Herald staff
EVERETT – His arm isn’t what it once was, but his passion for the game is still school-boy fresh.
And so, Harold Pyatte is back for his 30th year as manager of the Everett Merchants semi-pro baseball team.
“Father Time has taken its toll,” Pyatte said. “I can’t pitch an hour of batting practice like I used to, but the spirit in the arm is still there.”
The spirit in the heart is too, as well it should be. Pyatte’s team is a unanimous pick to win its third consecutive Pacific International League title.
“I don’t know if I like the results of that coaches poll,” Pyatte said, “but we do have a good ballclub.”
The Merchants get the season underway Saturday night with a 7 o’clock game against Bend, Ore., at Everett Memorial Stadium. The teams will play a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. Sunday.
This will be a typical Pyatte team, relying on pitching, defense and a small-ball offense.
“We’re a single-doubles type team,” Pyatte said. “We hit very few home runs.”
Some of Pyatte’s players may be late in reporting for duty.
Outfielder Cory Acklus, a Cascade High graduate, is playing in the NAIA World Series at Lewiston, Idaho.
His Albertson College team needed to win Thursday night to gain a berth in the championship game today.
Acklus hit .343 with 10 home runs and 49 RBI during the regular season and was batting .467 with two homers and eight RBI in the tournament.
Hal Bisnett and Beau Blacken, both from Lake Stevens, are playing for New Mexico State in the NCAA Houston Regional today.
Bisnett, who batted .294 with six homers and 52 RBI this season, was recently selected the MVP in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament.
Jeff Culpepper of Woodinville is coming off an excellent season at Gonzaga University. A redshirt freshman, Culpepper led the Zags in hitting with a .349 average.
One of Pyatte’s top pitchers is also his pitching coach, Levi Lacey, who was 8-1 last year.
Lacey, who did an outstanding job of reviving the Everett Community College baseball program this spring, is still slowed from knee surgery last fall, but says he’ll be ready to pitch within two weeks.
“The arm’s in great shape,” he said.
Pyatte had most of his players selected two months ago, but held two open turnouts this week to see if he could find some reinforcements. And he did, signing three players Thursday night.
One of the kids, Jeremy Weinmeister of Bothell, showed an 88-91 mph fastball.
“We can always use another arm,” Pyatte said.
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