Medical Lake baseball program looking ahead to next spring

MEDICAL LAKE – Medical Lake Baseball Head Coach Austin Sharp was awarded coach of the year and the end of last season, with the team taking a lot of awards as well.

With this being his fifth year as coach, Sharp said he has been helping rebuild the team over that span.

"Every season I've been with the team, these kids have worked hard and doubled the amount of wins they brought home year to year," Sharp said. "We have a very strong team with the potential to reach state (next spring)."

The Cardinal baseball team finished 7-2 on the shortened season last spring.

"The team had a lot of kids win 1st or 2nd team all-league awards in the Northeast A League," the coach said.

First Team All-League awards went to Senior Jacob Edison who played outfield, junior Joe Griffey the team's third baseman, and junior Cameron Comer who was possibly the best defensive first baseman in the league, according to Sharp.

The awards for Second Team All-League went to senior outfielder Corbin Roberts, who had a batting average over .400.

Senior Brent Keith played as a designated hitter with a torn labrum averaging close to .550 at the plate, the coach said.

Junior Eugene Haas III played as one of the scrappiest and most intense second basemen in the league, Sharp said. Junior Joseph Oliver earned his Second Team All-League award as pitcher, and freshman Andrew Roberts came in as a utility player, but also stepped up to play catcher when needed said the coach.

Sharp said the Cardinals were unstoppable offensively, averaging .415 batting as a team.

They ended up finishing second in league play behind Deer Park who handed Medical Lake one of the only losses they had. The team would also finish fourth place in districts on the shortened season.

"Offensively, we are good, and defensively we are solid," the coach said. "Our weakest point is our depth at pitching."

Sharp said the Cardinals lacked the depth to finish a couple of important games, and that is what the team has focused on moving forward.

Some of the players have been putting in extra practice by means of a Summer Senior League, and the hard work has been paying off said the coach.

"Our team is in a good challenging league, and we are excited to carry the positivity from last year into next season," Sharp said.

Matthew O. Stephens can be reached at [email protected]