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December 8, 2008 Baseball Northwest has recognized some more Bankers recently putting both Garrett DeGallier, Eastside Catholic 2010 and Connor Jones, Woodinville 2010 on their WATCH LIST. Also, Luke Taylor, Woodinville 2010 has moved up from #13 to # 7 spot in the overall rating of his graduating class participating in Baseball Northwest. November 6, 2008 Some of our Bankers who have participated in the Baseball Northwest Program in the offseason have been recognized as in the “TOP WASHINGTON HIGH SCHOOL PLAYERS” for their graduating year. Congratulations to: 2009, Sean Murphy ranked #38 overall Woodinville High, Ryan Journey #44 overall Bonney Lake, & Jake Carpenter #83 overall Woodinville. 2010 Class, Luke Taylor #13 overall Woodinville, Chris Peterson #56 overall Archbishop Murphy. August 24, 2008 COLLEGE BOUND BANKERS Founder and Head Coach Howard Hagen is quick to point out that since he started the Club at the 18U level in 1988 until today, the Bankers have a 70% winning record playing the strongest competition locally and nationally. However, he is most proud of their player development and what the players have accomplished in the classroom as well as on the field. Since 1988, the Bankers have had 74 Division 1 Baseball Players on Scholarship and a total of 194 playing at either the University or Junior College Level on some sort of a baseball or academic scholarship. This is a tribute to the players hard work in the classroom and on the field, and shows the balance in their life that is required to have continued success. Naturally, it is also a tremendous burden off the shoulders of parents and can reduce or eliminate student loans which need to get repaid. Best of Everything 2008 Bankers! 2008 Bankers are attending the Universities or Colleges listed below: Ryan Leahy, Gonzaga University Caleb Brown University Washington Danny Oh University California Brent Sellers Le Tourneau University, Longview Texas Tyler Cox Bellevue Community College Daniel Zylstra Western Arizona Junior CollegeJuly 30, 2008 Bankers Invitational Tournament Results The Bankers Invitational concluded Sunday July 27th with Honda of Bellevue defeating Chaffey in the Championship game of the Dollar Division to win First Place and the Trophy. Each of the eight teams in the tournament played five games and Honda, the overall Champions, had a record of three wins and two losses. The Bankers ended up defeating the Spokane Dodgers Sunday to win the Coin Division with a overall record for the tournament of three wins, one loss, and one tie. It was a great way to end our season and the team and all the coaches were very pleased with the development of the players this season and their performance. July 16, 2008 Bankers Finish 3rd in Pugh The Bankers battled hard against great competition in the prestigious Brandy Pugh Tournament finishing in 3rd place with 4 wins and 2 losses. The coaches are extremely proud of the way the players have battled all season in tournament play winning the Pullman Invitational, finishing 2nd in the Kent Fathers Day, and now 3rd in the Pugh. The players held their own in California as well finishing 2 & 2 winning their POD against stiff California competition. Next up after a week of tough games is the Banker Invitational which will be held at BCC July 23rd thru July 27th and conclude our season. June 24, 2008 Bankers Win Palouse Summer Series Invitational The Bankers Baseball Club displayed character and heart coming from behind to defeat a very talented and well coached Baden Baseball Club in the Championship Game at Washington State University, 5-4. After defeating Laces, Oakley out of Spokane, and the Timberjacks in our division to be 3-0 in the Four Division 16 Team Tournament, the Bankers played out of their division defeating the Pilots 6-0. This set up the Championship game which was well played by the Bankers in every respect. The coaches were particularly pleased with the improvement from our first tournament (FATHERS DAY INVITATIONAL CLASSIC) which consisted of 20 teams in five divisions in which the Bankers lost to Chaffey in the Championship game which was our third game of that day.
Every player on the team has made major
contributions to our success and we look forward to
traveling to California where we will be participating
once again in the very prestigious Firecracker
Invitational of the top 32 baseball clubs in the country
in beautiful Southern California. June 9, 2008 CONGRATS TO THE FOLLOWING BANKERS!!!
December 5, 2007 It was nice to see several Bankers ranked in the new Baseball NW player rankings. If you haven't already seen the updated rankings you can find them at www.baseballnorthwest.com
WASHINGTON CLASS OF 2008 TOP 185
#40. Daniel Zylstra INF Central Kitsap HS #51. Ryan Leahy LHP Snohomish HS #84. Caleb Brown OF Central Kitsap HS #103. Brent Sellers OF Woodinville HS #108. Tyler Cox C Edmonds Woodway HS
WASHINGTON CLASS OF 2009 TOP 160
#118. Adam Babcock RHP(sidearm) Bellingham HS #133. Mac Acker LHP Redmond HS
WASHINGTON CLASS OF 2010 TOP 100
#16. Kennedy Kincade INF Jackson HS #19. Taylor Smart INF Tahoma HS #35. Evan Hudson RHP Bothell HS #39. Ryan Wiggins C West Seattle HS
Evan Hudson 6' 4" 203lbs RHP (Bothell HS) was a state runner up in the 4A state championship Football game vs. Lewis & Clark for the 4A State Title. Evan played TE and DE as one of the few sophomores on varsity.
http://kitsapsun.com/news/2007/nov/21/heck-of-a-job-brownie/
OF Riley Carr 6"0 210lbs (Jackson HS) also had an outstanding football season being named Honorable Mention as a running back in the WesCo South Division. Riley is a tremendous athlete which makes him a legitimate prospect in baseball and football. His season totals are listed below.
July 23, 2007 Bankers Finish up 2007 Connie Mack State Tournament The Bankers played two loser out games Saturday July 21st defeating the Shockers Baseball Club 8-1 on a magnificent pitched game by Andrew Blanchette who went the distance for the Bank. The Bankers win eliminated the Shockers from the tournament and advanced the Bankers to the semi finals against the NW Stars an all star team out of Oregon. The game was 1-0 NW Stars for most of the game and then another run and a home run for the stars and the Bank just could not get the hits and lost 5-0 to a good team. The Bankers can be proud and represented the tradition of the Bank well at the State Tournament just barely coming up short of heading back to southern California for another Regional. Oh well---Next year. Hats off to all the Great young men who played hard all season long and their fine parents who supported them win or lose/rain or shine. Look for the 2008 Bankers to be a Powerhouse Club with all the great returners!!! July 20, 2007 Bankers Defeat Bellevue Honda 6-3. The Bankers advance in the Connie Mack State Tournament to play the Shockers in a loser out game hopefully sometime Friday if the field directors can find a dry field somewhere in Western Washington. Thursday’s game against Honda was an outstanding complete game pitching performance from Colton Bielaski and timely hitting from the entire Banker lineup. July 19, 2007 Bankers Battling in State Tourney... After a loss to the Stars Monday night 8-3 (7-16-07) in the first round of the double elimination tournament to the Seattle Stars, the Bankers Baseball Club defeated the Buzz Tuesday 15-1 to stay alive and advance to a loser out game against Bellevue Honda Thursday at 5pm at Tacoma Community College. The winner of this game is scheduled at this time to play the Shockers Friday at 2pm at a field to be determined. The top two teams from Washington will advance to Southern California immediately to play in the Connie Mack Western Regional Tournament at the University of California Irvine Baseball Facility beginning Wednesday July 25th and concluding July 29th. The winner of this tournament advance to the Connie Mack World Series in Farmington New Mexico. In 1999 coaches Howard Hagen, Tom McCabe, Ray Moody, and Mike McCabe and a group of very scrappy and talented players won the western Regionals and participated in the world series becoming the first team from this state in over 30 years to make that claim. August 6th, 2006 Bankers Form 16& Under Mickey Mantle Team The Bankers will be having try-outs for all 15-16year old baseball players that want to earn a chance to play on the Bankers select club. The try outs will be at Sammamish High School, Saturday August 12 &19th at 10am. Please send an e-mail if you are planning on attending the workout and a brief resume of your previous experience, position, etc. August 5th, 2006 Bankers finish 3-2 in Fatburger Tournament After going 3-0 the Bankers lost a hard fought battle with Bellevue Honda Legion 8-6 and today lost to the Shoreline Legion 4-1 being eliminated from tournament play. This concludes the 2006 Summer season and the Bankers will quickly turn their attention to Fall Baseball. July 19th, 2006 Bankers eliminated from Connie Mack State Tournament The Bankers lost Tuesday night in extra innings to the Federal Way Buzz in a hard fought battle. The lead changed hands several time but in the end the Buzz earned a win pushing their tournament record to 2-0 and the Bankers 1-1 facing elimination from the State Tournament with another loss. The Bankers faced Olympia Pepsi today in a loser out game which went 12 innings before Pepsi scored on a shallow fly ball to right field scoring the runner who tagged up from third to claim a 4-3 victory and send the Bankers packing. Head Coach Mark Tyler said he was very proud of the players who gave everything they had but just came up short. The pitching in the Pepsi game was tremendous with starter Dan Johansen giving up just one earned run and Cody Goodfellow pitching the second half of this marathon game of over THREE hours giving up just one stingy run. The Bankers salute the Buzz and Pepsi and wish them well in the remainder of the State Tournament. July 17th, 2006 Bankers enter Connie Mack State Tournament for 19th year.. The Bankers are entering their 19th consecutive State tournament having won 10 of them. The Bankers came away with a first round win over the Kirkland Merchants in 5 innings 12-0 today. The Bankers had great pitching from Aaron Parente who shut out the Merchants and had stellar defense and home runs from Chris Morton and Mark Hewitt. The Bankers will continue play tomorrow in a winners bracket game in the 12 team state tournament. Howard Hagen, who has coached third base in all 19 state tournaments feels the 2006 Bankers have great defense, solid pitching and hitting, and lots of talent which should result in an 11th State Championship and an advance to Arizona for the Western Regionals. Previous Tournaments - July 13th, 2006: The Bankers have been on the road from June 21st thru July 4th participating in two invitational tournaments. Palouse Classic --- The Bankers played in the maximum possible amount of games in the four day tournament dominating the first six games by winning all five games with the eight-run mercy rule. The first four games never went past the 5th inning and several only four innings and in the semifinals it took six innings to defeat Taylor Baseball Club by a score of 10-1. The championship game once again saw the Bankers go down in defeat to the Seattle Stars 3-1 in a hard fought battle. Firecracker Invitational Southern California --- This tournament features the finest teams in California, Arizona and other parts of the country and is our 4th consecutive appearance where we have earned the respect of the top Connie Mack Clubs in the Western Region. Once again the Bankers finished 2nd in our pool play allowing us to advance to the quarter-finals where we defeated an outstanding club from Northern California and former champion Delta Indians by a score of 13-8. The Bankers advanced to lose to the Arizona Firebirds, another outstanding Club that the Bankers have faced many times in tournament and Regional play. The score of that game was 8-6. See Photos The Bankers came away from the two tournament road trips tired but with a record of 9 wins and 4 losses and in California played against some of the finest competition in the nation. The Bankers participated in the Brandy Pugh tournament and finished in 2nd place, losing to the Seattle Stars in the championship. See Photos June 19th, 2006 Bankers win Wilkinson Tournament! See Photos The Bankers won the Wilkinson tournament with a perfect 6-0 record by winning their pod play (4-0) and then defeating Baden Baseball Club in the Semifinals and defeating the Sea Dogs for the Championship. Coaches Tyler and Hagen are extremely pleased with the strong effort and improvement the club showed in this tournament. This tournament win brings our overall record to 24-7 and positions us very well for the Palouse Tournament which begins June 22-25 and then the prestigious Firecracker tournament in southern California which features the top Connie Mack Teams in the country from June 28-July 4th. June 14th, 2006 Bankers ready for Wilkinson Classic The Bankers sporting an 18-7 record will open against Midsound Baseball Club on Thursday night at 8pm at Bannerwood park in the annual Wilkinson Classic tournament. The Bankers have already participated in the 30-team Memorial Tournament, finishing in 2nd place, losing the Championship game to the Seattle Stars. June 4th, 2006 Bankers start off hot! The Bankers have already played 14 games including a Memorial Day Tournament. The Bankers are off to a solid start with a 11-3 record overall. Over the Memorial Day weekend Bank played eight games in four days and made it to the Championship game in the 30 team tournament. The Bankers lost the Championship game 5-0 coming in 2nd place to an outstanding Seattle Stars Ball Club. The players showed great character and stamina over the weekend with extremely adverse weather conditions and THREE games in one day! The Bankers are 3-1 in League play and will resume league play Monday June 5th against Lakeside Recovery at 6m at Bellevue Community College. May 21, 2006 Bankers Launch 2006 Season The 2006 Bankers Baseball Club began the season with two wins on the weekend. On Saturday we opened the season with just 10 players and two coaches as half of the team and coaches were still involved in State playoffs. The Saturday game against the Sea Dogs resulted in an 11 to 5 victory. Veteran lefthander Dave Anderson was sharp and got the win with Aaron Parente coming in to close it out for the Bankers. Robbie Philbrick had a home run. Sunday, the Bankers got some additional players as High School seasons ended, playing Wilkinson Academy and winning by a score of 24 to 1 in five innings. The winning pitcher was returning right-hander Brad Passino from Washougal. Closing out the game for the Bankers on the mound was Robbie Philbrick. There was outstanding offense by the entire team against a solid opponent. The Bankers resume play Monday, May 22nd against the Seattle A’s at Sammamish High School at 6pm.
April 4, 2006 Bankers Season Approaches! The Bankers Baseball club is excited and optimistic about the upcoming 2006 summer campaign. Founder and coach, Howard Hagen points out that pitching will be excellent this summer with proven veterans returning to the mound. PITCHING: The pitching is anchored by Dan Johansen who had an excellent 2005 summer, beating the Connie Mack World Series runner-up, Tromley Braves of Southern California. Chris Dupart brings heat with a live fast ball in the high 80’s. Further, Bank returns two crafty left-handers with three years of Banker experience in Dave Anderson and Chris Tharldson. Also returning is Brad Passino who was absolutely awesome last summer getting everyone out! Newcomers expected to make significant contributions this summer! Cody Goodfellow, a gifted right-hander, can bring it to the plate in a hurry. Aaron Parente has a variety of pitches that make him very tough to hit. Other newcomers that will get significant innings are Ben Panther from Seattle Prep, Robbie Philbrick from Mercer Island, and three year Banker Jon Wahl who can start a game or come in from the outfield and close out a game. Another pitcher we are expecting big things from is our middle infielder Evan Churlin, who will come in and get us important outs during the 2006 campaign. INFIELD: The 2006 Bankers will be strong in the infield with Hunter Beaty, Evan Churlin, and CJ Cullen taking care of the middle infield. At first base we are pleased to have returner Pat Lloid along with Kalin Vigil, a talented player from Seattle Prep. At third base we have Chris Morton, a hard hitting player from Bellevue High School. CATCHING: We have veteran Steve Hoge from Bothell High School, Travis Stanway from Bellevue High School, and Heath Hart from Federal Way High School. We are looking forward to having these three catchers share time behind the dish and working with our pitching staff. OUTFIELD: Ray Moody our outfield coach is very excited to coach one of the better Banker outfields in Banker history. The 2006 Bankers focus Mark Hewitt, an outstanding outfielder who can run down anything! Besides Hewitt, we have Curtis Dupart who has a major league arm and great speed, and, Alex Mesick, an outstanding outfielder from O'dea High School. We also return three-year Banker, John Wahl, a solid outfielder who knows the Banker system inside and out. TEAM SUMMARY - Count on the Bankers to have great pitching and solid defense!Offensively, we have players that can hit for average and power. That said, we are going to be a team that focuses on defense and expects to hold our opposition to very few runs. Our offense will be aggressive! Look for the 2006 Bankers to once again, win the Connie Mack State Championship and get back to the World Series! December 6, 2005 Looking Ahead
To
accomplish our goal of advancing
to the Connie Mack Regionals and
winning and returning to
Farmington New Mexico in August,
the Bankers have intensified our
teaching and training camps this
winter and moved to the Rijo
Athletics facility in
Woodinville. This is an
outstanding facility, and the
coaches are able to spend
quality time teaching players
the Bankers system.
Finally, once again the Bankers
Home Field will be Bellevue
Community College, giving us the
finest facility in the Northwest
to play our home games. Mark
Yoshino Head Coach of Bellevue
Community College and former
pitching coach for the Bankers
for many years has an
outstanding complex and it is a
privilege for the Bankers to
call it our Home field. Our
summer coaching staff once again
is Mark Tyler Head Coach, Howard
Hagen Assistant Head Coach and
third base coach, and Ray Moody
Assistant Coach and first base
coach. Mike Dragland
who did an outstanding job
coaching for the Bank last
summer has taken a position
coaching for a 14 & under club
where his responsibilities have
been significantly expanded. We
will miss Mike as he did an
excellent job coaching for the
Bank and was well liked and
respected by coaches and
players.
October 10, 2005 TEN New Bankers join TEN Existing Bankers
Catchers:
The catching
duties will be
split between
two hard-hitting
football
players:
Returning Banker
Steve Hoge
(Bothell HS) and
newcomer Travis
Stanaway
(Bellevue HS).
Infield:
First Base will
be filled by
returner Pat
Lloid (Gonzaga
Univ.) who is
red-shirting at
Gonzaga after
shoulder surgery
in June and
Kalin Vigil
(Seattle Prep) a
senior and
Baseball
Northwest
standout.
The hot corner
is strong with
switch-hitting
Chris Morton
(Bellevue HS)
who committed
only
three errors in
his Sophomore
season at
Bellevue.
The middle
infield should
also be improved
with last year's
Shortstop Evan
Churlin being
joined by
Dartmouth
recruit and
Baseball
Northwest
standout CJ
Cullen, a
Seattle Prep and
three-year
Varsity starter.
Included is
switch-hitting
Hunter Beaty
(Mercer Island).
Outfield:
The outfield
loses WSU
recruit Justin
Lucero who Tyler
describes as
"the best
amateur
centerfielder I
have ever seen."
He adds Bankers
could be even
better with
returning
players Mark
Hewitt (Bothell
HS), Curtis
Dupart
(Woodinville
HS), Dan
Johansen
(Woodinville HS)
and newcomer
Alex Mesick
(O'Dea HS) who
can really run
and throw. All
four guys could
be college
centerfielders.
Hewitt, a .386
hitter looks to
improve his
consistency from
last summer.
Dupart who also
projects to be
one of the
Bankers top
starting
pitchers comes
off an
injury-riddled
Junior year in
which he
separated his
shoulder early
in the high
School season
and then battled
arm troubles
throughout the
summer.
Johansen, an
All-Eastside
selection and
the Bankers best
pitcher last
summer looks to
dominate once
again on the
mound. He
also moves back
to the outfield
which should
allow his arm to
recover better
and let him
focus more on
hitting.
Mesick was a
first team
all-state
performer as a
sophomore; quite
an amazing feat.
Pitching:
Atop the
rotation are
the
afore-mentioned
Johansen and
Dupart.
But joining
them are
Aaron
Parente
(Fife HS),
small in
stature but
not in arm
strength,
and Ben
Panther
(Seattle
Prep),
another hard
throwing
right-hander
who is
finally
healthy
after a
five-month
stint with
tendonitis.
Also
returning to
the Bankers
staff are
lefties Dave
Anderson (Meadowdale
HS) and
Chris
Tharaldson
(Shorewood
HS) and
righty Jon
Wahl
(Jackson
HS-who will
also see
time in the
OF). All
threw very
well at
times last
summer.
A year older
and more
experienced,
should be
ready to
pitch big
games next
summer.
Two junior
newcomers
Cody
Goodfellow
(Stadium HS)
and Robbie
Philbrick
(Mercer
Island) both
were #1's
last summer
and are
accustomed
to big
games, but
the
comparison
stops there.
Robbie is a
location,
location,
location guy
who relies
on his
amazing
change up
while Cody
is a hard
throwing
fastball
slider guy.
Finally,
Brad Passino
returns as
the
closer-----Good
Night!
Mark Hewitt,
Alex Mesick,
and Evan
Churlin will
also see
time on the
bump.
September 9, 2005
Bankers to begin Fall Baseball
Campaign
The Bankers are returning 10
quality players from last years
club and Head Coach Mark Tyler
has already added eight players
for this fall and next summer.
With the new roster, look for
the Bankers to be very tough and
competitive once again. The Fall
Ball games begin September 18th
and it will be an aggressive
schedule of 20-plus games and a
tournament in Las Vegas at the
end of October. The emphasis
this fall will be instruction
and teaching the players the
Banker system of
baseball. Please check out the
Fall schedule on the website and
come and watch some games.
While the Bankers have 18
players on our roster now, we
are still looking for
outstanding pitchers and another
middle infielder. If anyone is
interested in competing for a
spot on the club contact our
Head Coach Mark Tyler at:
info@bankersbaseball.com
July 26, 2005
Bankers finish 2 & 2
in Connie Mack State tournament
The Bankers came up short against the Star's
Baseball club at the Connie Mack State
Tournament suffering from walks and errors
and the timely hitting of the Star's. With
the season complete the Bankers finished the
year with a 28 & 24 season and two ties for
a total of 54 games. Our 18 year olds are
off to college to play ball along with 3
year Banker catcher Greg Lagreid who will be
heading to Pullman to catch for the cougars
and his coach Donnie Marbit. Greg will be
joined at Washington State by our starting
center fielder Justin Lucero and first
baseman Andy Agnew. Other 18 year old
players leaving the Bankers and continuing
their academic and athletic interests are
Patrick Lloid, Gonzaga University, Mason
Tobin, out of state junior college, Curtis
Van Wyck, Edmonds Community College, and
Ryan Verdugo, George Fox College. Best of
luck to all our Bankers!
President of the Bankers Baseball Club and
third base coach Howard Hagen was pleased
with the progress Head Coach Mark Tyler had
in first year as the field general for the
Bankers. We are confident Mark will recruit
the top talent in the area for next season
and we will see the Bankers win that elusive
11th Connie Mack State Title, an honor we
have not held since 2001.
June 2005 2005 Banker Hitters to provide plenty of runs
It would appear that the 2005
Banker position players will not only give our pitchers
great defense but provide plenty of offense with the bats.
First baseman Andy Agnew and Ryan Verdugo will spell each
other at 1st base and both had outstanding high school
seasons and received league honors. Our other infielders
are Josh Benson who is primarily a third baseman and hit 443
with 14rbi's and two homeruns with an all league season.
Evan Churlin a middle infielder for the Bankers has good
hands and a good eye with 15 walks to go with a .548 on base
average for his high school and hit .319 with all conference
honors. Curtis Van Wyck is an outstanding middle infielder
that defends extremely well and is a solid line drive
hitter. Chris Richey is a solid infielder with great
actions and hit .415 in high school playing in every
inning.
Catching for the Bankers is three-year returning player, Greg Lagried who is easily the top catcher in the state. He will be backed up by Steve Hoge who had a very solid year at Bothell High School. Utility players who can both hit and pitch are Philip Hackney who hit .465 in high school with 19 rbi's and nine extra base hits. Also, Patrick Lloid who was a solid hitter and starting pitcher for his high school. Jonathon Wahl is another pitcher who can play various positions and is a solid hitter.
The Banker outfield coached
by Ray Moody is very special with great speed and strong
arms. Justin Lucero can cover almost the entire field and
is expected to be a leadoff hitter for the Bank. Curtis
Dupart has a rocket arm and hit in the clean up spot for his
high school. Dan Johansen is a very good outfielder and hit
for a high average in high school. Jeff Luckey is a solid
outfielder who hit .400 in high school with 12 rbi's and a
homerun. Rounding out the outfielders is Mark Hewitt who is
an outstanding outfielder who swings from the left side and
runs with good speed.
Together with a solid and
deep pitching staff our position players bring a combination
of speed, power and experience to the 2005 Bankers. Expect
good baseball from the Bankers!!
March 2005
PITCHING OUTLOOK
The "Bankers Baseball Club"
has concluded three months of intensive indoor coaching
and training and Head Coach Mark Tyler is very impressed
with the commitment and hard work demonstrated by the 2005
Bankers. The Bankers will feature strong pitching from both
the Left and Right side.
The Right Handers feature returning three-year veteran, Mason Tobin from Kentridge who features a 90mph+ fast ball with outstanding command of three pitches. Also the Bankers are counting on hard throwing Michael McMurtry from Odea and hard throwing Patrick Lloid from Eastside Catholic. Look for Woodinville's Dan Johanson, Curtis Dupart and Phil Hackney to turn heads with their ability to dominate a game and get hitters out. In addition, we have Jonathon Wahl returning from last years club out of Jackson High and Jonathon was one of the Bankers most consistent and effective pitchers last year. Concluding the Right Handed Pitchers is Brad Passino out of Washougal. Brad is a very crafty pitcher and we are expecting Brad to be a consistent and effective performer for the Bank. This gives us EIGHT right handed pitchers that all have proven experience.
From the Left Side the
Bankers return two Left Handers that had effective
experience last summer with our club. Chris Tharaldson
(Shorewood) and Dave Anderson (Meadowdale) both bring poise
and experience to the mound and we expect both of them to
once again be effective producers. Eighteen year old Ryan
Verdugo is a welcome addition to our club and he has worked
hard this winter and the lefty from Lake Stevens features a
mid to high 80mph fastball with two other effective pitches
to go with the fastball. Donny Treat from Marysville is a
crafty pitcher we feel will make significant contributions
on the mound this summer. Rounding out the left handers is
Mark Hewitt, a Bothell High starter who has demonstrated
significant improvement each week and look for Mark to make
his "mark' on the mound this summer.
This gives us FIVE
very different and very effective arms from the left side
which is perfect as we tackle a heavy summer schedule full
of competitive invitational tournaments and a strong league
schedule.
December 2004
BANKERS BASEBALL WINTER WORKOUTS VERY IMPRESSIVE
The coaching staff for the Banker's are extremely pleased with
the progress their players are making in all areas as the weekly
three hour teaching and coaching sessions continue. The Bankers
work out each week for eleven weeks to give instruction to the
pitchers and position players. Mark Tyler, Head Coach is very
pleased with the depth and quality of the pitching staff. "We
are very fortunate to have quality arms from both the right and
left side." The hitters are adjusting well to the Bankers
system taking the ball to all fields and in general the offense
will feature speed, power and discipline at the plate.
"These players are incredibly hard workers with lots of
enthusiasm and love for the game," comments Hagen the team
founder and assistant coach. Mason Tobin, 3rd year starting
pitcher is getting significant interest from professional scouts
and is looking sharp in the bull pen.
Greg Lagreid, our 3rd
year starting catcher is getting plenty of interest as well and
has had an early signing at Washington State University with
coach Donnie Marbut.
The Bankers will continue their workout sessions through the end
of February.
November 2004
Courter Field is the Home Field for the Bankers in 2005
Howard Hagen, Founder and President of the Bankers Baseball
Club is pleased to announce that Beautiful
Courter Field at Bellevue Community College is the
Home Field for the Bankers in 2005. "Of all the fields
we play on, none compare to the quality of Courter Field,"
Hagen exclaims! "Mark Yoshino, the Head Coach for the
Bellevue Community College Baseball Club not only has the
top College program in the Northwest he has unquestionably
the Best Field and it is an honor for us to call it our Home
field."
The Banker's are playing in many Invitational Tournaments in
and out of this state but playing our league and home games
that we host at
Courter Field is a privilege for our players and coaches
and a wonderful atmosphere to watch the games for our
parents and families.
October 2004
Bankers set 2005 Invitational
Tournament Schedule
The Bankers have already locked in an Outstanding Invitational
Tournament Schedule for 2005. As usual the Bankers will kick
off the season in the KENT MEMORIAL CLASSIC INVITATIONAL in
May. Once again the Bankers will participate in the
WILKINSON CLASSIC INVITATIONAL in June, a local tournament
the Bankers have dominated the years in which we have
participated. We will then travel when school is out to Pullman,
Washington and play in the PALOUSE SUMMER INVITATIONAL
CLASSIC at Washington State University. We will
immediately leave Pullman to fly down to Southern California to
participate in the extremely prestigious FIRECRACKER
INVITATIONAL. This is a great tournament that draws the top
Connie Mack baseball clubs from around the United States playing
on multiple College fields. Because of our reputation and 1999
Connie Mack World Series appearance, we were invited to
participate in this outstanding tournament in
2003 and came away with a 5-1 record.
Coming back home after the 4th of July the Bankers will participate in the BRANDY PUGH INVITATIONAL (formerly, Vern Bean Classic) which hosts the top teams in the area and a tournament the Bankers have participated in consistently since 1989 and which we defeated Poulsbo RV in 1999 to take the Championship. This is one of our favorite tournaments as is it extremely well run, great clubs, and played at Bannerwood Park and beautiful Courter Field at Bellevue Community College.
Tyler and Hagen both know that playing in competitive
tournaments during the regular season is critical to winning in
post season play. Since we run the Bankers as a college model
program we do not pay our way into a post season tournament and
take a vacation. We choose to play in our Connie Mack State
Tournament and must win that tournament to advance to the Western Regionals and must win that to earn the right to advance
to the Connie Mack World Series in Farmington New Mexico. The
primary reason we have had such great success winning State and
winning or advancing deep into the regionals is that we have
seen, played and beat the top competition in the Nation prior to
Regionals. This gives us a huge edge and our players come ready
and prepared to win in post season tournament play.
August 2004 Hagen announces coaching changes with the Bankers
Due to Health Problems, Gary Seefried is stepping down as Head
Coach of the Bankers who finished the season strong losing to
the Shockers Baseball Club by a single run in the Connie Mack
State Tournament. Gary and his coaching staff did an outstanding
job with the 2004 Bankers and he will be missed by everyone.
Hagen, goes on to say that Gary laid the groundwork for the
Bankers to return in 2005 to Connie Mack State Champions; an
honor they held 9 of the past 16 years. Thanks Gary for putting
everything you had into our program and our kids! We know you
will always be a "Banker".
Howard Hagen, Founder of the Bankers and 3rd base coach for 16 years is returning to run the offense and coach third base and is extremely pleased to announce that MARK TYLER, former Bank player (1995) is assuming Head Coaching duties immediately. We are extremely fortunate to obtain Mark who hit .417 with 61 RBI's for the powerhouse Banker's led by Major League pitcher, Adam Eaton. In addition to his head coaching duties for the Bankers, Mark will assume the responsibilities of Pitching Coach for the Bankers. He is currently the Pitching Coach for the Bothell High School varsity team. In addition to Mark and Howard on the field, we are fortunate to have back long time veteran Ray Moody who will coach the outfield and first base. Ray has coached Bank for seven years and Varsity High School baseball for over 20 years and brings tremendous knowledge and experience to the coaching staff. The Bankers return nine outstanding players and are in the process of completing the roster with top local talent. Bankers enter their 18th season at the Connie Mack level and have won State NINE times, more than any other club in the state. The goal this year is simple - Connie Mack State Champions once again!! Look for the Bankers to dominate in 2005. Previous to 2004 Young Guns
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