Kamiakin’s new baseball skipper a familiar name in the Tri-Cities

Editor’s note: In a previous online version of this story, a phrase in a quote attributed to Steve Woods was not what he said. The quote was not accurate and was corrected soon after to reflect his actual words.

When the Kamiakin baseball job opened up last fall, it didn’t take long for Steve Woods to put his name in the hopper.

Woods, a former standout at River View High School, and who had a successful program at Kiona-Benton High School, said the position was too good not to apply for.

“The biggest thing for me, it was a way for me to grow professionally and get to a higher level,” Woods said. “More of a challenge for me. This Kamiakin job has been great so far. Things have gone so smooth. It is an awesome opportunity for me. I was not leaving Ki-Be unless it was for something perfect.

“This was perfect.”

Woods will be just third coach of the program in 30 years. He takes over for Ryan Carter, who held the job for eight years before stepping down in October. Hall of Famer Rex Easley was head coach for 22 years.

Carter took the job as defensive coordinator with the football team, replacing long-time coach Tim Maher.

Woods, 30, took over the Ki-Be program five years ago and turned it into a power in the SCAC East, winning three league titles. The Bears made four trips to state, finishing fourth in 2014.

“We have a lot of returners here at Kamiakin,” Woods said. “When I came to Ki-Be, they had won just three league games the year before. The kids have been awesome. Carter laid a really good foundation for the program. It has been an easy transition.”

That said, Woods said it was hard to leave Ki-Be, where he still will teach P.E.

“We had a lot of fun, that’s for sure,” he said. “There were some frustrations. The kids understood I was moving up, and not across or against them.”

A 2006 graduate of River View, Woods was an infielder on the Herald’s All-Area team his senior year. He hit cleanup for the Panthers and finished with a .517 average. He was the All-Area coach of the Year in 2014.

Now, he hopes to use his knowledge to take the Braves to the next level.

Kamiakin returns all-league players Payton Flynn, Carson Green and Nick Irwin, along with a large senior class.

“I know how good the Mid-Columbia Conference is,” Woods said. “You have to be ready to go every game. That will be important to understand.”

Kamiakin opens its season March 10, hosting Redmond and Capital.

This story was originally published March 1, 2018 at 6:22 PM with the headline "Kamiakin’s new baseball skipper a familiar name in the Tri-Cities."