The mixture of a strong returning nucleus with a group of talented newcomers should produce a solid season for the Coupeville High School baseball team.
Among the newcomers is coach Marc Aparicio. The 1988 Coupeville grad takes over for Willie Smith, who stepped down after 19 seasons.
Aparicio welcomes five lettermen from last year’s team, which finished second in the Olympic League with a 5-4 mark, 9-10 overall.
Among the returnees are two all-conference, first-team selections, seniors C.J. Smith and Cole Payne. Smith also earned honorable mention honors as a sophomore in Coupeville’s final year in the Cascade League.
Other letter winners are juniors Gabe Wynn and Clay Reilly and sophomore Hunter Smith.
Payne and Reilly both hit .302 last year; Hunter Smith batted .245.
C.J. Smith is the top returning pitcher, posting a 2-3 record and a 2.57 ERA in 30 innings.
The veterans will be supported by an influx of new talent.
“We have a ton of freshmen who have been playing baseball together for a long time,” Aparicio said. “Also, we have a few newcomers that have moved here. We’re excited to see what they bring to our team.”
Aparicio said the team’s strengths will be pitching and the mental aspect of the game. He also likes the makeup of his coaching staff, which includes assistants Chris Smith and Mike Etzell.
Smith and Etzell “have been an amazing help and very easy to work with.”
With only three seniors, the team’s weakness, which Aparicio labeled “a very small” one, is its youth.
“Our goal this year and every year is to make it to state and win,” he said. “We will focus on pitching and catching, getting on base and scoring. We plan to balance fundamentals with the physical and mental aspects of the game.”
The players are handling the coach change well, according to Aparicio.
“As with any new job, it’s a learning process, both for me and the kids,” he said. “My advantage, I believe, is my excitement and motivation to be here.
“We’re looking forward to a great season, one game at a time.”
The Wolves and South Whidbey will meet in Oak Harbor for a jamboree at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 12.
Coupeville goes to Sultan at 4 p.m. Monday, March 14, and then it hosts Concrete at 4:15 p.m. Wednesday, March 16, in the home opener.
