Varsity 541

PREP BASEBALL

Comets, Grizz gain all-state honors

Crater's Massey joined by Ashland's Tygerson, Kendall on 5A first team

Mail Tribune
June 18, 2009

A shortstop by trade, Christian Massey made the move to center field last season for the Crater Comets and hasn't looked back.

Massey was a force in the outfield for Crater all season, and a particular thorn in the side of opposing pitchers when he stepped in the batter's box.

For all his efforts, the junior standout was rewarded as one of three local first-team all-state selections at the Class 5A level.

Also gaining first-team recognition were Ashland senior pitcher Garrett Tygerson and junior outfielder Ian Kendall. The duo were joined by four teammates overall in the all-state listing released Wednesday.

For Massey, the honor caught him a bit off guard.

"I was glad that I got it and excited and everything but I was surprised," he said.

That Massey earned such praise was no surprise to his coach, however.

"As he went we kinda went," said Crater coach Jay Campbell. "Obviously he brings a lot of speed to the game and has a tremendous amount of range in the outfield. He was able to track down a lot of balls in the outfield and save us a lot of extra-base hits."

At the plate, Massey hit .420 overall with 24 runs scored and 22 RBIs. He hit over .500 in Southern Sky Conference play, falling just short of the .533 mark put up by teammate Haden Bighouse. All while still settling in as an outfielder.

"I'm more fundamental out there than I was in the infield," admitted Massey. "I've been able to take advantage of my speed a little more."

Tygerson posted a 7-2 record with three saves and a 1.29 ERA entering postseason play, and also hit .405 with 31 RBIs and 28 runs scored. Kendall hit an eye-popping .484 overall with 24 RBIs and 31 runs, and his five home runs were two more than Tygerson and Massey.

Third baseman Bighouse led the charge for the local boys on the second team and was joined by Ashland senior pitcher Charlie Sebrell, junior shortstop Nick Hall and senior utility Hayden Miller.

Bighouse belted 21 singles in SSC play alone and finished the season batting .406 with 15 runs and 11 RBIs. Teammate Craig Kathol earned honorable mention acclaim as a pitcher by going 8-4 with a 3.09 ERA. The senior also hit .373 in league play with 14 of his 18 runs and nine of his 14 RBIs.

"It was nice to see good kids get rewarded for good senior years," Campbell said of Bighouse and Kathol. "They both did a lot for this program. They worked hard and they're going to be successful kids after baseball because of their good work ethic."

Sebrell posted a 6-1 mark with two saves and a 2.29 ERA during the regular season. He also hit .403 with 20 RBIs and 31 runs scored. Hall hit .355 with 28 RBIs and 35 runs, while Miller finished a steady .438 with 25 RBIs and 27 runs.

Also selected to the honorable mention squad was Ashland catcher Lewis Sebrell, who was a guiding force behind the plate in helping the Grizzlies advance to the 5A semifinals. The senior hit .388 with 29 RBIs and 26 runs scored during the regular season.

Class 5A All-State Baseball

PITCHER OF THE YEAR — Aaron Corwin, Corvallis.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR — Skip Spencer, Thurston.

COACH OF THE YEAR — Phil Dube, Thurston.

FIRST TEAM

PITCHER — Garrett Tygerson, Sr., Ashland; Tim Keller, Sr., North Eugene; Aaron Corwin, Sr., Corvallis; Isaac Henslee, Jr., Pendleton.

CATCHER — Skip Spencer, Sr., Thurston.

FIRST BASE — Kyle Kirwan, Sr., Glencoe; Jeremy Burright, Sr., West Albany.

INFIELD — Turner Gill, Jr., Madras; Will Taylor, Sr., Madison; Gabe Rowe, Sr., Pendleton; Cory England, Jr., Corvallis; Kyle Hoover, Sr., Thurston.

OUTFIELD — Ian Kendall, Jr., Ashland; Kellen Sparks, Jr., Corvallis; Danny Urness, Sr., Thurston; Christian Massey, Jr., Crater.

UTILITY — Reese Miller, Sr., West Albany.

DESIGNATED HITTER — Chase Sanders, Jr., Corvallis.

SECOND TEAM

PITCHER — Nathan Boone, Sr., West Albany; Charlie Sebrell, Sr., Ashland; Tyler Heck, Sr., Glencoe; Chris Reed, Sr., Thurston.

CATCHER — Bo Cornish, Jr., Liberty; Kenny Norgaard, Jr., Bend.

FIRST BASE — Taylor Woodke, Jr., Willamette.

INFIELD — Jared Chase, Sr., St. Helens; Haden Bighouse, Sr., Crater; Trent Smith, Sr., Bend; Nick Hall, Jr., Ashland.

OUTFIELD — Steve Ravlin, Sr., Corvallis; Tym Pearson, Sr., Thurston; Brad Welter, Sr., St. Helens; Will Steinhoff, Sr., Bend.

UTILITY — Hayden Miller, Sr., Ashland.

DESIGNATED HITTER — Andy Mcintyre, Sr., Cleveland.

HONORABLE MENTION

PITCHER — Martin Brown, Sr., Madras; Craig Kathol, Sr., Crater; Rudy Corbett, Jr., Cleveland; Chase Clair, Jr., Bend.

CATCHER — Lewis Sebrell, Sr., Ashland; Kiel Larkin, Sr., Crescent Valley.

FIRST BASE — Jordan Duilio, Sr., Madison; Dan Fisher, Sr., Pendleton.

INFIELD — Nico Johnson, Sr., Lebanon; Andy Maahs, Sr., Willamette; Cole Hamilton, So., Cleveland; Troy Duppenthaler, Sr., Sherwood.

OUTFIELD — Tregg Smith, Sr., Dallas; Kody Butcher, Sr., Century; Justin Rodda, Sr., The Dalles Wahtonka; Max Berrien, Sr., Churchill.

UTILITY — Duncan Wilcox, Jr., The Dalles Wahtonka; Ryan Miller, Sr., Glencoe.

DESIGNATED HITTER — Colten Pilkington, Sr., St. Helens.

Reach reporter Kris Henry at 776-4488, or e-mail khenry@mailtribune.com