Taylor Brennan, Meadowdale
Senior shortstop
2009 recap: Hit .375 with two home runs, scored 27 runs and stole 25 bases; All-Wesco South second team IF.
College plans: Lewis-Clark State College.
2010 outlook: Thanks to what his coach called a religious dedication to weightlifting, Brennan put on 33 pounds since last season yet maintained his top-notch speed and mobility. “He looks like a man among boys right now,” Meadowdale coach Bill Hummel said. Always a threat on the base paths, Brennan averaged more than one steal per game in 2009 for the Class 3A Mavericks. Ranked No. 10 among the state’s seniors by Baseball Northwest, Brennan has the potential to get selected in the 2010 Major League Baseball draft and is currently projected to go somewhere between the 15th and 18th rounds, said Hummel.
Tyler Kane, A. Murphy
Senior pitcher/third base
2009 recap: Hit .552 with 11 doubles and seven home runs; pitching record was 4-0; All-Cascade Conference first team 3B, Herald All-Area second team 3B.
College plans: University of Washington.
2010 outlook: Kane verbally committed to Gonzaga University in October but got an offer from new UW coach Lindsay Meggs in early November and signed with the Huskies. “It’s my dream school,” said Kane, whose grandpa and dad attended Washington. Kane’s older brother currently attends the UW.
Recruited as a hard-throwing right-handed pitcher who might also contribute as a hitter in college, Kane puts in extra time before and after practices to hone his skills, Murphy coach Stan Taloff said: “He pays the price to maximize his talent.”
Austin Denton Marysville-Pilchuck
Senior outfield
2009 recap: Hit .478 with five doubles, three triples, seven home runs, scored 32 runs, drove in 36 runs; All-State honorable mention OF, Herald All-Area first team OF, All-Wesco North first team OF.
College plans: Undecided.
2010 outlook: Considerably banged up and sidelined at the end of his prolific senior football season, Denton was not fully healthy when baseball practice started on March 1, M-P coach Kurt Koshelnik said. But the heavy-hitting center fielder has diligently rehabilitated his body and is nearly back to 100 percent, said Koshelnik: “He’s a hardworking kid. For all the success that he’s had, he’s always a hard worker.”
Possessing exceptional speed and power, Denton will bat third for M-P. “He’s a special player. He just does everything that you need him to do at the plate,” Koshelnik said.
Dylan LaVelle Lake Stevens
Sophomore third base/shortstop/pitcher
2009 recap: Hit .319 with four doubles, two triples, five home runs, drove in 13 runs; pitching record was 3-3, 2.10 earned-run average; All-Wesco North first team P and second team IF.
College plans: Undecided.
2010 outlook: Among players who earned All-Wesco North first team honors last season, only one (LaVelle) was a freshman. From Day 1 he performed like an upperclassman for Lake Stevens. “He was really, really mature. His first day in the program you could just tell — he didn’t act like a freshman,” Vikings coach Rodger Anderson said.
Ranked No. 2 in the state’s Class of 2012 by Baseball Northwest, LaVelle lost 15 pounds since the end of last season, said Anderson. The confident sophomore is more nimble yet still very strong, the coach said. LaVelle is expected to be the No. 1 starter in a pitching rotation loaded with quality throwers.
Trevor Mitsui, Shorewood
Junior third base
2009 recap: Hit .455 with 12 doubles, four home runs, drove in 36 runs, .565 on-base percentage; All-State first team IF, Herald All-Area first team 3B, All-Wesco South first team IF.
College plans: University of Washington (verbal commitment).
2010 outlook: Mitsui had a monster sophomore season, compiling one of the best springs 12th-year Shorewood coach Wyatt Tonkin has seen. Signs point to an impressive junior season too. The 6-foot-4, 230-pound Mitsui “looks bigger and stronger and he’s the hitting the ball just as well as he did last year,” Tonkin said. “I expect him to put up big numbers again if we can protect him (in the lineup).”
Mitsui stays level-headed no matter what happens from at-bat to at-bat and pitch to pitch. “His boat never goes up or down,” said Tonkin. “He has confidence in himself that he can hit with any count.”
Mike Cane, Herald Writer
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
