Tigercat BB returns

After two years of dormancy, the LaCrosse/ Washtucna baseball program has returned to the Whitman County lineup this year under the direction of Dan Hill, Washtucna math teacher.

Hill has 12 players in the lineup for the season with three seniors, two juniors, one sophomore, four freshman, and three eighth graders.

“We’re awfully young and inexperienced,” Hill noted. But the team members look forward to stepping up and gaining that experience.

Hill graduated from Elma High School in 2003. His dad, Jim Hill, coaches at Elma.

Dan Hill played football at Western Washington University and Valley City State in North Dakota. Between the football stints he played baseball for Centralia Community College.

Hill said in addition to recruiting players, he and other volunteers put in 16 to 18 hours of work on the baseball field at LaCrosse. They used a sod cutter to shape up the diamond, built up the mound and added fill.

“We have it looking a lot better,” Hill noted.

The Tigercat revival started with a 23-1 loss at the hands of the Tekoa/Oakesdale/Rosalia Nighthawks last Tuesday.

This week they will travel to Endicott to play the SJE Eagles in a second league round. After another road trip to Davenport April 6, the Tigercats will host SJE on their home field April 16.

Two of the seniors on the club, Aaron Cochran and Gary Marmes, are making the commute up from Kahlotus. Sergio Mansilla is the other senior on the club.

The eighth graders include Darcy Stamper, Brandon Bennett and Levi Allen.

Also in the lineup is Daniel Aengenvoort, a German exchange student who actually has some youth baseball experience.

Other members of the new team are Corbin Harder, Taylor Martin, Matt Stubbs, Jaren Stark and Jed Zimmer.