KingCo and Seamount conference coaches announced their all-conference selections for sports during the 2015 spring season. Listed below are the selections from Hazen (Seamount League) and Liberty (KingCo 2A/3A Conference).

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Baseball

Hazen
League co-champions — Hazen and Kennedy Catholic
Coach of the Year — Mike Brundage, Hazen
First team — C Logan Ricord, sophomore; 1B Ryan Gayte, senior; DH Eli Azcueta, senior
Second team — 3B Alex Combs, sophomore; OF Nolan Hoover, senior
Honorable mention — OF Mitchell Hard, senior; OF DJ Anderson, senior; P Ben Hoeper, junior; P Ryan Gayte, senior

Liberty
Coach of the Year — John Martin
Second team — P Nate Steffens, senior; 3B Michael Heath, senior; OF Torey Anderson, sophomore
Honorable mention — Boston Munro, junior; Tyler Haselman, junior; James Workman, junior; Riley Wingerson, sophomore

Boys soccer

Hazen
First team — CD Hector Cervantes, junior; F Reyes Garcia, junior; M Ethan Kem, sophomore
Second team — M Cooper Cerna, junior; F Zach Quesnel, junior
Honorable mention — M Robbie Schroeder, freshman; D Christian Chavez, sophomore

Liberty
First team — D Tyler Wray, junior; M Tyler Jensen, senior; D Ryan Graham, senior
Second team — F Michael DuVall, senior
Honorable mention — JT Anderson, Griffin Lockhart, Noah Anderson, Leoul Hancock

Track and field — boys

Hazen
First team — Jesus Vargas (400 and 800 meters), Rhyan Demile (long jump), Parker Trewett (shot put)
Second team — Taseen Hussain (300 meter hurdles), Rhyan Demile (triple jump)
Honorable mention — Aaron Rothlisberger, Jesus Vargas, Ramsay Bauer and Saivon Johnson (4X400 relay team)

Track and field — girls

Hazen
First team — Sarah Hart (800 and 1600 meters), Alexis Rogers (400 meters), Taliah Coe (javelin), Alexis Rogers, Amy Warmenhoven, Sablena Milinganyo and Sarah Hart (4X400 relay team)
Second team — Plamedie Masiala (300 meter hurdles), Kate Lilly (800 meters), Alicia Nguyen (high jump and long jump), Michelle Lilly (high jump and triple jump), Shannon Dickenson (pole vault)
Honorable mention — Alexis Rogers (100 and 200 meters), Vy Pham (100 meter hurdles), Megan Tucker (discus), Plamadie Masiala (long jump), Brenna Hairston, Sablena Milinganyo, Sarah Sherrod and Taliah Coe (4X100 relay team), Amy Warmenhoven, Brenna Hairston, Sarah Sherrod and Taylor Lenton (4X200 relay team)

Girls tennis

Hazen
Athlete of the Year — Misa Takami, sophomore
First team — Misa Takami, sophomore; Elise Wong, senior
Second team — Kristy Huynh, senior
Honorable mention — Catherine Lin, senior

Liberty
Honorable mention — Sienna Rice

Fastpitch

Hazen
First team — 3B Isabel Teppner, senior; UTL Hannah Loucks, senior
Second team — P Monica Cleary, junior; OF Tessa DeBartolo, sophomore
Honorable mention — C Alyssa Gummere, sophomore; SS Olivia Chapman, sophomore

Liberty
First team — OF Kendall Kauzlarich
Second team — P Sydney Hopper, C Maddy O’Connor, 1B Jayme Shaw, 3B Carina Morris and OF Hannah McMullin

By Karen Calcaterra
Liberty High School pitcher Nate Steffens and catcher Tyler Haselman conference with head coach John Martin in the Patriots’ 6-2 loss to Centralia in the Class 2A state baseball semifinals May 29 at Yakima’s County Stadium.

It stemmed from a cursory peek at their record — it was below .500 — and continued with a look at their regular-season standings, as they finished seventh out of eight teams in the 3A/2A KingCo Conference.

Those numbers, though, didn’t tell the whole story, Liberty pitcher Nate Steffens said. And opponents who doubted the Patriots as they surged to take fourth place at state would’ve known it if they took a closer look.

“You’ve got to look at who we’ve been playing all year,” Steffens said.

The other 2A teams’ strength of schedule likely couldn’t compare, Liberty outfielder Torey Anderson said.

Liberty went toe-to-toe with the likes of 3A state-qualifier Lake Washington, and eventual 3A state champion Mercer Island all season. In fact, the Patriots defeated the Islanders in one of their three matchups.

“We play in a really tough league,” Anderson said.

Steffens admitted the Patriots didn’t agree with the “underdog” label, but they did take satisfaction in silencing critics with their fourth-place finish.

“It was an amazing experience, especially after two years of the team not doing so well,” he said.

Liberty earned its way into the final four after a thrilling, come-from-behind, 4-3 win in a regional playoff game against North Kitsap on May 23 at Centralia’s Wheeler Field.

After falling behind 3-0 in the third inning, the Patriots got one run back in the sixth, and then picked up three more in the seventh to secure the walk-off win and punch their ticket to the state semifinals.

“That’s about as close as you can get to being eliminated, but we didn’t stop,” Anderson said.

Anderson went 2-for-4 in the game, while catcher Tyler Haselman went 2-for-3 with 2 RBIs to propel the Patriots to the win.

That put Liberty into the semifinals for the first time since 2003, when the Patriots won the 3A state title thanks to the arm of Tim Lincecum, now a star with the San Francisco Giants.

Liberty would go on to lose to eventual state champion Centralia, 6-2, in the semifinals at Yakima County Stadium on May 29.

The next day, they fell to Squalicum, 7-1, in a game that took 10 innings to determine a winner. Liberty had to settle for a fourth-place trophy.

The ending was bittersweet, Anderson and Steffens said, but it didn’t take away from all that the Patriots accomplished.

“A lot of people doubted us, but we won the games we had to win, we peaked at the right time and we extended our season a lot further than most people thought we would,” Anderson said.

By Christina Corrales-Toy
Liberty High School first baseman James Workman claps as he trots to home plate, after scoring the Patriots’ first run in a 10-0 win over Foster May 9.

Despite a regular season record below .500, and a seventh-place finish in the eight-team KingCo 3A/2A Conference, the Liberty High School baseball team is headed to state.

After a two-win day in the District 2/3 2A baseball tournament May 9, the Patriots are guaranteed a state regionals berth. They’ll continue district play next week to determine which seed they’ll get.

Liberty didn’t have to travel at all for first-round district play, hosting games at the high school on Saturday.

After playing mostly 3A teams in KingCo, the Patriots, as the KingCo No. 1 seed, began its first foray into the 2A playoffs with a lot of success. That’s what it’s called when you score 10 runs in the opening game, and toss a no-hitter while you’re at it.

Liberty needed only five innings to discard Seamount League foe Foster, 10-0, in the first game.

In a game that started relatively tame, with just 1 run scored in the first two innings, Liberty erupted for five runs in the third inning, and added four more in the fifth.

The Patriots opened the scoring in the second, when Nick Gunn drove in James Workman on an RBI double.

All nine Patriots came to the plate in the five-run third inning, highlighted by Newcastle resident Torey Anderson’s triple and a pair of doubles courtesy of Tyler Haselman and Workman.

Workman, Haselman and Gunn each led the team with two hits, while Gunn was the Patriots’ RBI leader with two.

Meanwhile, on the mound, Liberty pitcher Nate Steffens couldn’t be touched. Steffens threw five innings of no-hit baseball, struck out 10 Foster Bulldogs and didn’t walk a batter. He was just an error shy of a perfect game.

With one win under their belts, the Patriots played again later that day, defeating Olympic, 5-0, to advance in the winner’s bracket.

Against Olympic, Steffens showed he could do damage with his bat, too. Steffens, this time playing center field, went 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI.

Anderson got the start for the Patriots this time and he went on to throw a seven-inning shutout. He, too, had a 2-for-3 day at the plate.

Gunn picked up two more RBIs in the Olympic game, while Eddie Delgado went a productive 2-for-3 with one RBI at the plate.

Liberty is back in action 1 p.m. May 16 against Fife at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds. If they win, they’ll play in the district tournament championship at 4 p.m.

State regional play is May 23, and the final rounds of the state tournament, should the Patriots advance, are May 29-30 in Yakima.

Hazen bounced from districts

While Liberty went from a lackluster regular season, to some early postseason success, the opposite is true for the Highlanders.

After ending the season with a 13-1 conference record, and clinching a share of the Seamount League title, Hazen made a quick exit in the District 3/4 3A baseball tournament May 9.

Hazen lost to Kelso, 5-1, in the first round, before losing to Capital, 12-6, in the double-elimination tournament.

 Baseball

KingCo 3A/2A

First team: UT Lorin Archibald, senior, Liberty

Honorable mention:

Liberty — Chase Vanek, Tyler Haselman, Michael Heath and Torey Anderson

Seamount

First team: OF J Crosby, senior, Hazen and P Ryan Gayte, junior, Hazen

Second team: 2B Isaiah Potter, senior, Hazen; 3B Drew Harka, senior, Hazen; and SS Zack Hill, senior, Hazen

Honorable mention:

Hazen — Eli Azcueta, Ryan Gayte, Drew Santana and Mitchell Hard

Boys soccer

KingCo 3A/2A

Most Valuable Player: Colton Ronk, senior, Liberty

Coach of the Year: Darren Tremblay, Liberty

First team: F Tyler Jensen, junior, Liberty; M Colton Ronk, senior, Liberty; and D Tyler Wray, sophomore, Liberty

Second team: M Antonio Lago, senior, Liberty and GK Quinn Magendanz, junior, Liberty

Honorable mention:

Liberty — Michael DuVall, Ryan Graham, Leoul Hancock, and Jacob Campuzano.

Seamount

First team: MF Ryan Wong, senior, Hazen and D Hector Cervantes, sophomore, Hazen

Second team: MF Reyes Garcia, sophomore, Hazen and D Kyle Bunnell, senior, Hazen

Honorable mention:

Hazen — Isaiah Blount, Ethan Kem and Jaime Martinez

Softball

KingCo 3A/2A

First team: SS Liza Van Camp, Liberty

Second team: P Sydney Hopper, Liberty and 3B Olivia Kutzke, Liberty

Honorable mention:

Liberty — Jenny Walker, Ashley Knox, Maddy O’Connor and Bree Olsen

Seamount

Coach of the Year: Kurtis Brandel, Hazen

First team: 1B Julie Johnson, senior, Hazen; SS Shelby Sturman, senior, Hazen; 3B Isabel Teppner, junior, Hazen; and OF Tiana Campbell, senior, Hazen

Second team: P Monica Cleary, sophomore, Hazen

Honorable mention:

Hazen — Kristina Holm, Kiley Jo Seevers and Rachel Platin

Track and field

Seamount — Boys

First team: 100H Ben Tuazon, Hazen and LJ Bahari Watkins, Hazen

Seamount — Girls

League champions: Hazen

Coach of the Year: Shannon Rance, Hazen

First team: 100H Elaine Nguyen, Hazen; 800 Kate Lilly, Hazen; 1600 Sarah Hart, Hazen; and TJ Michelle Lilly, Hazen

Tennis

Seamount

First team: Misa Takami, Hazen and Elise Wong, Hazen

Second team: Ashley Hwang, Hazen

Honorable mention:

Hazen — Kitty Ling, Catherine Lin, Kelly Lo and Naima Shaltu

By Greg Farrar
Tyler Haselman, Liberty High School sophomore catcher, tags out Hazen’s J. Crosby in the top of the fourth on a spot-on throw from Liberty freshman centerfielder Torey Anderson.

It doesn’t have the same energy as the football or basketball rivalries, but anytime Liberty and Hazen high schools meet on the diamond, it’s always a battle between familiar foes.

Just three miles separate the two schools, and despite the fact they reside in different school districts, many of the students grew up together playing in youth leagues.

This time, it was the Liberty ball players who bested the Highlanders in a convincing 10-0 nonleague tune-up March 25.

“That was pretty amazing,” Liberty baseball coach John Martin said. “Hazen is typically a really good program, and usually battles pretty tough, if not comes out on the other side with a win, so that was pretty exciting.”

It took the Patriots just five innings to put away Hazen, which struggled to put together any momentum against Liberty’s winning pitcher, Lorin Archibald.

Archibald, a senior, was credited with the shutout, going all five innings and striking out four along the way.

“Archie looked good today,” Martin said. “He was the big part on our defensive side that led us to this win.”

The game remained scoreless after the first inning. Liberty secured the only runs it would need, though, in the three-run second inning.

Every Liberty starter came to the plate in the five-run third inning, chasing Hazen starting pitcher Ryan Gayte from the mound. Nolan Hoover, who also stars as the Highlanders’ quarterback, came on in relief.

“I think some of our mental approach was a little lacking, but I think we’ll be fine,” said Hazen baseball coach Mike Brundage said. “It’s a nonleague game, it is what it is. The key thing is to bounce back and have a short-term memory, and go out and start league.”

Hazen batters Brooks Jacobs and J. Crosby, a commit to play baseball at Pacific Lutheran University next year, were the only ones to come away with hits for the Highlanders.

In a moment of comic relief, during what was an otherwise lackluster game for Hazen, Highlanders’ shortstop Zack Hill quipped, “Give the quarterback his football helmet,” after pitcher Hoover took a bouncing ball to the face. Hoover was not injured during the play.

Hazen wasn’t happy with the game’s outcome, especially against a rival, Brundage said, but it was better to get this clunker out of the way before league play started.

“They’re frustrated with a loss like this to a rival on the hill, and it sucks, and it’s tough to swallow, but the fact of the matter is it’s a practice game and it’s built for that,” he said.

Liberty’s bats propelled the Patriots to 10 runs, led by junior Daniel Rodriguez, who had two hits and three RBIs. Junior Eddie Delgado also added a hit and two RBIs as well.

The defensive play of the game came from Liberty freshman outfielder Torey Anderson, who successfully threw a runner out at the plate with a spot-on throw from centerfield.

It’s not often that a Liberty freshman makes varsity, Martin said, but Anderson is special. Liberty’s down on numbers this year, he added, but that’s not to say Anderson made the team just because they needed bodies.

“He’s got pretty good foot speed, he’s got a nice strong arm, he’s at a real good place as a freshman and he’s got nothing but upside going forward,” he said.

Both teams began league play after the nonconference matchup. Hazen hopes to repeat last year’s success, when the Highlanders took the Seamount crown, while the Patriots will look to dig out of the KingCo 3A/2A cellar.