FIFTH OPENING – The Sitka seine boats Hukilau and Rose Lee pump herring aboard this afternoon at the end of Deep Inlet during the fifth opening in the Sitka Sound sac roe herring fishery. The opening was being held in two locations beginning at 11 a.m. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)
By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
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By Sentinel Staff
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Sentinel Sports Editor
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Police Blotter
Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
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At 2:10 p.m. a man e [ ... ]
Big Rigs Sought
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Sentinel Sports Editor
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Sentinel ports Editor
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Police Blotter
Sitka police received the following calls by 8 a.m. today:
March 25
At 7:48 a.m. a calle [ ... ]
Vietnam-Era Vets
Invited to Lunch,
Commemoration
American Legion Post 13 will host a luncheon 1-3 p.m. [ ... ]
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Sentinel Staff Writer
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Playing through the afternoon Sunday, City League volleyball teams faced off [ ... ]
Daily Sitka Sentinel
Wolves Get Strong Start to Season
By TOM HESSE
Sentinel Staff Writer
Sitka High came out of the gate swinging this weekend, kicking off the 2016 season with a 4-1 atypical display of early-season power at the plate.
“Normally our strength is our pitching and defense, and our weakness is at the plate,” head coach Matt Way said. “I was planning on seeing great defense and great pitching and then having to play a little small ball, but it was actually our defense that was letting us down at times.”
The Wolves beat South Anchorage, Juneau-Douglas and Ketchikan over the weekend with their lone loss coming against the Crimson Bears. Way said the weekend was as much about getting a feel for where the team stands as it was about collecting wins.
Kyle Fitzsimmons pitches in the championship game against South Anchorage Saturday. (Sentinel Photo)
“We got in with the top teams in the state, and we wanted to find out where we stand. We did well, and while we didn’t play great we played good enough to win.”
The Wolves missed out on a chance at a state tournament bid last season with a young team that didn’t have any seniors on the roster. This year’s team boasts a sizeable group of upper classmen that Way said came into the season in baseball shape.
“Everybody being one year older and being one year stronger has really shown. With this new weight lifting program we have guys who are in much greater shape than they would be at this point in the season,” Way said. “We had 15, 20 kids coming in three times a week for early morning workouts and it’s made a difference.”
Ky Stockel figures to be the anchor of the team’s lineup, and Way said Vaughn Blankenship and Kyle Fitzsimmons should headline the pitching rotation. Blankenship had a no-hitter going through five innings against Juneau-Douglas but was pulled for pitch count reasons. Way said he felt bad about not letting the sophomore try to finish but he didn’t want to blow out Blankenships arm in April.
“He was only two innings away from a no-hitter. I understand the competitiveness of going for it and I would have liked to let him try but we’ve got months of baseball ahead of us,” he said.
As well as Sitka did, Way said, they still have a lot of mental mistakes to address. The team “gave away” their only loss and Way said the defense needs a lot of attention. That will be particularly relevant this weekend in the shift from the turf field of Moller Park to the dirt fields in Juneau.
“I imagine we’ll have some debacles this weekend. We’re going to be on a dirt field so there’s going to be some weird hops and we’re just going to have to learn to play with that. It’ll be good for us going ahead,” Way said.
The Region tournament will be in Petersburg this year, meaning Sitka will have to familiarize itself with the usual Southeast baseball surface. After the trip to Thunder Mountain this weekend Sitka will host Juneau-Douglas before playing Ketchikan on the road.
“We have all the right tools right now,” Way said. “It’s just a matter of developing those over the course of the next couple of weeks.”
The Region tournament is set for May 26 and the state tournament will be held in Anchorage on June 2. Sitka High’s fundraising baseball clinics will be starting soon, as well.
Stats from this weekends’ tournament will be printed in Tuesday’s Sentinel.
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20 YEARS AGO
March 2004
Matthew C. Hunter of Sitka recently returned from Cuba as part of a St. Olaf College International and Off-Campus Studies program. Hunter, a junior physics major at St. Olaf College, is the son of Robert and Kim Hunter of Sitka.
50 YEARS AGO
March 1974
Eighth graders have returned from a visit to Juneau to see the Legislature. They had worked for it since Christmas vacation ... Clarice Johnson’s idea of a “White Elephant” sales was chosen as the best money-maker; Joe Roth won the political cartoon assignment; highest government test scorers were Ken Armstrong, Joanna Hearn, Linda Montgomery, Lisa Henry, Calvin Taylor and David Licari .....