By KLAS STOLPE
Sentinel Staff Writer
Sitka High senior Morgan Simic has been growing a beard since the eighth grade. His baseball prowess, however, has been growing since his Sitka Little League Tee Ball days when bats were light and mitts heavy.
Classmate Austin Morrison has been playing since he could walk; classmate Kevin David earned a varsity spot after being away from the game for five years; Brayden Massey-Jones played Little League for Juneau; Cole Riggs can play any position well; James Comas has become one of the fastest runners; Wayne Young may slowly run for President; and their peer Bryce Kelly has a favorite player, who is an underrated professional basketball star.
As different as these Wolves diamond boys are, they are also very much the same. They all state that you have to just go out there, play hard, and have fun.
Simic is primarily an all-state catcher, but can also dominate the hot corner at third base; Kelly is an all-state shortstop and pitcher; Comas pitches and plays outfield; Riggs plays first base, outfield, but is a top utility man; Morrison pitches and plays third; Massey-Jones plays outfield; David catches, play third and anywhere needed; and Young is an outfielder.
The Wolves seniors answered some questions for the Daily Sentinel, and their coaches provided some insight as well, as they get set to play their last home games of the season this weekend.
Sitka High baseball seniors walk across Moller Field on Wednesday prior to practice. From left are Bryce Kelly, Wayne Young, Kevin David, Brayden Massey-Jones, James Comas, Austin Morrison, Morgan Simic, and Cole Riggs. They will be playing their final home series this weekend against the Thunder Mountain Falcons and will be honored before Friday’s 6 p.m. game on Moller Field.(Photo by Klas Stolpe)
The seniors will be honored before the 6 p.m. game on Friday at Moller Field and will play two more games on Saturday.
Q - At what age did you first play, and for what team?
Morgan Simic - Probably 5, and I think it was White’s Pharmacy in Tee Ball.
Bryce Kelly - The youngest I remember was Tee Ball for Subway, probably 5 or 6 years old.
James Comas - In the fifth grade, Halibut Point Marine.
Cole Riggs - Age 7, for White’s Pharmacy.
Austin Morrison - Playing since I could walk, probably 3. First team was Subway when I was 5 or 6.
Brayden Massey-Jones - Age 5 or 6 in Tee Ball for the Oakland Athletes in Juneau.
Kevin David - Age 9, on White’s Pharmacy.
Wayne Young - First grade, Tee Ball and all those little sports like that. Don’t remember the team name though.
Q - Advice to young Little League players?
Morgan Simic - Just have a good time. Just play.
Bryce Kelly - Go out and try to do your best and play hard.
James Comas - Keep your eye on the ball.
Cole Riggs - Just go out there and have fun.
Austin Morrison - Always have fun, make sure you don’t do it if you are miserable. Get your extra work in so you’re able to have as much fun as you can.
Brayden Massey-Jones - Just show up every day, work hard, get the extra work in, try your best, and you will do good.
Kevin David - Keep playing – it’s a fun sport.
Wayne Young - Definitely keep doing baseball. It’s a really fun sport, stick with it and enjoy it while it’s there.
Q - Favorite Major League Player?
Morgan Simic - Bryce Harper (Philadelphia Phillies).
Bryce Kelly - Kris Bryant (Chicago Cubs) and NBA player Joe Ingles (Utah Jazz) because he is underrated.
James Comas - Christian Yelich (Milwaukee Brewers).
Cole Riggs - Felix Hernandez (Seattle Mariners).
Austin Morrison - Ichiro Suzuki (Seattle Mariners).
Brayden Massey-Jones - Madison Bumgarner (San Francisco Giants).
Kevin David - Jose Bautista (Currently Free Agent).
Wayne Young - Ichiro Suzuki (Seattle Mariners).
Q - Pregame fuel?
Morgan Simic - Just water, stay hydrated.
Bryce Kelly - Red Bull if it’s an early game.
James Comas - Bowl of cereal.
Cole Riggs - Red Bull.
Austin Morrison - Probably something with meat in it.
Brayden Massey-Jones - Red Bull, it just gets you going.
Kevin David - Subway.
Wayne Young - Chick-O-Sticks.
Q - What do you like about baseball?
Morgan Simic - Just feeling the ball hit the glove or the ball hit the bat. Or when the hitter misses the ball or watches it go by and it’s the perfect strike and you catch it, that’s probably the best feeling.
Bryce Kelly - I like how much of a mental game it is, slow paced. And I like hitting... hitting is probably my favorite part.
James Comas - Striking out scrubs.
Cole Riggs - I like how it’s pretty chill and you can just hang out while you’re on the field. You can also get your work in but it’s just fun.
Austin Morrison - I love hanging out with everybody. I have been with these guys since kindergarten. Just hanging out with them every day is really fun. We’ll be able to talk about this for years.
Brayden Massey-Jones - With sports you kind of develop these friendships that last a long time, and I feel like I’ve accomplished that pretty well here. I have a lot of really good friends and we show up every day with a bunch of guys you really want to be around.
Kevin David - I like that it is sort of difficult to get good at, but it’s a fun sport to learn, and players can be impressive.
Wayne Young - I like the team aspect. You play as a team, you win as a team, and you lose as a team. And all the camaraderie that goes with it.
Q - What’s next?
Morgan Simic - Playing baseball at Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo, California.
Bryce Kelly - Playing baseball at Bellevue College in Bellevue, Washington.
James Comas - Playing baseball and studying finance at Simpson University in Redding, California.
Cole Riggs - Attending Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington.
Austin Morrison - Studying criminology at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington.
Brayden Massey-Jones - Studying business or computer science at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington.
Kevin David - Plans to study welding at the University of Alaska Southeast.
Wayne Young - Plans to do whatever he wants, maybe even run for President.
COACHES’ COMMENTS:
Simic - “Sim” had been working to become our varsity catcher since he was in seventh grade... he found a way to get into our team photo as an eighth grader and I didn’t notice until the paper published the team photo that year. He has always “just been around” the program and the field. That’s how much Morgan loves baseball. It was never a coincidence that he became the best catcher in the state as a sophomore – it was always in his plans since middle school. Morgan has been solid all 4 years on varsity. We’ve seen him go from blue Mohawk to man-beard. He is a quiet leader and the team looks up to him. He’s been an invaluable catcher for our team. Looking forward to his next career as a Just For Men model.
Kelly - Bryce has a similar story. We’ve been grooming him to take over the shortstop position well before his freshman year. He was paying attention to the older guys when he was young. He studied under Ky Stockel and was ready to take over and run the best defense in the state, as well as vie for the state batting title every year. He has a lot of tools and we’re excited to see where it takes him. Bryce has tremendous athletic ability. He’s held a spot in the top of the lineup most of his high school career, and is one of our two seniors that held a spot on varsity all 4 years.
Comas - James went from the slowest guy on the team to one of our fastest. He has a strong mental game, even if he has had a difficult outing on the mound, which is not often. James is a left-handed pitcher, which is the hardest type of player to come by. He has done a huge job getting himself ready to be an elite baseball pitcher and this has been his best year on the mound.
Riggs - Cole has put in more work through the offseason than most of our players, and it shows – his hitting has improved dramatically. We will miss him at first base but he has literally played every position since his freshman year. He is “the utility guy.” He’s probably the biggest puzzle piece player we have. He can go to any position and play it with anyone. It’s pretty impressive to see.
Morrison - Austin is a coach’s dream, always willing to help put away gear, puts in the time out of practice, and is a great teammate. His hard work has paid off and he has earned his varsity spot in our pitching rotation, something that wasn’t even on our radar just last year. He has been playing ball for a long time but he has always wanted to work on pitching primarily. It’s been a good learning curve for him and this year he has pitched in most of our biggest games and done really well for us. We are really excited to see how far he progresses because he just keeps getting better every weekend.
Massey-Jones - Brayden is one of the few players we have that never complains; as a coach that is invaluable. I will miss his dedication to the team. He comes from a long line of baseball and softball players and primarily played outfield where his speed comes in to play most, but you will see glimpses of it when he’s on the bases. He really came out of his shell the last year and has become a more intricate part of our team on and off the field.
David - I wish we would have had Kevin all four years. He’s one of the most all-around talented kids I’ve met. For not playing in five years I was very impressed that he earned a spot on our varsity squad. He showed up this year and we have been incredibly surprised how fast he picked it back up. Kevin does not care where he plays, “he just wants to play some ball.” And that shows because he will put on the catcher’s gear and go play a position he has never played before and not mention to the coaches that he’s never actually played there before. We love players like that. The ones that don’t care, the ones that just want to play.
Young - Wayne has a great sense of humor, and is always telling jokes in the dugout. After four years I still haven’t taken his offer to trade trucks. He is our glue. He keeps the wheels from falling off our team bus. Without him our team would be on an emotional roller-coaster ride. Every great team has one of these type of guys.
Senior appreciation ceremonies will begin before the 6 p.m. Varsity game on Friday (JV 1:30 & 3 p.m.) on Moller Field. Varsity also plays at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. Saturday (JV 1 p.m.).
