It's not always easy being green, Ever-green, that is. It's not easy when one of your most positive attributes is a self-proclaimed sexy image. It's not easy to improve on a 1-7 record in a sophomore season that included joining a brand new conference and playing completely different teams. It's equally not easy (and, at times, unfair) when those teams continually stomp out any chance of winning. And it'll be even harder having to say goodbye.

"These are the most amazing and inspiring group of guys I have been lucky enough to befriend, play with and coach," head coach/pitcher Sean Presley said. (Sniff!)

Needless to say, Evergreen's club baseball team had its up and downs this season - more downs than ups, if one judges by final scores and conference standings (0-18; Pacific Mountain Conference, National Club Baseball Association). But should it really be about rank and final scores? For the Geoducks, the ends certainly didn't justify the means.

When it really comes down to it, it takes some talent to finish 0-18. The team's first few games - against the University of Oregon Ducks and the Central Oregon Community College Bobcats - may have foreshadowed their ultimate finish. While the Geoducks were just starting to get a feel for playing together amidst their sexiness, their newfound unity wasn't enough to prevent the Ducks and the Bobcats from walking away with three wins each, scoring a combined total of 86 runs.

OK, we know they didn't just sleep through those games. In fact, during their first game with the Bobcats, the Geoducks' defense remained solid, and the team held the Bobcats to only eight runs, despite being obliviated during the next day's doubleheader.

Two weeks later, the Geoducks came closer. While hosting a night game with the Western Washington University Vikings, the team led by 8-1 until the third inning when the Vikings took over, sealing their 12-8 win with a three-run homer. Their next close one occurred the next day, when the team faced non-league rival the University of Idaho Vandals. The Geoducks managed five runs by the fourth innings, but the Vandals would hold them to just that, winning 9-5.

Another moment worth mentioning is the team's last meeting with the Vikings in Bellingham. Though the Geoducks still lost the doubleheader ahd forfeited the Sunday game due to lack of players, it was the first time the team had not been shut out in a series of games, losing 12-2 and 5-2. Oh, and the highlight of that series was definitely (I know I already wrote about it, but it's worth mentioning again) that sweet triple play, where infielders Evan Kearley, Jeramy Villianos and Tucker Waugh threw out the hitter and two base runners. Yes, the team still lost, but, man, did they give those Vikings a run for their money!

And while the team wasn't the greatest score-wise, they did rack up some impressive statistics. Presley had the highest team batting average: .378 with 17 hits, 45 at bats, four doubles, eight RBIs, six runs, and eight stolen bases; in turn, Presley managed seven hits in his last 11 at bats. Infielder Will "Days of Thunder" Tubman achieved the second-highest average: .235 with an on-base percentage of .297; he had five hits in the last 13 at bats. Waugh had the third-highest average: .225 with an on-base percentage of .304; he managed five hits in the last nine at bats. Kearley achieved the team's highest ERC: 3.89 with 7.89 strikeouts per seven innings, pitching a total of 18 innings. Presley had the second-highest ERA: 5.79 with 4.53 strikeouts per seven innings, pitching a total of 38.66 innings. In addition, outfielder Jeremy Harrison-Smith had two doubles and the team's only triple.

In the end, after the scores and the stats are cast aside, what remains is this amazing groups of guys who like baseball about as much as they need air. If their love of the game could've been channeled into a winning streak, their opponents would've been pummeled - that is, when they weren't being blinded by the tightness of the players' pants. So, anyone can say they didn't try hard enough, that they suck, their opponents were too good, their playing was overshadowed by their so-called sexiness (so-called? Hmm...), that it just wasn't their year, or whatever, but regardless, no one can deny that these guys gave 100 percent of themselves in each game. A score is only a number, though its permanent record may arguably withstand the test of time. But teams, players, unity, and overall effort are what stay in our hearts and make us smile for years to come.

Forever "Dang Hot!"

Copyright © 2004, Talia M. Wilson
published in Cooper Point Journal, May 13, 2004

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