The baseball and fastpitch teams around the South Puget Sound League aren’t going to be big fans of facing the Todd Beamer Titans this spring.
Beamer will feature two of the best pitchers in the area in Matt Bower and Emma Blauser. The pair both inked their national letters of intent last week in a ceremony at Beamer on the first day of the early-signing period for recruits.
“They are both not only great players, but also great kids,” said Beamer Athletic Director Jerry Peterson. “We wish them both the best of luck.”
Bower, a lanky left-handed pitcher, signed to pitch at the University of Washington. Blauser, a right-hander, will play softball at Western Washington. Despite pitching every game for the Titans during her career, Blauser will be a middle infielder in college.
Bower was Beamer’s ace as a junior, ending up with a 4-4 record and a 3.90 earned-run average for the Titans. He struck out 46 hitters in just 37 2/3 innings of work and was a second-team, All-SPSL South selection as a pitcher.
“I really liked the coaches and the way they play the game,” said Bower, who has a 3.5 grade-point average. “They really know a lot about the game and are an up-and-coming program.”
Washington finished 17-37 last year under head coach Lindsey Meggs and were just 6-21 in the rugged Pac-10 Conference. But the Huskies are starting to recruit more talent and are currently building a $4 million UW Baseball Team Building that will house a locker room, training room, study area, coaches’ offices and a 1,400-square-foot meeting room.
“Matt is a 6-foot-5, left-handed pitcher who has not yet even begun to develop,” said Meggs. “With a pro body and a fastball presently in the mid-80’s, Matt has the potential to be a power guy down the road. Matt is only going to get better and once he begins to add more size and strength to that 6-5 frame, well the sky is the limit. Matt’s best days are truly ahead of him and if all goes right, he could be a monster before it’s all over.”
“As a coach and a player, it’s exciting to have a teammate play at the next level,” said Peterson, who is also the baseball coach at Beamer. “He is the rock of our pitching staff. He has a lot of upside.”
Blauser has been a star at Beamer since her freshman season. As a junior, she was the second-team, All-SPSL South pitcher and was also one of the Titans’ better hitters.
On the mound, Blauser finished with a league-best 16 complete games and ended up with a 9-7 record. Blauser threw 100 innings and struck out 87. At the plate, Blauser hit an impressive .400 with 15 RBIs and 22 runs. She also finished with six doubles, five stolen bases and led the SPSL South with two home runs and 15 walks.
“I went to a camp at Western in August and it was my last shot to impress them,” said Blauser, who has a 3.86 GPA. “And after the camp, the coach offered me a scholarship. I just love the whole town of Bellingham. The campus is terrific.”
Western Washington finished made its third NCAA post-season appearance and first since 2007 last season before losing in the NCAA Division II West Sub-Regionals. The Vikings finished 36-16, which is the most wins in school history.
Decatur’ Beyke signs with Seattle U
• Decatur senior golfer Amanda Beyke also made it official Wednesday by signing to play golf at Seattle University in the fall. Beyke led the Gators to the SPSL 3A team title for the second year in a row last month and will go down as one of the best individual golfers in school history.
Beyke finished in second place at the SPSL 3A Tournament for the second year in a row to the defending state champion, Peninsula’s Rachel Lewis.
The finish was good enough to qualify Beyke for her fourth-straight trip to the state tournament. As a junior, she finished in third place two strokes behind Lewis at the Liberty Lake Golf Course in Spokane. Beyke ended up in sixth place as a sophomore.
During her four-year Gator career, Beyke finished 38-2 in individual dual matches, including 9-1 this season. She has also won the Twin Lakes Junior Club Championship for the last six years in a row.
The Seattle University women’s golf team is currently playing its final season in the West Coast Conference before moving to the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) next fall when Beyke arrives.
