JV baseball wraps up season

The boys JV baseball team wrapped up a very successful season with a 9-3 record in league and a 12-5 overall finish.

Sisters' biggest victory came when they defeated the Huskies at Sweet Home, the toughest team the Outlaws faced in league play. Sisters beat all their league rivals at least once during the season and notched victories in all three games against Mt. View.

"This team was very supportive of one another," said Coach Tim Ogilvie. "I believe that's one of the reasons we were so successful this year."

Nicky Blumm (sophomore) and Eli Boettner (sophomore) pitched the majority of games for the Outlaws and did a fantastic job. Blumm stepped down from varsity to pitch for the JV team and was their most effective pitcher, with 38 strikeouts on the season. Blumm was able to mix up his pitches, was very accurate at hitting his mark, and kept hitters off balance. Boettner was Sisters' lefty and did a very good job of locating his pitches, which resulted in a total of 33 strikeouts.

Dillon Witt, Ryan Pollard (both sophomores) and Austin Ogilvie (freshman) also helped out on the mound and contributed good quality innings. Pollard threw a nice curveball and, according to Coach Ogilvie, was their bread-and-butter pitcher.

"When Brandon's curveball was working, he was tough to hit," said Ogilvie.

Derreck Enneberg (sophomore) started out as the Outlaws' catcher but broke his wrist early in the season in a doubleheader against La Pine.

"That was a tough loss for us and left us without a catcher," said Ogilvie. "Coach Hodges gave us either Sam Calarco (sophomore) or Lucas Stovall (junior) when we had a game, and they stepped in to catch for us. They really brought back the talent that we lost with Derreck, and they also gave us great leadership."

Playing at the infield position were: Eli Boettner at first base with Austin Boatwright as backup; Ryan Lahey at second base; Isaac Jackson and Dillon Witt split time at shortstop; and Witt and Brandon Pollard split time at third base.

"Our infield had all played since Little League, and so they came with lots of experience," said Ogilvie. "That gave our infield a lot of strength, and they made very few mistakes and played tough defense."

Rounding out the team was Pollard (right field), Jacob Heath (left field) and Austin Ogilvie at center.

Coach Ogilvie told The Nugget that his outfielders all had good arm strength, good speed to the gaps, and could all run down the fly ball. These three players communicated and kept the extra bases to a minimum.

Tristan Kirshner, Steven Houck and Jacob Schnell also helped out in the outfield positions.

"These guys all contributed to the team and increased their skills and knowledge of the game over the course of the season," said Ogilvie.

Several Outlaws finished with a batting average of .400 or above. Stovall ended the season with .553; Witt, .491; Pollard, .438; Calarco, .438; Heath, .424; and Blumm recorded a .400.

Ogilvie noted that five seniors will be leaving the varsity team, and told The Nugget he feels he has players ready to step in at that level.

"I've got sophomores that can step in and help the varsity team," said Ogilvie. "They've got good speed and good hands, and they can make an impact if they're aggressive and work hard. They have the talent, but just need the drive and desire to make it happen."