By James Day
It was a banner year for Silverton baseball under first-year coach James Rise. The Foxes advanced to the round of 16 in the state playoffs for the first time since 1989.
Silverton, which finished 13-15 overall after a 1-8 start, hosted Ashland in the Class 5A play-in round and took a 5-4 win vs. the Grizzlies. The Foxes lost a 15-7 slugfest against eventual state champion runner-up Liberty in the round of 16.
“We had talked about what it would take to host a play-in game and the impact a home game would be as opposed to a game on the road in Southern Oregon,” Rise told Our Town. “Being able to host Ashland was a great accomplishment for these guys and allowed our seniors to win the last game of their career at Davisson Field, which was important for me.
“To give those guys the proper sendoff was great, and something I hope they remember for a long time.”
Foxes designated hitter Anders Green was named first-team all-state and shortstop Dustin Meyer, who will play college ball at Pacific University in Forest Grove, earned second-team honors. Green batted 483 with four homers and 33 RBIs, leading the squad in all three categories. Meyer hit .402, led the Foxes with 35 runs scored and seven stolen bases and struck out just eight times all season.
Softball: Silverton advanced to the Class 5A semifinals before falling to eventual state runner-up Pendleton on June 2. The Foxes, who overcame a brutal nonconference schedule, surged to an 18-3 record in their Mid-Willamette Conference championship season.
The Foxes scored a 9-2 win against Crater on May 27 and a 7-3 win vs. Hillsboro on May 29 to advance to the semifinals in Pendleton.
The Foxes, 21-9 overall, also did well in all-state honors, snaring two positions on the first team and two on the second. First-team picks were senior catcher Kayla Stocker (for the second year in a row) and freshman shortstop Maggie Buckholz. Sophomore pitcher Alex Molloy and freshman outfielder Maggie Roth were named to the second team.
College track: Former Silverton athlete Stephanie Wells, now a junior at Montana, qualified for the NCAA championships with a javelin throw of 152-7 at the regional meet in Austin, Texas.
Wells, who missed national last season by one spot, took the 12th and final qualifying spot this year by one inch ahead of Iowa freshman Kayla Hochhalter.
Wells threw at NCAAs in Eugene on June 11 after Our Town’s press time.
“It will be cool and nice to be back home. I’ll have a lot of family and people from high school there,” Wells said.
Also competing at the Austin regional was Oregon State redshirt sophomore Morgan Anderson of Silverton. Anderson ran 4:28.77 in the 1,500 heats but did not advance. Anderson had the top time in the event for the Beavers this season, a 4:24.55 at the Oregon Relays on April 17.
Meanwhile, another former Silverton athlete Chase Davis of Eastern Washington cleared 15-8 and took ninth in the pole vault at the May 15-16 Big Sky Conference championships in Cheney, Wash. All vaulters from fourth to ninth cleared 15-8, with places established on fewer misses.
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