Harold Pyatte isn’t sure if he’s assembled the pitching to make a deep postseason run, but he sure knows how to snag champions.
Pyatte, the long-time head coach of the semi-pro Everett Merchants, hopes to return his squad to the NBC World Series after a seven-year hiatus. He’ll do so with a high-school coach fresh off a state championship at his side and a trio of players just days removed from a league championship in his lineup.
Snohomish coach Kim Hammons, whose Panthers won the Class 4A state title May 24, will serve as a Merchants assistant. Also joining the team are Edmonds Community College products Chris Dennis, Paris Shewey and Taylor Hudson, who led their team to the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges title just Monday.
Since they’re pitchers, Dennis and Shewey could play as large as role as anyone this summer.
“They had some very good competition in the NWAACC and both of those kids were instrumental in their team winning the championship,” Pyatte said. “They’re going to be valuable additions for us, because we have good defense, we have excellent hitting, but our pitching is a question mark. If our pitchers can get some outs, we’ll have a chance to go a long way.”
Everett, coming off an 18-15 season, enters the 2008 schedule today with a nice mix of proven returning players and new additions. Outfielder Gavin Hienemann returns, as well as Snohomish product Jake Hammons at catcher. Both were leading hitters for the Merchants a year ago.
Pyatte is excited about the addition of outfielder Josh Short, a Marysville product, and first baseman Beau Blacken. Short was recently released by the Florida Marlins organization, while Blacken has been playing in independent leagues.
Even with a throng of proven pitchers, Pyatte might still be nervous about his rotation. That’s because the Merchants are scheduled to play 20 games in June alone, roughly five a week.
“Pitching is always suspect when you have guys you haven’t seen. It could be a challenge for some of the guys to come in and make a difference,” Pyatte said. “But it may just be a matter of finding the right rotation.”
Everett hosts Nanaimo, B.C., in a doubleheader at 4 p.m. today at Everett Memorial Stadium. The Merchants’ annual game with the Everett AquaSox is scheduled for June 15.
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