GoHuskies March 2023

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GO HUSKIES MAGAZINE

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EDITOR: Dick Stephens

WRITERS: Bob Sherwin, Mark Moschetti

PHOTOGRAPHERS : UW Athletics

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FROM THE DESK OF COACH JASON KELLY

uskies,

It’s great to be a Husky! My family is thankful for the chance to be back at the University of Washington, and I am excited to coach our players. Since returning, you have welcomed us, and we have experienced your tremendous support. Thank you.

After months of training, the season is finally here, and the team is ready to compete. While winning championships is our goal, the opportunity that we have, as coaches, is to help young men become leaders. I take this opportunity seriously. Regardless of what happens in baseball, I want each player to be men who lead families and friends with humility, who are service-oriented, who commit themselves to growth, and who can overcome adversity. I’m committed to that development process and so are these young men.

This team is fun. They play baseball with passion, and they love being around each other. With that as a foundation, we can build something great. Being a Husky is an honor and a privilege, and we are fired up for this season. See you soon at Husky Ballpark.

Go Dawgs!

UW Men’s Baseball Head Coach Jason Kelly

Coach Heather Tarr’s balanced softball squad showcases vets and a youth movement poised to push all the way to Oklahoma City

Fifty years of Title IX. Thirty years of Washington Husky softball. Twenty-three years of Heather Tarr being an integral part of both.

Zero years of taking any of it for granted.

As Tarr and her team get into what they hope will be yet another in the string of scintillatingly successful seasons, she has never lost her appreciation for the opportunities that have always been there for her, thanks in a big way to that landmark law.

That was true for her as a player and as a coach, particularly at the UW, which has been known for following both the letter and the spirit of Title IX.

“I remember as a studentathlete, I never felt unsupported,” Tarr said. “I always felt like

… we had every single thing we needed, every resource we needed to compete at the elite level –and that was back 30 years ago.

“We’re into our 30th year, and we still feel the same way,” she continued. “We just built a 4.5-million-dollar indoor performance center for softball. We have every resource we need to compete at the level we want to compete at. Now, it’s just being able to honor that legacy and honor those opportunities and give it our all every single day to each

other to honor the past.”

That legacy inevitably is focused on the Women’s College World Series each spring in Oklahoma City. Washington has played on that biggest stage 13 times, although last season ended in the regionals.

“Our goal is to win the last game played in Oklahoma City,” said fifth-year star infielder Baylee Klingler, who essentially was All-Everything in 2022: Pac-12 Player of the Year, Pac-12 Triple Crown winner, first-team All-American, and USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year top-3 finalist, among the numerous honors she collected. “It’s not going to be easy. If we want that to happen, then the sooner we can learn how to collectively win against really good teams, the better.”

MARK MOSCHETTI • FOR GO HUSKIES MAGAZINE

SUCCESSFUL START IN SO CAL

Washington did win three of its four games at the season-opening Mark Campbell Invitational in Irvine, Calif., Feb. 9-11, the only loss by a narrow 5-4 count to none other than No. 1 Oklahoma. They also added a 5-2 nonconference victory at Loyola Marymount after the tournament.

In addition to seeing a whole cast of veterans around the infield and outfield, including Klingler and fellow fifth-year players Sami Reynolds and Madison Huskey, Tarr got to see four pitchers at work: seniors Kelley Lynch and Brooke Nelson, freshman Ruby Meylan, and redshirt junior newcomer Lindsay Lopez.

Lynch got 75 innings of action last spring, building a 7-4 record and a 3.55 earned run average. Nelson threw 31 innings with a 5-0 record and a 2.26 ERA.

Joining them are true freshman Ruby Meylan and redshirt junior Lindsay Lopez, a left-handed transfer from Arizona State. Lopez started two of the five games on opening weekend, and Lynch, Nelson, and Meylan got one start apiece.

Graduated, of course, is All-American star Gabbie Plain, who went 20-8 and threw 181 of UW’s 358 innings last spring.

”I think our pitching and the depth of our pitching is really exciting,” Tarr said. “It has been a challenge the last couple years to develop our younger players while we had an ace in the hole with Gabbie Plain. With the little development we’ve been able to provide for Kelley Lynch and Brooke Nelson, that will definitely pay off this year in terms of their experience.

“We have a complete pitching staff: We’ve got a lefty, we’ve got a righty who throws predominantly down in the zone, a righty who throws up in the zone, and a righty who can be a flame thrower,” Tarr added. “We have a lot of different looks.”

Continued on page 8

BAYLEE KLINGLER

KINSEY FIEDLER

MADISON HUSKEY

THEY’VE SEEN MUCH IN FIVE YEARS

Washington has a complete experienced look around the rest of the ballpark, too. Klingler hit .434 with 24 homers and 71 RBIs last year while starting all 55 games. Huskey also started all 55, hitting .309 with 15 homers and 50 RBIs. Reynolds batted .320 with 23 RBIs and was a perfect 11-for-11 in stolen bases while starting all 50 games that she played.

All three of them were part of the recruiting class of 2019, survived the 2020 pandemic shutdown season, and now want to make the most of their fifth and final spring together.

“It has been really cool to see my class from the time we got here, to know, that we’ve grown not only as players but also as women,” Klingler said. “It’s rewarding to look back and kind of acknowledge that we’re in this position now, especially from last year when we learned a lot so we can be in better position to help the younger players kind of navigate what it looks like to be part of this program and be successful.”

Added Tarr, “Their wisdom is our advantage. Baylee’s time on her engine of playing at the USA level, and Sami as well, that should give them and us an extra level of confidence knowing that they’ve pretty much faced every situation that they possibly can, and nothing should overwhelm them.”

A trio of sophomores saw plenty of action as starters last spring: infielders Kinsey Fiedler (50 starts, .237 batting, 11 homers, 26 RBIs), and Rylee Holtorf (35 starts, .228 batting), and catcher/first baseman Olivia Johnson (47 starts, .261 batting, 11 homers, 25 RBIs).

“It’s a unique situation when you return your entire offense,” Tarr said. “We can come in with some veterans, but we also have some bright stars in the mix that were freshmen last year, learning and growing and trying to figure out the game at the highest level. They were coming in with a new look at how they train and how they compete. And now, they have a little bit better outlook of what’s expected of them.”

Tarr believes that blend of savvy experience and youthful exuberance just might the ‘X’ factor that propels the Huskies on another prolonged postseason pursuit.

“The strength of our veteran gals who have been at the College World Series before, and just the eagerness of the freshmen and newcomers to our program — it’s an exciting combination to see the older and younger players come together and merge and make a special, memorable team,” she said.

BROOKE NELSON

OLIVIA JOHNSON

KELLEY LYNCH

RUBY MEYLAN

2023 SQUAD

BY BOB SHERWIN • FOR GO HUSKIES MAGAZINE

hen Jason Kelly was selected to replace longtime Washington Head Baseball Coach Lindsay Meggs last summer, Director of Athletics Jen Cohen rightly pointed out his vast experience, his recruiting competence and his successful seven-year stretch as the Huskies pitching coach (2013-19).

Yet what factored in as much as anything was that Kelly is a ‘been there, done that’ hire. As the team’s pitching coach in 2018, he was a significant influence in helping to propel the Huskies to their first appearance in school history at the College World Series in Omaha. Though, no players or coaches remain from that team, Kelly brings that cache back home.

UW Men’s Baseball has a ready for a ride through Pac-12 and postseason play

Jason KELLY COACH Cam

Josh EMANUELS 32

“I know I had to fight and claw for this job. There were some great candidates,” said Kelly, who was the pitching coach for LSU last season. “I had hoped to come back, selfishly, but nothing was ever arranged. I’m lucky it went my way.

“I think I filled those boxes for her (Cohen),” he added. “And I know she wants to go back to Omaha, for sure.”

Washington had advanced to the regionals 10 times in its history, the first time in 1959. But no Husky team had ever managed to weave through the brackets as that 2018 team did. The Huskies went 5-1 in the two-tier playoff system to reach Omaha. They would lose both of their games.

“It was an incredible season because we didn’t start well. We might have been like 14-14 going into conference play. We hadn’t shown signs of pulling out of our spiral,” said Kelly, who earned Division I National Assistant Coach of the Year that year. “Then that weekend against Arizona, we had some key guys hurt and (other) guys stepped up. That kind of galvanized our group.

“Then we got all the (injured) guys back and got momentum. They just took control and started playing for each other. The whole atmosphere changed. We can do this. We went on a run. It was fun. Everything really aligned for that group.”

It takes skilled players peaking at the right time. It takes good fortune, breaks in your favor. And it takes what Kelly referred to as ‘atmosphere,’ which is really team chemistry. That’s the hard one to obtain because of college's ever-evolving, ever-changing locker rooms and leaders.

Kelly might have a head start on building back that chemistry, as he has familiarity with several UW players. He has known players such as catcher Johnny Tincher, right-handed pitcher Reilly McAdams, and infielders Michael Snyder and Will Simpson “since they were freshman and sophomores in high school.” Kelly added that those players helped smooth his transition back to UW by talking him up. Since he arrived, no players have used the transfer portal.

“That really helped with those guys going to bat for me,” he said.

Kelly replaces Meggs, who retired last year after 13 seasons on Montlake. Meggs, who had a 35-year career coaching college baseball, finished

with 932 victories, 317 at Washington. He also guided the team, along with Kelly handling the pitching staff, to the NCAA Tournament two other times, in 2014 and 2016. The school had just one NCAA appearance in 13 seasons prior to Kelly's arrival.

In 2014, the team ERA was 3.11, third-best in the Pac-12 and lowest for a Husky team since 1985. That season, Washington was ranked as high as fifth in the nation, the highest in school history. Kelly has mentored 15 Major League draft selections.

He was hired away by Arizona State in 2019 to be the Sun Devils’ pitching coach. He stayed there two seasons followed by one year at LSU.

What helped the Huskies enjoy their success during Kelly’s years here, and ultimately their World Series berth, were several highly regarded recruiting classes. “I think she (Cohen) saw the totality of the recruiting program,” Kelly said. "It’s kind of its own world up here.”

It’s a world that Kelly understands. He knows that he needs to battle Washington State, Gonzaga and the Oregon schools, among others, for the best baseball talent in the Northwest. And local talent is critical to the team’s success, as this season there are 23 players on the roster from the Northwest, including 20 from Washington.

“It’s a mad scramble. In order to have success, we have to get the best kids within 100 miles of Seattle, and keep them here,” he said. “The day I got the job, I was on the road re-establishing relationships with local high school coaches and summer coaches. It’s exciting to see us getting back in the mix for the best players in the Northwest.”

College baseball recruiting also is considerably knottier than the other sports. Besides the scrum among Northwest coaches vying for local talent, they all are forced to take a back seat to the professional game. Major League Baseball recently moved its annual free-agent draft from June to July. If bigleague teams draft players who have been offered college scholarships, those players have until Aug. 1 to decide what to do. Colleges start training camps Aug. 15. So, if the player goes pro, that gives schools just two weeks to fill the shortfall gap.

“It’s a very, very complicated process,” he said. “That’s why you see schools bringing in more players than they need. You can lose five or six players that you had the opportunity to sign. A program could be decimated.”

The Huskies, who finished 30-26 (14-16 in the Pac-12) a year ago, but won 12 of their final 14 games, have a good measure of their offense returning. Tincher (.314), Snyder (.282) and Simpson (.281) filled three of the top five batting average spots, as Simpson also led the team in home runs (11) and RBIs (43). Junior outfielder McKay Barney led the team in hitting (.315) and freshman outfielder Al Guerrero was third in average (.299), second in home runs (10) and RBIs (42).

“It’s a really cool combination of veteran guys, third- and fourth-year players with a bunch of at-bats,” Kelly said. “We’re excited about that group.”

Promising young infielders such as sophomore Cam Clayton, who hit .280 last season, and true freshman Aiva Arquette are expected to fill spots around the infield.

Continued on page 14

Jared ENGHAM 20

“It’s a really cool combination of veteran guys, third-and fourth-year players with a bunch of at-bats,” Kelly said. “We’re excited about that group.”

Aiva ARQUETTE 13

Johnny TINCHER 2

The pitching staff is less certain, or, as Kelly says, “to be determined.” There are a number of solid arms, some registering fastballs in the high 90s, but unproven in competition.

“The talent is there but not a lot of consistency,” Kelly said. “That’s been our focus this fall. The mentality really needs to be developed for strike throwers and being really competitive. There’s a lot of upside, but we haven’t seen it against a different uniform yet.”

One right-hander whom Kelly calls “a hot commodity” is junior Kiefer Lord, whose fastball tops out at 99 mph. He transferred from Carleton (Minn.) College but has never faced Division I hitters.

Junior right-handers Colton McIntosh, who is coming off Tommy John elbow surgery, junior Jared Engham and versatile redshirt sophomore right-hander Case Matter are among the starter candidates.

Right-hand redshirt sophomore Josh Emanuels “is our mainstay out of the bullpen,” Kelly said. Emanuels tied for the team high with 31 appearances. His brother, Stevie, — one time coached by Kelly — was a fifth-round draft choice by Oakland in 2020.

Kelly said his starters won’t have many, if any, complete games.

“Maybe five innings with a combination (of pitchers). We may have two (closers) to do whatever to win a game. We’re not going to ride a horse into the ground. We want to keep everyone healthy for a 56-game season and hope for a postseason run as well.”

This season, of course, will have the usual ‘murderers’ row’ of powerful Pac-12 teams, including 11time NCAA champion USC as well as Oregon State, which has won the title three times since 2007.

“It’s a great baseball league,” Kelly added. “Stanford is bringing back a very good team that went to Omaha last year. The Beavers are our nemesis. Mitch (Canham) has done a great job there. The Ducks are bringing back a lot. USC again. UCLA is always in the top 15 and Arizona is one of the powers.

“I think we fit in that top third, if we stay healthy.”

“That’s been our focus this fall. The mentality really needs to be developed for strike throwers and being really competitive. There’s a lot of upside, but we haven’t seen it against a different uniform yet.” — Jason Kelly

break in g BARRIERS

SOPHOMORE Nathan Green

Making History, UW MEN & WOMEN ARE & THE NCAA WORLD IS WATCHING Setting Records

t started with the mile. Extended to the 800. Moved on to the medley. And when the Washington Huskies weren’t speeding on the track, they were flying and flinging to noteworthy numbers in the field.

For three wonderfully wild weekends – the last one in January and the first two in February – UW athletes shined in the spotlight like never before.

All of that has the Huskies looking ahead to wrapping up the winter in Albuquerque, N.M., at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships. That gathering of the Division I’s best inside the Albuquerque Convention Center is set for Friday and Saturday, March 10 and 11. Go to GoHuskies.com for news and results.

Based on the national lists after the conclusion of the Husky Classic on Feb. 11, Washington potentially could have as many as four top-8 point scorers in the men’s mile, and one each in the men’s 3,000-meter, 5,000-meter and weight throw.

The women have a title contender in the distance medley relay, a pair of possible top-8s in the pole vault, and one each in the 800, mile, and pentathlon. A handful of other Husky men and women are on the cusp of being among the top 8. As they prepare for the NCAAs, both teams are still ranked among the top five nationally, with the men having had a one-week stay in the No. 1 spot.

Continued on page 18

IMARK MOSCHETTI • FOR GO HUSKIES MAGAZINE

breakin g BARRIERS

Their Own ‘Miracle Mile ’ — 68 Years Later

On Sat., Aug. 7, 1954, the immortal Roger Bannister of England and John Landy of Australia did what had never been done before.

Competing side-by-side on a brand-new track at the British Empire Games in Vancouver, B.C., both broke four minutes in the mile: 3:58.8 for Bannister, 3:59.6 for Landy. Even though both had run in the threes previously, this was the first time two runners had pulled off that feat in the same race.

On Jan. 26, a group of Washington milers quadrupled that sub-4 accomplishment. Not two of them. Not four of them. Not even six of them. It was eight of them. From Joe Waskom’s school-record 3:51.90 to Aidan Ryan’s 3:59.55, the Huskies pulled off their pre-race plan of getting everyone under the magical four mark.

Like Bannister and Landy, all of them had done it previously in different meets. But never together.

“We all knew it was possible. But it’s tough to do it in the same race,” Waskom, the defending NCAA outdoor 1,500-meter champion, said on GoHuskies.com. (His time was a Dempsey Indoor record and the third-fastest in college history.) “The pacing has to be perfect. Johnny (Gregorek) and Sam (Prakel) brought us through perfectly. (Gregorek and Prakel served as pacers for approximately the first 1,200 meters). All of us working hard together, Brian (Fay) and Nathan (Green) pushing me that last 200 — it was hard. But it’s so special doing it with your teammates and seeing everyone thrive and succeed around you.”

As for those times in the real “Miracle Mile” — the race people still talk about 68 years later? Bannister would have finished behind seven of the Huskies, and Landy would have finished behind all eight.

Not One Or Two, But Three 800 Records

With talk of the previous night’s mile fireworks still buzzing around Dempsey Indoor, Cass Elliott sparked some 800-meter chatter on Jan. 28. The senior raced to a school indoor record time of 1:47.22. That moved him past Izaic Yorks on the all-time UW list. Yorks, whose mile record went down less than 24 hours earlier, had posted a 1:47.89 in 2016.

But the new standard didn’t last long. At the Husky Classic on Feb. 11, redshirt freshman Nathan Green clocked 1:46.99.

On Feb. 4 in Boston at the Bruce Lehane Scarlet & White Invitational, it was Carley Thomas breaking the UW women’s indoor record in the 800. She came across the line in 2:02.15 seconds. That not only eclipsed her own indoor record of 2:02.75, which she set in 2020, it was the fastest UW women’s 800 time in history – indoors or outdoors.

SENIOR Cass Elliott

JUNIOR Joe Waskom

JUNIOR Carley Thomas

Making Speedy Music In The Medley

But Thomas already was in a record-breaking state of mind. On Feb. 3, racing on the same Boston track, she ran the 800-meter third leg on the distance medley relay team that became the fastest college women’s squad ever for that 4,000-meter event.

The foursome of Sophie O’Sullivan (1,200 meters), Marlena Preigh (400), Thomas (800) and Anna Gibson (1,600) went the distance in 10 minutes, 46.62 seconds. The old mark of 10:48.77 was set in 2017 by Oregon. The previous best Washington DMR time was 10:55.01, which was fast enough to win the NCAA title in 2012.

On Feb. 17 in Arkansas, the Washington men took their turn in the distance medley spotlight with the second-fastest time in collegiate and world indoor history. The foursome of Joe Waskom (1,200), Daniel Gaik (400), Cass Elliott (800), and Kieran Lumb (1,600) went the distance in 9:16.65 at the Arkansas Qualifier in Fayetteville. The only team to ever run it faster was the Oklahoma State team that was on the track at the same time as the Huskies. OSU finished in 9:16.40. The old record of 9:19.42 was set by Oregon in 2021.

Flying High And Soaring Far

Jacob Englar watched the pole vault bar keep going up on Jan. 28, the second day of the UW Invitational. And he kept going over it.

After clearing 17-11¼ on his third attempt, Englar kept the drama going on the next bar, which was 18-1¼. He cleared that one on his third attempt, his first-ever 18-footer and moving him up to No. 3 on the UW Indoor list.

Last-attempt dramatics weren’t limited to the pole vault runway. On Feb. 11, fifth-year thrower MaKayla Kelby heaved the shot 55 feet, 10 ½ inches. That was far enough to break her own school record by seven full inches.

Kelby already had thrown a season-best 54-1 on her first attempt, which was plenty far enough to put her into the finals. The record-setter came on her sixth and last attempt of the day.

Continued on page 20

SENIOR Jacob Englar

Five Events, One Record-Setting Day For Eikeng

Ida Eikeng’s accomplishments in the outdoor heptathlon are well documented, the most recent of which was an NCAA runner-up performance last spring. Now, she likely will get a chance at some indoor multi-event hardware, as well.

Competing at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational in Lincoln, Neb., on Feb. 3, Eikeng racked up 4,198 points to set a Washington pentathlon record. Her total was high enough to squeeze her past Hannah Rusnak’s old record total of 4,190.

JUNIOR MaKayla Kelby

JUNIOR Ida Eikeng

Thanks to Title IX and donor support on Husky Giving Day, student-athletes’ dreams come true in competition and life

t was such an impossible dream that even Bailey Stenson Gordon’s own father was stunned when it actually came true.

“When the coaches told us they were offering me a scholarship to play softball at the University of Washington, my dad replied ‘Who, her?’” Gordon now laughs. “Growing up in Auburn, you always want to play for your hometown team. But in my wildest dreams I never thought I’d be lucky enough to go to Washington.”

Outfielder Gordon (BS General Studies, 2010) made an impact all four years at Washington, including helping the 2009 Husky Hall of Fame team earn a Women’s College World Series title.

Today, the professional photographer and author of Who We Are Is Why We Win, a book about that special 2009 season, recognizes the impact of two critical factors — Title IX and the generosity of Husky donors — that provided her with an

experience that shaped the rest of her life.

ABOUT OPPORTUNITY ALL I

“We were aware of Title IX and knew that without it, we wouldn’t have the opportunity to play sports at the highest levels, with and against the greatest athletes in the country,” says Gordon, who still lives in Auburn with her husband, Kellen; twins Willa and Hazel, 3; and son McLane, 2. “The women before us paved the way to make it all possible.”

She recalls meeting so many fans whose donations paid for big items — like lights for the Husky Softball Stadium — along with the countless smaller gifts that contributed to high-tech equipment, scholarships, travel and much more.

“The few years of the pandemic underscored how important donations are every year to continue to provide for the needs of student-athletes,” Gordon explains, as she encourages other alumni and fans to give back on Husky Giving Day on

Thursday, April 6. “The UW gave us so many opportunities and this is our chance to give back what we can. It doesn’t have to be huge. Do what you can and know that your dollars directly support every team and every student-athlete — just like other caring alumni supported us while we were at Washington.”

In addition to supporting their favorite team on Husky Giving Day, donors can also contribute to the Mighty are the Women Fund, a tribute to the 50th anniversary of Title IX that supports every women’s team. In addition, a gift made to the Competitive Edge Fund is an investment towards the future generations of Washington studentathletes. Every academic program also benefits from the single day of focused giving.

“I’m so grateful for the opportunity to wear the purple and gold,” Gordon concludes. “It feels great to give back.”

From left to right Sydney Stewart, Dixie and Steve Wilson, SilentRain Espinoza

MEN’S BASEBALL

McKay Barney

McKay Barney, a junior outfielder for the University of Washington baseball team, is baseball’s equivalent to a basketball’s ‘Gym Rat.’ A ‘Diamond Dawg’ perhaps?

Barney lives the game. He loves the game. As he says at one point in this 10 Questions format below, “Even if I didn’t play baseball, I’d still wake up every day and play baseball. That’s how much it’s a part of me.”

The 6-foot-1, 185-pounder from Mesa, Ariz., is a big part of the Huskies prospects for 2023. Last season, he led the team in hitting, with a .315 average, and in hits, with 73, playing all 55 games. He also stole 15 bases in 18 attempts.

He finished the 2022 season on a 15-game hitting streak, with multiple hits in eight of those games. Not so coincidentally, Washington closed the season by winning 12 of their final 14 games.

The Huskies, who return all six of their top hitters from last season’s 30-26 team, opened the season Feb. 17-20 with a four-game series at Santa Clara. UW has an all-time 12-3 record against the Broncos.

Here’s a 10-question snapshot into McKay Barney, one of UW’s most passionate Diamond Dawgs.

DIAMOND DAWG

A CONVERSATION WITH BOB SHERWIN FOR GO HUSKIES MAGAZINE

McKay Barney lives and breathes baseball and is a 2023 Husky mainstay in the dugout and on the field

Where did your first name, McKay, come from? Family name?

“My mom, who’s from Utah, used to teach swim lessons. She had two kids in her class called McKay and Kinley. She just loved the names. Both are kind of unique. I’m the oldest so when I was born, she named me McKay and younger sister was named Kinley. A lot of people call me ‘Mac’ I guess that’s kind of like a cool nickname.’’

What’s your first memory of baseball as a youngster?

“The biggest memory that comes immediately back is me and my dad (Jason Barney). He just loved baseball. He played for Utah Valley in college. The very first memory of me is of being in the back yard with him. I was probably 3 or 4 at the time. He would just throw me balls and I would hit them, and we’d run and grab them and hit them again.’’

Were there other sports you played and considered pursuing? When did baseball become your focus?

“I played football and baseball through high school (Mountain View High, Phoenix). I lived in Arizona and the weather there allows you to play baseball pretty much year round. I would get to the point like in July I needed to do something else, so I’d play football (wide receiver) for a few months. It was a good balance. In my junior year at the end of the football season, like week nine, I broke my (right) fibula and the first thing I worried about was how it would affect baseball. But I had a six- or eight-week recovery and was ready for baseball by January. That was the one reason I ended up not playing football my senior year to focus on baseball. I didn’t want any big injuries.’’

You had a 15-game hitting streak to finish last season. What’s it like to be in that kind of groove, where you’re full of confidence and anxious get to the plate?

“I felt the whole team hit a hot streak at the end of the season. I think any athlete can say this, you just enter that flow state where everything slows down, you’re not worried about things, you just let your natural instincts that you’ve worked on your whole life kind of let loose. You’re not worried about outcomes, just having fun, just enjoying the moment.’’

How do you find that flow state? How does it get lost and how do you recover it?

“That’s literally the total game of baseball. Compared to any other sport, baseball is such a game of failure. You can do everything right and have an 0-for-4 day. You could fall into one of these slumps. It could be your fault, or it could be just the game in general. You have to recognize the failure, but you also have to get back to what you can focus on today to set yourself up to be successful. I like what (St. Louis first baseman) Paul Goldschmidt has said. He said treat every at-bat like you’re 0-for-0.’’

Is there a Major Leaguer whom you admire or pattern after?

“Growing up, I always admired (Philadelphia right fielder) Bryce Harper, and I still do. I love his passion he has for the game. He comes from a similar background, religion-wise, he’s LDS. He’s kind of an inspiration to me.’’

Why do you play the game and how long do you believe you will?

“I’ve played baseball ever since I can remember. I always tell people that even if I didn’t play baseball I’d still wake up every day and play baseball. That’s how much it’s a part of me. It’s just the passion that I have. It makes me a better person. It has taught a lot of life’s lessons about failure and learning how to mentally grow and overcoming the hardships of life. I honestly feel that baseball is one of those teachers that once I’m done playing the game, the lessons I’ve learned I hope I’m able to translate to my future. In my eyes, I’m going to try to play baseball as long as I possibly can, whether it’s professional or whatever the case may be.’’

Who has been the most influential figure in your baseball career? I think we may know?

“My dad. I actually would say both my parents (Jason and Kellie) have been supportive of my career. I’ve always been really lucky. They have provided me with so many opportunities growing up, taking me to tournaments to California, Vegas, Florida. They were the most supportive parents I could ever have. They wanted me to go after my dreams. They picked me up when I fell down. They still do that.’’

Baseball has changed so much over the years, with hitters gaining advantage, then the pitchers. Now there’s a countless number of pitchers coming through who can touch 100 mph. That’s such a change from even 10 years ago. You’ve come up through the system, how have you adjusted?

“I think the biggest step that baseball is taking now is into technology. Something I didn’t really notice growing up is, there’s a fastball and there’s a fastball that can cut, a fastball that can rise, a fastball that sinks or runs. Nowadays we’re able to measure those things so pitchers can say, “OK, how can I work to my strength to get more ride on my fastball or a fastball that runs off the plate more?” And they can use that technology to better their pitches. From a hitter’s standpoint, we also look at those numbers and see how the pitchers do this or do that. Then we use that to formulate a plan, an attack strategy, to say, “we have to see the pitch in this part of the strike zone or it’s going to run off the plate. If we chase that pitch, we’re not going to have any success.” With the development of technology, and this is what major league ball players do on a day-to-day basis, they look at this data and formulate a game plan on how they are going to approach a certain pitcher.’’

Why Washington? What brought you here from such a different a (desert) environment?

“I went to Brigham Young my freshman year, then COVID hit, and I felt like if I was going to develop as a baseball player I needed to go somewhere where I could play. So, I went to junior college (South Mountain College). That was one of the best decisions for me because I got to play every day and got a ton of at-bats. I was lucky enough to catch the eye of the Washington coaching staff. I heard a lot of great things about Washington, from an academic perspective but also a baseball perspective. It’s been such an amazing experience. I’ve been so lucky to be around great teammates, great coaches and have an opportunity to have an education here.’’

When they took the court in January for their 2023 opener against crosstown rival Seattle University, it was more than just the start of a new season for the University of Washington men’s tennis team.

It was the start of a new era.

With coach Matt Anger stepping down last spring after 28 years at the Husky helm, Rahim Esmail stepped up to that spot from his previous role as Associate Head Coach. Esmail served in that associate’s role for the 2021-22 season – and what a season it was, as Washington went all the way to its firstever berth in the Pac-12 Conference finals last spring, and later earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017.

That new era gets going with a roster filled by young players: two true freshmen, one redshirt freshman, four sophomores and two juniors.

If early results are any indication, the Huskies are heading in a good direction. They won four of their first five matches before dropping a pair of close ones on the road at Arkansas and Oklahoma State.

Through those first seven contests, sophomore Dzianis Zharyn of Belarus was 6-0 in the No. 2 singles position, and fellow sophomore Cesar Bouchelaghem, who hails from France, was a perfect 7-0 at No. 3. The No. 3 doubles combination of Taiwanese junior Han-Chi Lin and Netherlands native Jim Hendrikx had won five of their seven.

Among the departees from last spring’s highly successful squad is Clement Chidekh, who became the ninth All-American in Washington history and the first Husky ever to be ranked No. 1. He is now playing professionally, and Anger is his personal coach.

Non-conference play continues until late March. The Pac-12 portion of the schedule begins with a pair of home matches, as Utah visits on Sun., March 26, followed by rival Oregon on Sat., April 1.

Continued on page 28

MARK MOSCHETTI • FOR GO HUSKIES MAGAZINE

JUNIOR Sarah-Maude Fortin

SOPHOMORE Cesar Bouchelaghem

Wong Gone, But Women Still Have Solid Experience In Singles and Doubles

Afamiliar face guiding the UW is Women’s Head Coach Robin Stephenson, who returns for her ninth year in charge and is looking for a second consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament.

But one very familiar face will be missing from the lineup this year. Vanessa Wong, the most successful Husky ever, graduated after racking up a school-record 112 singles victories, she broke the old mark of 111 in the last match of her career, coming against Baylor in the first round of the NCAAs.

That opened up the No. 1 spot on the ladder, and fifth-year player Hikaru Sato has played her way into it, winning five of her first seven. That included a 2-6, 6-2, 7-6 (8-6) victory against Celia-Belle Mohr to give UW the deciding point in a 4-3 upset of No. 9-ranked Vanderbilt in the ITA National Team Indoor Championships tournament on Feb. 11. The Tokyo native went 14-7 last year, playing most of those matches (14) in the No. 4 spot.

Also returning this spring is Sarah-Maude Fortin, a junior from Montreal. Fortin put together a 14-3 record at No. 2 singles last spring and was ranked 120th. She also had a 10-6 doubles record with different partners, but missed the last six matches with an injury. Now back in action and again on the No. 2 rung of the ladder, Fortin built a 5-3 record through eight matches.

Following the ITA team indoor event in February, the Huskies had just three more non-conference matches before getting into Pac-12 action. That begins with a stretch of five straight March home matches, followed by five in a row on the road.

Fortin

Sato

Zharyn

COACH

Rahim Ismail

MIGHTY ARE THE MILERS!

Aidan Ryan (1277) and Joe Waskom (1283) celebrate a meet record for Kieran Lumb (1274) at the Dempsey Indoor.

To purchase Husky Athletics photography, visit www.HUSKIESPHOTOSTORE.com

Photographs by RED BOX PICTURES