SHS baseball will lean on pitching in search for state hardware

TWIN FALLS — Whatever Sandpoint baseball encounters at state, one thing is for certain — they’ll be ready.

This team has seen it all and been through it all this spring. From walk-off victories to intense games to disappointing losses, the Bulldogs have run the gamut.

Just 10 days ago, SHS was three outs away from being sent home in the 4A Region 1 loser-out game. Now they are gearing up for a run at a state trophy.

It all begins at 3 p.m. PST Thursday when Sandpoint (18-8) takes on Bishop Kelly (19-5) at the College of Southern Idaho to open the 4A state tournament.

The last few weeks of the regular season were filled with a roller coaster of emotions for the Bulldogs. Games were tight and the stakes were high, and some of those contests didn’t go Sandpoint’s way, but the team responded when it mattered most.

“We definitely do it the hard way,” senior Avery Bocksch said, “but it’s interesting. I’ll remember those games for the rest of my life.”

After a grueling home doubleheader sweep to Moscow on May 4, the players had a meeting and hit the reset button. Bocksch said the grind of the season was taking a toll on the team and the pressure of getting back to state was impacting everyone.

In that meeting, Bocksch said the Bulldogs took a deep breath and realized why they are playing — to have fun.

That switch in mentality allowed Sandpoint to come back from seven runs down against Lakeland and get revenge on the Bears in the regional title series.

Bocksch said all the stress that came with the last few weeks of the season was worth it when he got to raise that regional trophy.

“It felt great,” he said.

When the Bulldogs take the field Thursday, it will be their first game in over a week. The break was a gift the team embraced with open arms after playing 12 games in 15 days.

Head coach Chase Tigert said the time off gave Sandpoint a chance to refocus.

“It’s nice to be able to get these kids a little bit of a breather,” he said. “We had some sore bodies, so I think it was a good thing, and I think we all needed it.”

The gap allowed the Bulldogs’ nine-man pitching staff to get prepared for a deep state run, including Bocksch, who has become the ace of the staff.

Bocksch has started on the mound in nine of Sandpoint’s 26 games. He’s pitched 42 innings while allowing just 14 earned runs and striking out 24.

Bocksch iced his arm all week and he believes the extra rest will pay dividends.

“I’m ready to hit my spots and throw all of my pitches for strikes and just execute,” he said. “I know my team has got my back.”

Tigert said the depth of his pitching staff will give him plenty of options at state.

“I think it’s going to be huge for us,” he said. “It allows us to have a shorter leash and if it looks like things just aren’t quite clicking with someone, we can go to the bullpen a little bit earlier.”

And the rotation isn’t set in stone. The situation will dictate who Tigert goes to, and having too many arms is a problem every coach dreams of having.

Tigert expects all his pitchers to shove at state.

“I think we’ll go into the tournament with a closer’s mentality,” he said, “and tell the kids to just leave everything out there after each inning and if you get tired, there’s no need to battle it, we got plenty of guys that can pick you up.”

Evan Williams is one of those guys that leaves it all out there whenever he’s on the bump. The senior transfer from Union Mine High School in El Dorado, California, has been a welcomed addition to the squad this spring. And he’s certainly made his presence known with his play — and his voice.

The latter is what everyone on the team loves about him. In the dugout, Williams is loud, and always encouraging his teammates. He throws around funny one-liners like, “Way to assert your dominance,” when SHS players step out of the batter’s box to call for time.

Tigert appreciates the vocalness.

“I think he’s brought a lot of kids out of their comfort zone in a good way,” he said, “and has allowed them to kind of be themselves and be a little goofy because baseball needs some weirdness and to be able to bring that, it’s been huge.”

Williams said he enjoys keeping things a little light-hearted in the heat of a game because it loosens up the team, and simultaneously rattles the opposing pitcher.

“You can’t win games when you’re super tense, so being chirpy has always been a little bit fun,” he said.

Williams started on the mound for Game 2 of the regional championship series against Moscow, and just like he’s done all season — he grinded and put the team in a position to win.

Williams has started six games this spring and tossed a team-high 31 strikeouts over 23 ⅓ innings of work.

When Williams is on the bump, he has an intensity that can intimidate batters. His 6-foot-4 frame also helps with that.

“For years now, I’ve just been trying to make myself a better pitcher,” he said. “My focus when I’m up there is it’s just me, my catcher and the batter, I see nothing else … My mentality is to beat the other guy into submission.”

Pitching has carried the Bulldogs this season, but Bocksch and the rest of the team knows their performance at the plate will determine their success at state.

“It’s important that we hit the ball because the teams down there are going to be really good and they’re not going to give us anything,” he said, “so base hits are going to be very important.”

Six players for the Bulldogs are batting over .300 this season — Mike Riley, Ethan Butler, Jack Zimmerman, Cody Newhart, Max Thielbahr and Bocksch. Unfortunately, one of those players will not be available at state.

Newhart is done for the season and the team will miss his .343 batting average and 23 RBIs.

Williams believes the Bulldogs could do something special in Twin Falls.

“I feel like we are capable of so much if all of us play our best baseball,” he said. “The batting is all a matter of confidence on this team because if you think that you won’t, you won’t. If you think that you can, you will and that goes for so many people.”

This group is rather inexperienced when it comes to state, so Bocksch said everyone is excited to bond on the bus and in the hotel, and just enjoy playing the sport they love.

“I can't wait to get down there, win some ballgames and take home another trophy,” Williams said. “I’m really glad I got the chance to play with all these guys.”

Tigert said he doesn’t know much about Bishop Kelly, but regardless of the opponent they face at state, the Bulldogs won’t lose their identity — or what got them to this point.

“We’re not going to change anything we necessarily do based on our opponent,” he said. “We’re going to go ahead and take our strengths to them.”

In 2018, Tigert helped the Bulldogs end a decade-long state drought. That experience showed him what it takes to be a state champion and pushing through adversity is near the top of the list, and is something Sandpoint has done all season.

“I learned that year that you have to believe and that’s really what it comes down to is the mental perspective more than anything else,” he said. “My only expectation for the team is to play relaxed. I think that’s all we need to do is have that positive attitude … and everything else will fall into place.”

You can watch Thursday’s game live on IdahoSports.com.