Six Riverhawks secure all-league selections

“We did some good things this year. Some real good things, but we also played like a junior varsity team a lot of times,” Sugg said. “I attribute that to our youth and immaturity. We need to mature, and we need to grow as a team, which we will. I have already seen a lot of growth and maturity with these guys. The New England Patriots or Chicago Bulls weren’t built in one year, so it is a learning process. I think we will get there.”

Despite their youth, The Dalles had six players named to the all-Columbia River Conference team, led by Dalles Seufalemua and Dominic Smith, who were selected as first-team recipients.

Sophomore shortstop Ben Nelson, along with seniors Jordan Wetmore, Henry Lee and Jose Gonzalez, were all picked as second teamers.

Sugg was pleasantly surprised that Seufalemua and Smith were selected for the first team, a rare accomplishment for sophomores, especially in a league where Hood River Valley, Pendleton and Hermiston were senior dominant.

“First of all, I am extremely proud of both of those guys. It is a great accomplishment,” Sugg said. “Now, they have a bulls-eye on their chest. It is going to be harder for them. They are going to have to work even harder to get back to that level next year, because everyone is going to be expecting that now. With the good, comes the bad, but I think they are both good kids that are going to continue to work hard and get better.”

Seufalemua played catcher and first base during the league season and committed one error.

He led the Riverhawks with 15 hits in 33 at-bats for a .455 batting average, with three doubles, a home run, two runs scored, nine RBIs, five walks and seven strikeouts in 40 plate appearances.

Overall, Seufalemua boasted a .333 average, going 21 for 63, adding five runs scored, 13 RBIs, eight walks and 13 strikeouts in 75 plate appearances.

“As a coach, Dalles is one of those kids that when you tell him something, he makes adjustments and works at it,” Sugg said. “He just continued to work at it and caught fire and got some confidence. The big thing with him is his confidence. Pitch selection too. Early in the season, he was swinging at bad pitches, but then he started learning the zone a little bit and took off. He ended the season on a tear. In fact, he was one of the hottest hitters in the league.”

Smith was right up at the top of the Riverhawks in several offensive categories, while penciled in as TD’s starting third baseman.

Smith went 13 for 37 for a .351 average with six runs, five RBIs, four walks and a stolen base in 12 league tilts; and he totaled 23 hits in 71 at-bats (.324), scored 11 runs, drove in 10, walked seven times, swiped two bases and struck out 14 times in 80 plate appearances.

“It really means a lot to get this, because I put so much time into making myself a good baseball player,” Smith said. “This goes to show how constant work will be rewarded. I feel good about this, but I know this can’t be the best I ever get. I want to be all-state. I want to be one of best players. I know there is still a lot more for me to work on and that means constant reps in fielding and batting and getting stronger.”

Offensively, the Riverhawks scored 65 fewer runs from last year with a .263 team batting average on 158 hits, to go along with 77 walks, 28 hit by pitches and 150 strikeouts on 725 plate appearances.

On the mound, TD’s pitching staff allowed 200 runs, 120 earned, on 175 hits across 150 1/3 innings for an earned run average of 5.59 with 164 strikeouts and 151 walks and 10 quality starts.

One of the key arms was Wetmore, who went 1-2 in league with 22 runs allowed, 10 earned, on 23 hits with 38 strikeouts and 15 walks in 26 2/3 innings pitched.

He also had three quality starts and opposing league teams posted a batting average of .200 against the right-hander.

In 10 starts on the year, Wetmore was 2-7 with six quality starts and two complete games, and a 2.61 earned average in 51 innings.

He gave up 40 runs, 19 earned, on 39 hits with 75 strikeouts and 34 walks and teams hit .191 against him.

As one of five seniors, Wetmore provided consistent starts, so Sugg will miss his ace hurler.

“We had a great senior group. It is a senior group that did not have a lot of success in their younger years, but I thought they came out and worked extremely hard,” Sugg said. “Jordan Wetmore for example, has come a long way from last year to this year. He has really matured and turned into a really good pitcher. I think he has improved more than any of them.”

Lee played in 22 games this season, missing some time due to injury, but still had a big impact in league play, where he hit .421 on 8 for 19 with six runs scored, three RBIs, eight walks, six hit by pitches and five strikeouts on 33 plate appearances.

For the season, Lee led the team with 14 walks and was hit 10 times; and he finished tied for team lead in runs scored with 12.

On the field, the senior committed two errors in league, seven overall, and had 119 putouts.

“Henry Lee is another kid that did well for us,” Sugg said. “Unfortunately, he had some arm problems this year. We were kind of looking forward to him being one of our mainstays on the mound, but he came up with shoulder injuries here and there and it hurt us a little bit. He was another solid senior who put up some good numbers.”

Gonzalez played centerfield for the Riverhawks and committed two errors during league, six overall, with 28 putouts and 10 outfield assists.

The speedy senior tallied eight hits in 35 at-bats with four runs scored, four RBIs, three walks and two stolen bases.

All told, Gonzalez ended up hitting .265 with 18 hits in 81 plate appearances. He scored 12 runs, drove in eight, walked nine times and stole a team-high seven bases.

“Jose has done a solid job for us,” Sugg said. “We moved him around in the lineup a little bit, but no matter where we put him, he always had solid at-bats. He battled. He’s been there every day, day-in and day-out, competing and giving us everything he has.”

One sophomore expected to trend upward over the next two campaigns is Nelson, who showed potential at shortstop and as a galvanizing force as a leadoff hitter.

During CRC play, Nelson racked up 15 hits, three doubles, in 37 at-bats for a .405 average with six runs scored three RBIs and seven strikeouts in 41 plate appearances.

Nelson scored 11 runs overall, had 10 RBIs, seven walks and notched 20 hits in 77 plate appearances for a .324 average.

“Ben has definitely got the ability and he’s got the speed, hitting ability and talent to be one of our better players,” Sugg said. “Obviously, he went through some growing pains this year, just like the rest of the sophomores, but I think he will be better for it. Everybody’s got to go through that as sophomores at this level. It is exciting to see how much better he will get for us. He will be a very important piece to what we trying to build here.”

While Spencer Honald and Kristos Kiser did not earn any awards this spring, Sugg liked the attitude and demeanor those seniors showed.

Honald played middle infield and pitched, but an arm injury cut his season short and Kiser was primarily used a pinch hitter and saw time in the outfield.

On one hand, Sugg appreciated everything the seniors brought to the team, saying each of them did not bat an eye when asked to bunt or play a certain role.

If he can get the sophomores to continue that mindset, the program will be in better shape.

“I really like the nucleus we got coming back,” Sugg said. “When they come in next year, they will already know what to expect and how hard they have to work in the offseason and in the summer to get to a Wilsonville, Hood River and Pendleton level. They can draw on this varsity experience and figure out what they have to do be successful. Our core is there, and I think they learned a lot this spring. We are looking forward to this summer.”

Through fundraising and organization, The Dalles baseball hosted a dinner and auction, sold oranges and grapefruit, discount cards and participated in several other ventures in an effort to raise money for a road trip to Arizona during spring break.

A lot of time and energy went into making sure this was possible for the athletes, but Sugg did not take credit, however, he passed the accolades on to the parents, community members and volunteers for jumping into action.

One parent who went above and beyond the call of duty was Dena Honald.

Honald did a majority of the dinner auction legwork and she put together a team program with historical information, pictures, schedules and player bios.

Working in collaboration with Optimist Printers, every varsity player had banners draped on the walls surrounding Bob Williams Field, and she played a big part in keeping things in line, while the team was in Arizona.

“A lot of this is not possible without Dena and some of the other parents,” Sugg said. “Dena really went above and beyond. She put in the time and effort to make sure the players had everything they needed. We will never be able to repay Dena for what she brought to the program this year. I know I can speak for myself and the kids when I say that we are so appreciative and thankful that she was there for us.”