday’s championship game. The winner will face either Bothell or Richmond at 7 p.m. Saturday.
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