The abbreviated prep baseball season left little room for error as most teams had just five weeks of game action to earn local bragging rights.
Here’s the teams and moments that stood out during the 2021 high school baseball season:
Top teams
Jackson’s Ryan Contreras tags out Cascade’s Andre Livingston in the midst of a double play Friday afternoon at Funko Field at Memorial Stadium in Everett on April 23, 2021. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)
Jackson
The Timberwolves flexed their muscles at the plate and on the mound in a truly dominant spring season. Jackson cruised through Wesco play with an unbeaten 13-0 record while finishing tied for first in the conference in runs scored (10.4) and fewest runs allowed (1.4). The Timberwolves won 11 of their 13 games by five or more runs, including seven by at least 10 runs.
A pair of thumpers led Jackson’s offense at the top of the order. Senior leadoff hitter Ryan Contreras hit .420 with 10 extra-base hits and 12 RBI, and junior two-way player Dominic Hellman, a University of Oregon commit, mashed 11 extra-base hits — including five home runs — while compiling a .571 batting average and 19 RBI. Junior Carson Burns hit .406 in 32 at-bats with four doubles and 10 RBI.
The Timberwolves’ pitching staff had three starters with sub-2.00 earned-run averages. Senior Evan Canfield went 5-0 with a 0.00 ERA, allowing one unearned run over 29.1 innings. He struck out 42 batters and walked 11. Senior Zach Ediger posted an impressive 31-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 21.1 innings. He allowed four runs, three earned, over 21.1 innings while going 3-0 with a 0.96 ERA. Hellman went 4-0 with 23 strikeouts, five walks and a 1.52 ERA.
Arlington’s Jacob Burkett waits as the next pitcher warms up during the game against Marysville Getchell on Friday, May 7, 2021 in Arlington, Wash. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Arlington
The Eagles posted another impressive season with a well-balanced attack of strong pitching, hitting and fielding. Arlington finished tied for first in Wesco in runs scored (10.4) and fewest runs allowed (1.4), and the Eagles committed just 10 errors over 13 games. Arlington took a streak of 38 straight regular-season victories into the season and extended it to 49 before falling to Marysville Getchell for the only blemish on its 12-1 record. The Eagles racked up an impressive .356 team batting average with six regulars hitting at least .360. They outscored teams by 10 or more runs in eight of their 12 wins, including a 12-1 victory over Monroe that handed the Bearcats their only loss of the season.
Senior Cole Cramer led the charge with a .488 batting average, 10 extra-base hits, 19 RBI, 19 runs scored and seven stolen bases. Two-way player Jacob Burkett, a senior, hit .429 with four extra-base hits, 10 RBI and 17 runs scored, and junior Jeren Elidge hit .395 with four extra-base hits, 13 RBI and 14 runs scored.
Burkett went 3-0 on the mound with a 1.31 ERA over 21.1 innings, striking out 40 and walking 11. Senior Reidar Vane struck out 39 and walked nine over 23.1 innings on his way to a 3-1 record and 2.10 earned-run average. Nick Salstrom, a senior, went 2-0 with a 0.78 ERA, striking out seven and walking three over nine innings. He batted .419 with two doubles and 11 RBI.
Monroe
The Bearcats earned a 12-1 record this season after coming away victorious in a handful of tight games for some dramatic victories. Monroe won five of its 12 games by two or fewer runs, including four one-run victories. Monroe erased an early five-run deficit to earn an 8-7 victory over Lake Stevens in the season opener April 7, scored seven runs in the top of the seventh inning to beat Marysville Pilchuck 8-6 on April 16, beat Stanwood 4-3 on a walk-off walk on May 3 and held on to a one-run lead for seven innings to beat Cedarcrest 1-0 on May 5.
Senior Nathan Cain led the Bearcats at the plate with a .500 batting average, six extra-base hits, 14 RBI, seven stolen bases and 20 runs scored. Senior Todd Chatterton hit .429 with two doubles, 11 RBI, eight stolen bases and 10 runs scored, and junior Tyler Hogan posted a .395 batting average with two triples, 10 RBI, 10 runs scored and six stolen bases.
Sophomore Skyler Lynch had a team-best 1.94 earned-run average in 18 innings pitched. He struck out 18 batters, walked nine and had a 3-0 record. Sophomores Carter Sprague and Conner Campbell each picked three wins for Monroe. Sprague struck out 16 batters, allowed just three walks and posted a 3.20 ERA over 15.1 innings, and Campbell notched a 3.11 earned-run average over 18 innings with 16 strikeouts and three walks.
Best of the rest
Edmonds-Woodway
The Warriors got off to a hot start, winning seven of their first eight contests, before dropping three of their final five games on their way to a 9-4 season. Edmonds-Woodway allowed just 2.5 runs per game, the third fewest in Wesco, and its four losses came by a combined seven runs. The Warriors allowed more than four runs only once this season and nearly derailed Jackson’s perfect season in a tightly contested 3-2 loss on May 1.
Edmonds-Woodway received a number of contributions on its pitching staff. Junior Gibby Marshall-Inman, a Seattle University commit, struck out 29 batters and walked nine over 22 innings as he complied a 3-0 record and 0.95 ERA. Senior Maddox Stojkovic posted team highs with 26 innings pitched and 31 strikeouts. He walked just six batters and had a 3-1 record with a 1.35 earned-run average. Senior Jack Schlenger had a 1.40 ERA and struck out 17 over 20 innings.
Senior Remy Heckman hit .400 with three extra-base hits, six RBI, 11 runs scored and 10 stolen bases. He also had a 0.78 ERA, two saves and nine strikeouts in nine innings pitched. Junior Jacob Gabler mashed 10 extra-base hits and hit a team-best .429 in 45 at-bats. He drove in seven runs and scored 10.
Mountlake Terrace
Behind a solid pitching staff led by standout junior Adison Matix, the Hawks compiled a 9-3 record while posting the fourth fewest runs allowed in Wesco this season. Mountlake Terrace started the season 0-2 but rebounded to win nine of its final 10 games, allowing more than two runs just three times during that stretch.
Matix struck out 43 batters and walked 17 over 27 innings, finishing the season 4-1 with a 1.04 earned-run average. Junior Cody Snow had a 3.23 ERA over 21.2 innings. He struck out 20 batters and walked 12.
Senior Ryan Cacatian led the Hawks’ offense with a team highs in batting average (.333), hits (12), RBI (11), triples (2), home runs (3) and stolen bases (7). Senior Robbie Baringer and sophomore Rominic Quinban each hit .314.
Breakout team
Marysville Getchell’s Malakhi Knight runs to third base for a steal during the game against Arlington on Friday, May 7, 2021 in Arlington, Wash. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Marysville Getchell
The Chargers (8-5) took a big step forward as they reached eight wins for the first time since the 2016 season. Marysville Getchell’s eight victories nearly matches their win total of nine from the previous three seasons (2017-2019). It’s also the first time the program has ever finished .500 or better. The team’s crowning achievement came on May 5 when it ended Arlington’s 49-game regular-season win streak with a 4-3 victory. Marysville Getchell allowed just 3.8 runs per game, the fifth best mark in Wesco.
Five players combined to throw all 84 innings for Marysville Getchell. Sophomore Bradley Johnson led the way with a 4-1 record, 29.1 innings pitched and 33 strikeouts.
Sophomore Keegan Agen hit a team-best .400 with four extra-base hits, 10 RBI and 14 runs scored. Senior Malakhi Knight, a UCLA commit, hit .366 with seven extra-base hits, eight RBI, 10 stolen bases and 17 runs scored.
Three memorable moments
Jackson outlasts Kamiak for 12-inning victory
The Timberwolves’ perfect season was in jeopardy on April 26 as they entered the top of the sixth inning trailing Kamiak 3-0. Jackson rallied to send the game into extra innings with a sacrifice fly from Connor Burns in the sixth and RBI base hits from Hunter Komine and Dominic Hellman in the seventh. The teams went scoreless in the first four extra frames before Hellman blasted a solo home run to take the lead in the top of the twelfth and Evan McCarrell laid down a bases-loaded bunt to plate Ryan Nakajima for a 5-3 lead. The Knights threatened in the bottom half of the inning after starting a two-out rally with a single and a walk. Kamiak’s Leo Furlong-Benedetti advanced the tying run to second base and cut the lead to 5-4 with an RBI single, but Burns was able to induce a flyout to end the game and keep Jackson’s unbeaten season going.
Marysville Getchell ends Arlington’s 49-game regular-season win streak
A three-run first inning helped Marysville Getchell jump out to a lead it wouldn’t relinquish as the Chargers staved off a late comeback to earn a signature 4-3 win over Arlington on May 5. The Eagles came into the game with a 49-game regular-season win streak and 55-game unbeaten streak in Wesco play. The win also ended Arlington’s streak of 13 straight victories against the Chargers. Bradley Johnson delivered 6.1 strong innings while holding the high-powered Eagles offense to three runs and three hits. He struck out seven batters.
Arlington senior tosses perfect game
Joby Johnson was nearly untouchable on April 21 against Lakewood. The Arlington senior didn’t allow a single ball hit in play to leave the infield on his way to a five-inning perfect game as the Eagles cruised past the Cougars 21-0. Johnson struck out 10 of the 15 batters he faced. It was one of two five-inning complete games thrown by the senior, who only started two games this season.
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