Red Devils Roundup: LCC softball and baseball reload record-setting rosters
Letters of Intent – Danika Hallom of Adna softball, Deacon Meller and Ross Kelley of W.F. West baseball among Lower Columbia College commits
By Rick McCorkle For Blast Zone Media / blastzonenews@gmail.com
NWAC Sports
Another promising crop of prep softball and baseball players from throughout Southwest Washington have inked letters of intent to become student-athletes at Lower Columbia College beginning this fall. With the LCC baseball team having set a school record for victories last spring, and the LCC softball team coming off an undefeated NWAC Championship run, expectations continue to be sky high for the Red Devils of the diamond.
Signing-on to play baseball are Tumwater's Derek Thompson, along with W.F. West High grads Deacon Meller and Ross Kelley of Chehalis. Joining the LCC softball team are Montesano's Ali Parkin, Danika Hallom of Adna, and Jaime Haase of Tumwater.
College Baseball
Thompson, a right-handed pitcher and third baseman, was named the Evergreen 2A Conference Most Valuable Player after going 4-1 with a 1.65 earned run average and 43 strikeouts. Named one of the Tacoma News-Tribune Top 40 Players to Watch, hit five home runs and knocked in 21 runs. He stroked a grand slam in the district tournament quarterfinal game against Ridgefield, and slugged a walk-off solo homer in the district title game against W.F. West.
"One of my favorite things about baseball is the difficulty and the grind that it takes to be successful," Thompson said on the Northwest Baseball Report website. "I enjoy the feeling of accomplishing my goals and then raising them. I also enjoy the competition and the battle that it brings. I love to play against people that are better than me."
Thompson was part of Tumwater's State title team as a sophomore, and reached the state quarterfinals as a junior when he was also named to the Evergreen 2A All-Conference first-team.
"I started playing at five years old," Thompson told the Northwest Baseball Report. "My family would go to spring training in Arizona which really got me interested in playing. I started playing competitive baseball when I was nine and it’s just grown from there."
Meller, a catcher, was named The Chronicle All-Area Baseball Player of the Year, and was placed on the All-Evergreen 2A League's first-team. He helped the Bearcats to the 2A State Tournament where they lost in the quarterfinals. During the season, Meller hit .500, had an on-base percentage of .640, drove in 19 runs, and set a team single-season record by stealing 31 bases in 33 attempts.
Kelley, who plays both shortstop and in the outfield, was named to the all-Evergreen 2A League's first-team as a junior and senior. A three-sport athlete, he also played during the summer for the Northwest Reign West Coast Express baseball team. Kelly graduated with a 3.98 grade point average, and plans to major in kinesiology.
College Softball
In softball news, Parkin led Montesano to the Class 1A State Championship as a catcher while earning Evergreen 1A League Most Valuable Player accolades. During the season, she hit .500 while leading the Bulldogs with 10 doubles, nine home runs and 41 runs batted in. During her junior season, Parkin was named the Evergreen 1A Defensive Most Valuable Player after catching more than 41 innings without allowing a passed ball. At the plate, she hit .560 with five home runs, 14 RBIs and had an on-base percentage of .600 in league play.
Hallom, who plays catcher and in the outfield, led the Pirates to the Class 2B State title, the first team to win three consecutive state crowns. As co-Most Valuable Player of the Central 2B League and The Chronicle All-Area Fastpitch Player of the Year, Hallom hit .565 with five home runs and 45 RBIs, and had an on-base percentage of .629. She was also named to the league's first-team as a sophomore and junior.
Haase, who also plays catcher and in the infield, was named to the Evergreen 2A League's first-team as a sophomore, junior and senior. A state tournament veteran, Haase led the Thunderbirds to a fourth place finish as a senior, and to the 2A state title as a freshman. In her senior campaign, she hit an eye-popping 15 home runs, knocked in 38 runs and had a perfect fielding percentage behind the plate.
Editor’s Note: This is the third installment in a series authored by Rick McCorkle to help LCC fans get to know the next crop of talent bound for Longview.
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Jordan Nailon and Rick McCorkle for Blast Zone Media / blastzonenews@gmail.com
About The Author: Rick McCorkle is a respected former sports reporter for The Daily News. He previously covered the Lower Columbia College beat, in addition to other local sports, across several decades and two different centuries. To read the most recent College Report, click here.
