Facing tough competition, the Oak Harbor 14-year-old Babe Ruth team traveled to Poulsbo for the state tournament and finished in second place.

In National Division pool play, the team started out strong, dispatching Wenatchee 15-2 on July 19. The second game saw the Oak Harbor squad fall to Sequim 11-6. Central Kitsap also had their number on July 21, the team defeating Oak Harbor 11-5. Oak Harbor rebounded July 23 with a 10-0 shutout against Redmond.

Following pool play, Oak Harbor was tied with Wenatchee with a 2-2 record. Having defeated Wenatchee earned the team a spot the semi-finals.

Mount Vernon was the next team to fall to Oak Harbor in the semi-finals on July 24. The local squad took down their opponents 14-4, placing them in the championship game against Central Kitsap. Oak Harbor was ultimately defeated in the final game 6-4, although the game was much tighter than the teams’ first meeting.

Coach John Humphries said the team was placed in the toughest division. Central Kitsap placed second in the nation last year with all players returning, two of whom are already professional prospects and several of whom will play Division I baseball.

“The other teams, Wenatchee, Redmond, and Sequim were much more competitive and much stronger than three of the teams in the other pool,” Humphries said.

Humphries credited the team with playing stellar defense and lauded the performances of pitchers Kevin Eaton, Ben Ducken, Austin Humphries, and Jake Hill.

Offensively, Oak Harbor continued where they left off at districts, Humphries said.

During the tournament, MVP awards were given out for each game. Oak Harbor recipients were Sam Wolfe, Patrick Higbee, Billy Lamson, and Hill.

The overall team batting average was close to .400, an amazing statistic given the caliber of pitching the players faced.

Humphries said the existence of a 14-year-old Babe Ruth team was in question at the beginning of the year. Looking back on the season, the coach is in awe of what the group accomplished.

“We took a bunch of local kids with not much talent and experience, and played with a lot of gut wrenching determination and heart against all-star teams from around the states,” he said. “Most of those teams pick the best players from several league teams.”

Oak Harbor and Mount Vernon were the only league teams, or non-all-star teams, to qualify for the tournament, which Humphries said was incredible since both squads play in the same district.

Oak Harbor started the year as underdogs, many people writing off the team from the outset. The coach said the team quickly silenced the skeptics.

“These kids proved them wrong and I can honestly say that I’ll probably never coach a group of kids like this again,” Humphries said, adding that the season became a reality because of local support. “I want to thank the parents and Rick Schutte from Coldwell Banker Koetje Real Estate for their tremendous support all year long. Without them this could not have been possible.”

Conversely, Wolfe’s father, Derek, said the season could not have gone forward without Humphries’ dedication.