Liberty hires new baseball coach
January 6, 2012
John Martin has been hired to take the helm as Liberty High School’s new baseball coach.
Martin was a pitching coach at Liberty for several seasons and was on the staff when Liberty won the 3A state title in 2003.
Among his prized pitchers that season was future Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum, of the San Francisco Giants.
Martin has spent the past several years as an assistant coach at Auburn Mountainview High School. He has also coached summer select baseball teams.
Martin replaces Steve Darnell, who directed Liberty to a 6-8 record last season, when the Patriots were knocked out in the first round of the KingCo Conference 3A tournament.
Liberty hires new baseball coach
September 27, 2011
NEW 2:35 — Sept. 27, 2011
Liberty High School athletic director Stark Porter announced Sept. 26 John Martin has been hired to be the Patriots’ new baseball coach.
Martin was a pitching coach at Liberty for several seasons and was on the staff when Liberty won the 3A state title in 2003.
Among his prized pitchers that season was future Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum of the San Francisco Giants.
Martin has spent the last several years as an assistant coach at Auburn Mountainview. He has also coached summer select baseball teams.
Martin replaces Steve Darnell, who directed Liberty to a 6-8 record last season, when the Patriots were knocked out in the first round of the KingCo Conference 3A tournament.
Team includes Newcastle Baseball Club members
September 2, 2011
The Raptors, a select baseball team from the Eastside, earned the title of 2011 Triple Crown World Series 2-Div Champions winning the final, 11-6, against the Salt Lake City Blast on July 30 in Park City, Utah.
Led by Raptor coach Ron Hay and assistant coach Sean Lincecum, the team includes five alumnus of the Newcastle Baseball Club; Rory Brown, Trevor Curl, Michael Morgan, Alex Pritchard and Lucas Senatore.
Raptors team members celebrate after winning their division championship at the Triple Crown World Series July 30. Contributed
The road to the Raptors’ Triple Crown World Series title started in April with a second-place finish in the Wenatchee Triple Crown tournament, earning the team a chance to play in the World Series.
The Raptors went on to win three other Washington tournaments, including the Bothell Triple Crown Memorial Weekend tournament.
The 10u World Series included 26 teams from California, Colorado, Nevada, Utah and Washington. All teams were finalists in regional Triple Crown tournaments.
The World Series tournament ran July 25-30.
Playing seven games in four days to reach the championship, the Raptors went into the championship game having earned a string of four dramatic come-from-behind victories, including two extra inning or overtime wins.
Learn more about the team at www.pugetsoundraptors.com.
Hazen baseball players named to all-state team
August 5, 2011
Hazen baseball players Zac Kolterman and Jeff Beckham were in June named as selections on the Washington State Baseball Coaches Association Class 3A all-state team.
Kolterman, a senior pitcher, was named first-team, and Beckham, a senior catcher, was named second-team.
Skyhawks camps filling up for the summer
July 1, 2011
Skyhawks summer camps in Newcastle are filling up quickly for the summer.
Most courses have fewer than 10 spots remaining. The first camp begins July 5.
Camps are for children ages 5-12, and they include golf, basketball, tennis, cheerleading and Mini-Hawk, which includes basketball, baseball and soccer.
Camps are five days each and range in price from $69 to $145. They will be held at Lake Boren Park, Renton Academy or Hazelwood Elementary School.
Get the full list of camps by going to https://register.skyhawks.com, and enter your ZIP code.
Call Newcastle Parks and Recreation at City Hall at 649-4444 or the Skyhawks at 800-804-3509, toll free, with questions.
Hazen sports teams tackle the postseason
June 3, 2011
Kyle Nelson, a Hazen High School sophomore, crushes a pitch against Kelso High School on May 10. Nelson finished the season with a .419 batting average. By Scott Coburn
Hazen High School’s baseball season came to a bitter end after an extra-innings, 4-3 loss to Capital High School in the second game of the West Central District III Tournament. It was a tough loss to swallow for the 2011 Seamount League champions.
Hazen sports blaze through spring on the back of loaded baseball team
May 6, 2011
Hazen High School’s baseball was red hot through April, going 7-2 during the month to finish its season with a 13-3 overall record and a 12-2 conference record.
The team was awaiting results from Lindbergh High School’s final two games May 4, which was after Newcastle News’ deadline, to find out if it would be crowned Seamount Champions for the year.
Hazen’s boys soccer team — now under the direction of coach Ken Matthews, the school’s girls soccer coach — went 2-3-1 in April, bringing its overall record to 5-6-1 and its conference record to 5-4-1. The Highlanders are third in the Seamount League behind Kennedy Catholic and Highline high schools.
Meanwhile, numerous athletes on the track and field team set new school records.
Liberty, Hazen reload with youthful baseball squads
April 1, 2011
Jacob Hofferber, Liberty senior pitcher, throws out of jam during an increasingly rainy game March 18 against Issaquah. By Greg Farrar
Liberty and Hazen high school’s baseball teams are back and ready for springtime action.
Both teams will rely on younger talent this year, and they will face off against each other at 3:30 p.m. April 1 at Liberty High School.
Hazen brings summer baseball back
July 1, 2010
Hazen’s Kyle Arinobu dives back to first base in the bottom of the third inning in the game against the Moon Valley Redhawks June 22. By Tim Pfarr
After two decades of quiet summers in Renton without American Legion Baseball, members of the Hazen High School baseball team came together to play ball well into the summer.
Liberty, Hazen seasons end in playoffs
June 3, 2010
Anthony Pina, Hazen senior, rises to his feet after stealing home on a wild pitch in the sixth inning against Issaquah March 17. By Greg Farrar
Both Liberty High School and Hazen High School’s baseball teams’ seasons came to an end in mid-May with losses in the playoffs.
Hazen finished its season with a 15-7 overall record and a 12-4 conference record, taking third in the Seamount League. However, the 15-win season set a new school record for the Highlanders.
