Chiawana ready to battle MCC’s traditional powers

Gone are the days when Chiawana baseball suffered the same fate as Charlie Brown.

This season, the Riverhawks have a veteran pitching corps, solid defenders in the field and a lineup of hitters that can swing the lumber.

“It’s pretty amazing. Since the first day of practice, the atmosphere has been electric,” fourth-year Chiawana coach Dave Price said. “It’s hard to describe. They are very, very hungry right now.”

First things first. Price said the senior leadership has created a tight-knit team. “When we go to war, we are going together,” he said. “Every kids brings something to the team and we love to compete.”

Second, the players put in the work in the offseason, and their work ethic is solid. The Riverhawks are off to a 4-2 start, and will start Mid-Columbia Conference play Friday hosting Kamiakin.

“We know what we are capable of. We know we can be explosive,” Price said. “The work ethic is there and the kids believe they can compete in this league. I watch practice and think, ‘you know what, we are pretty good.’ We finally have some balance and some depth. Every one of these kids brings something that can help us win. Being where we are at and developing them, I am confident — but not overconfident — that we will compete and play well. I see it in them.”

Leading the charge for Chiawana is senior pitcher/DH Andrew Vargas and senior left-handed pitcher Brayde Hirai.

“Andrew has power gap to gap,” Price said. “Once in awhile, he will run into a baseball and it will leave the yard. Brayde is one of our top two starters, and he does a great job in the outfield, too.”

Vargas and Hirai are joined on the mound by senior Caden Kaelber and junior Marco Romero, who also plays shortstop.

“We are still evaluating,” Price said. “Those four are quality guys, but we have others if we get in a pinch. When I first got the job, those seniors were freshmen and they were asked to step up and do the job. There was a lot of player develop throughout the years. They set a foundation, took on a leadership role and now it’s their turn to have success.”

The Riverhawks have nine returning starters, including all-conference outfielder Brayden Childs, and twins Trent and Troy Simpkins.

“Trent has made the adjustment from infield to the outfield and he has done a good job,” Price said. “Troy has some shoulder stiffness and we are keeping an eye on him.”

With a roster laden with juniors and seniors, the Riverhawks turned to freshman Riley Cissne to man third base.

“The biggest hole we had to full was third base and Riley has proven he can fill the position,” Price said. “He has tremendous work ethic, and he has one speed — 200 mph. We asked him what he thought about third base and he said, ‘I’ll play where you need me.’ He has shown he can play at this level. He’s an amazing young man.”

As always, the Mid-Columbia Conference is one of the toughest in the state, and Chiawana hopes to be in the thick of things come the end of the season.

“There is no easy road,” Price said. “There is not an easy team in our conference. Our league is up for grabs — no one is locked in. Our team goals are to go out and work hard every day and get better every day. We are going to win as many games as we can and have fun doing it.”

The Riverhawks also have another goal on their plate — to beat Southridge, Kennewick and Walla Walla. Chiawana has not beaten any of those teams over the past three seasons.

“Being part of the program at Southridge for several years, I know what that program is all about. They build dynasties out there.”

Price hopes that for once, a good start to the season will spill over into league play.

“In the past, we have had good starts, but once league play starts, it goes downhill,” Price said. “I think that is confidence, and we have that this year. They have bought in and they believe.”

This story was originally published March 28, 2017 at 3:08 PM with the headline "Chiawana ready to battle MCC’s traditional powers."