Barons Blog

Coach James Cassill announces his roster for the 2008 Baron Campaign. Yelm First Baseman and Baron Team Captain John Boire returns for his fifth season in 2008. John is arguably the finest defensive first Baseman in the area. Ace pitcher Colton Brown of Auburn has decided to return.   Colton will also see some time in the outfield. Colton recorded 11 wins for Auburn in 2007 and pitched at Safeco in the State title game. Logan Bushnell of Emerald Ridge returns for his fourth season and hopes to replicate the outrageous numbers he posted in 2007. Logan produced a .517 AVG with 6 HRS and 25 RBI for E.R. in 2007. His .517 average and six homeruns led the SPSL South in both categories.   A.J. Easterbrook of Kentwood HS will pitch for the Barons.   He also swings a potent stick and will get a number of at bats when he isn't pitching.  Pitcher Alec Elliott of Puyallup HS returns for his fourth season.   Todd Beamers versatile Sean Goforth joins the Barons for the 2008 season.  Sean played for the Barons in the Triple Crown World Series in 2007 where he hit at a .700 clip. Pitcher Riley Kain of Rogers HS hopes to bounce back in 2008 after an injury plagued 2007 season. This is Kains fourth season with the club.   Switch-hitting second Baseman Aaron Knapp of Rogers HS also returns for his fifth season with the Barons. Knapp will also be the Rogers HS team captain for 2008. Outfielder Justin Lee of Todd Beamer HS returns home for his fourth season with the Barons. Justin played for the Bankers in 2007.   Alex Mahler from Puyallup HS returns for the 2008 season. Alex led the SPSL South with a 0.43 ERA. Stadium HS infielder, pitcher Anthony McCarthy returns for his second season with the Barons. Anthony will once again play a vital role for Stadiums quest for the 2008 Narrows League crown. Michael O'Bryant of Emerald Ridge will return for his third season with the club.   Michael was limited by injuries in 2007 and if healthy will play a big role for Emerald Ridge and the Barons. Stadium catcher Tony Rossetto will play his first season for the club this summer. Tony was named to the first team All Narrows League as a catcher in 2007. Tony is one of the best defensive catchers in the area and swings a potent stick.  Stadium All Narrows League third baseman Jake Schumacher returns to the team in 2008.   Jake last played the hot corner for the Barons in 2004.   Jay Skilton of Stadium will play his fifth season at shortstop for the Barons.  Jay along with Knapp and Boire are the three remaining original Barons. Jay is one of the most talented players in the northwest.   Last season he was named as the Narrows League first team All League shorstop for the third time.   Jay was also named as the outstanding Tacoma male prep athlete for 2007.  Productive Michael Sumi of Franklin HS in Seattle will return for his second season.   Mike has starred as the Franklin shortstop and captained for the team.   He is a talented left-handed hitter and a quality pitcher.   Mike will see time at all four infield positions as well as the outfield.   Barron Tanay of Stadium will throw many big games for both the Tigers and Barons in 2008. He will play a vital role for Stadium where he may emerge as the ACE of the Tigers staff.   It was earlier stated in this post that Jake Shadle would throw for the Barons when he not with the Blue Jackets.  Unfortnately, he will be unable to do so due to his commitment to the West Coast College League.  

Ben Miller Tacoma Weekly
Published on: January 03, 2008
Every year, Tacoma Weekly selects two high school athletes from among the city's eight schools to crown as the boys and girls prep athletes of the year. And every year, it is always a difficult decision to make. It was no different in 2007.

In previous years, certain individuals have stood out for their impact on one sport. For example, Roman Tinitali-Pula was the selection for the boys honor last year for his play as the Lincoln Abes; workhorse on the gridiron. This year, though, there was not a single performance that really stood out above the rest.

So with that in mind, an all-encompassing look was taken into account for 2007. Rather than choosing one-sport stars, we looked at athletes who were able to accomplish big things in multiple sports. And that helped narrow down the choices.

Jay Skilton from Stadium High School and Jen Hunter from Bellarmine Prep are Tacoma Weekly's 2007 Prep Athletes of the Year. Both contributed in big ways for two different sports for their schools, and those impacts showed up in the stats sheet and in the win column.
The Stadium Tigers football team had a typical season in the fall of 2007. They had a new coach and they did not win very many games ; just one over Clover Park. But Skilton made things a little bit more exciting for the Tigers. Running the wing-T offense, the Tigers did not throw much but when they did, usually Skilton was at the receiving end. Skilton racked up 34 catches for a total of 839 yards for the Tigers through the air. He was the second leading receiver in the city  behind Foss' Nicholas Edwards  and snagged first-team all-Narrows League Bay Division honors for his performance.  I didn't get much playing time [in 2006], so I wasn't sure what was going to happen (this season),he said.  I knew I was pretty fast, but I was surprised to see with my weight that I was able to do that.

However, it was on the baseball diamond that Skilton first made a name for himself. Shortstop is the toughest position to play in baseball, and Skilton performed well there for the Tigers last season. He was named a first-team all-Narrows League selection for his play in 2007, and he helped the Tigers to the quarterfinals of the state tournament.  Defensively, he had just one error all season long.  I thought that was my biggest accomplishment, how I did defensively,he said. Offensively, I went crazy, just kept getting base hits. Hitting came around really well for me. Hitting has always been strong for me, but last year I had power. Stadium was the only team from the Narrows League to advance to the state tournament in baseball in 2007, and it was just the second time in school history that the Tigers reached the quarterfinals. The only other time came back in 1979. Last year was an amazing year for us, Skilton said. We all played like a family. It was just a great season. It's going to be great to have almost everyone back this year.

Whether on the soccer field or on the basketball court, Bellarmine's Jen Hunter was comfortable with her surroundings. She snagged first-team all-Narrows League selections in both sports and tasted much success in 2007.  In basketball, the Lions relied on Hunter to put the basket in the hole. She was the team's leading scorer with 13.4 points per game while shooting at a 60-percent clip from the field. She was also third on the team with 4.3 rebounds per contest. Hunter and her teammates guided Bellarmine to the girls basketball state playoffs for the first time since the 1999-2000 season. Unfortunately, the Lions dropped their opening round game to Prairie before falling to Mount Tahoma in the second round to watch their postseason come to an early end.  If you play on the girls soccer team for Bellarmine, it probably means that you are pretty good to begin with. The Lions are used to success, and this season was no different. Hunter was a crucial clog at forward as Bellarmin