Second season looms

"The fate of a Narrows League championship was resolved Monday afternoon for the South Kitsap High School baseball team after press time.A win against Peninsula combined with a Stadium win against Capital would have put SK in a tie for first place with Capital.Any other combination would have relegated SK to second place in the Bridge Division.Either way, the Wolves are in the playoffs. Considering the recent history of matchups in the postseason, SK coach Elton Goodwin said it really doesn't matter what seed they are in the playoffs.But entering the final game of the regular season Monday, Goodwin still wanted a league title.Seeding to me doesn't mean anything to me anymore, Goodwin said. We've been No. 1 many times and go in and face a No. 2 or No. 1 when we should face a No. 3 or No. 4. We're going in the playoffs but I want a league championship.Up to this point it has been one of the wackier seasons Goodwin has experienced.After dropping two Narrows League games early in the season, SK has battled back to earn a 10-3 league record and 15-4 overall record (before Monday).He watched his team lose a game where all seven runs were unearned.He watched his sophomore pitcher, Eric Deisler, make his varsity debut and come within one out of a no-hitter.And most recently he's had to deal with the loss of SK's No. 1 pitcher Kris Cleaver, who was dismissed from the team and suspended from school for disciplinary reasons.But this is a team that has shown resilience and depth.After earning a hard-earned 7-6 comeback win against Stadium Friday to keep its hope alive for a league title, SK 10-runned the North Kitsap Vikings Saturday, 15-5, in a non-league matchup.Travis Vetters and Tyler Mayfield each hit a home run and combined for eight runs batted in.Josh Meeker is continuing to demonstrate his value to the team.After his two-run single in a comeback win against Bellarmine last week, Meeker drove in a pair of runs against Stadium.On Saturday he made his contribution on the mound, making his varsity pitching debut. He ended up going the distance and giving up five runs.Meeker said he owes a lot of his recent success to Goodwin.Coach Goodwin pulled me aside and said I've been tense up there (at the plate), Meeker said. I've been scared up there because it's varsity and I played a lot of JV. He told me to relax and do what I can. I hadn't been hitting the greatest but coach gave me confidence and I know I can do it now. "

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