Everett, WA – The 2023 Trojan baseball team closed out the regular season over Mother's Day weekend in a series with Douglas College of New Westminster, BC. Entering the weekend, EvCC controlled their own destiny needing four wins to clinch at least the 4th seed from the North region and the program's 6th straight appearance in the post-season.
Everett's trip to Canada on Saturday got off to a tense start when three of the team's vehicles were involved in a collision on I-5. After evaluation from medical staff, five EvCC players were ruled out with concussions, but everyone else cleared medical checks and the games on Saturday afternoon would proceed, albeit slightly delayed.
Despite the nerve racking distraction, the Trojans got the bats going early, and exploded for 11 runs in the second inning, all but ending game one before it hardly got a chance to start. Everett tacked on four more runs through the next six innings and ended the game in the 7th by virtue of the 10-run rule, winning 15-3. Elias Holbert went 5 innings, giving up 6 hits and 3 earned runs while striking out 7 batters. Kyle Heaton finished the game pitching 2 scoreless and hitless innings, walked 2 batters and struck out one. Four Trojans had a multi hit ball game including Sheehan O'Connor's 4 hit game that included two triples, and 3 RBI's. Jonah Shull plated 4 baserunners on his two hits and also had triple.
Everett kept the bats rolling in game two, resulting in the exact same score of 15-3, but distributed the runs throughout the game. Five Trojans recorded 3 hits (O'Connor, Terry, Gaither, Jeffrey, and Burns), each of them got at least one double, Burns with two and Jeffrey with all three of his hits being of the two bag variety. The only other Trojan to get a hit was Ryan Contreras and his was a 2-run triple. Carson Burns had a team high 8 RBI's, and O'Connor and Terry both came up with stolen bases. Davis Buckner got the start on the mound for the Trojans and through 4 innings struck out 6, giving up 3 hits and 3 earned runs. Mason Devinney finished the game going 5 scoreless innings, and gave up 3 hits while striking out 8 batters.
Back in Everett on Sunday, Mother's Day baseball was a warm day in the mid 80's. The climate seemed to dictate the temperature of the bats as they continued to roll for Everett. After a two-run bottom of the first, Everett came back with 7 in the second highlighted by a Braeden Terry moon shot over the left field wall. Ryan Jeffrey homered in the 4th and the Trojans put up six more runs in the bottom of the sixth to close out the Royals once again in 7 innings, this time by a final score of 18-4. Ethan Hubbell went the distance on the mound, striking out 6 batters in 7 innings of work with 10 hits and 4 earned runs. Sheehan O'Connor had another 4-hit game complete with two doubles and Braeden Terry and Ryan Jeffrey each had 4 RBI's.
In the final game of the series, Douglas did not help their cause with 8 errors and the Trojans plated the most runs of the season with 24 and once again finished the game in 7 innings. Carson Burns, Ryan Jeffrey, and Nathaniel De La Cruz each had four hits and Burns and Jeffrey each drove in 5 runs. Hunter Bennett got the start and the win, going 4 innings pitched, striking out 5, giving up 0 earned runs and 5 hits.
In four games, Everett outscored Douglas 52-13 The series sweeps brings the Trojans' north region record to 15-15 and guarantees a trip to the super regional round of the NWAC playoffs. The seeding is yet to be determined based on the outcome of Skagit Valley's final two remaining games. Should the Cardinals lose their final two Everett would move up to the #3 seed in the North and travel to #2 in the East Columbia Basin College on Friday May 19th to take on the West #4 in a loser out game. The winner of that game will play CBC in a best of three series.
As it stands, if EvCC remains the #4, Everett will travel to either Linn Benton CC or Lane CC as the South #2 and will play #3 out of the east Walla Walla in a loser out game. The winner will play Linn Benton or Lane in a best of 3 series. The winners of the super-regional rounds will meet up with each regions #1 seeds and will advance to Longview, WA as a part of the final 8 NWAC teams in the double elimination championship tournament.