A state baseball title is the gift that keeps on giving
Good new travels fast, and to some pretty remote camping sites.
Richland baseball coach Grant Richardson was at Sun Lakes on Thursday when he heard the news that he was named the Coach of the Year for the USA Today American Family Insurance All-USA Washington Baseball Team.
"I didn't even know that existed," Richardson said. "Josh Jelinik (Richland assistant football coach) texted me a screen shot of it."
Richardson, who coached the Bombers to the 4A state title in May, was just as happy for his outfielder, Josh Mendoza, who was named to the first team, along with Tri-Cities Prep sophomore Logan Mercado.
"That is awesome. I'm pumped for Josh," Richardson said. "He was a four-year starter for me. He did some unbelievable things. That is a neat honor for him."
Richland (18-10) beat Skyview 5-2 for the state title.
"People can look at our record all they want, but if they look at our last six games, we did some special things," Richardson said. "We finished 11-1 in our last 12 games, and outscored opponents 46-5 in our last six. Holy smokes, the boys played good baseball."
Richardson won a state title with Richland as a player in 1999, then was an assistant at Kamiakin in 2012 when the Braves won the 3A title. Now, he has one as a head coach.
"This is the gift that keeps on giving," he said. "There were a lot of good things we got to experience together. We went to Safeco Field and were honor by the Mariners. We were honored by the Dust Devils. If I could coach that group of kids for the next 20 years, it would be the best 20 years of my life. This award is because of their hard work."
Mendoza, who announced earlier this week he would play football at Eastern Oregon University, was a first-team all-Mid-Columbia Conference outfielder, and an all-state selection.
He hit .465 and struck out just four times during the season. Of his 40 hits, 30 were singles, along with nine doubles and one home run. He drove in 27 runs and scored 22 times. There is no stat line for amazing sliding catches — and there were plenty.
"I was caught by surprise," Mendoza said. "It's a great honor. It's a big deal for me and coach Grant. What we accomplished was huge. No matter what award I get, we did a good job putting Bomber baseball back on the map."
Mercado, who led the Jaguars (25-2) to the 2B state title, was the EWAC Player of the Year and the 2B all-state Player of the Year.
On the mound, Mercado was 10-1 with 123 strikeouts and a 1.67 ERA. In 95 plate appearances, he struck out just three times. He hit .441 with nine doubles, five triples, two home runs, 33 RBIs and 19 stolen bases.
The All-USA Player of the Year was Selah junior Carter Young, the state's Gatorade Player of the Year. Young hit .412 with four home runs and 47 runs scored for the Vikings (20-3), who lost in the second round of the 2A state tournament.