PORT ANGELES — Wilder Baseball tryouts will be held early next week at Civic Field.
The North Olympic Peninsula’s long-standing summer baseball team will have tryout sessions Monday and Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.
Monday’s session will begin with a team meeting. Players whose high school teams are still alive in the postseason should attend the meeting, but won’t need to physically try out until after their high school teams’ seasons have concluded.
Wilder Baseball, which began in 1979 and was originally called Aggies, is an independent 18U Senior Babe Ruth baseball program for players from throughout the North Olympic Peninsula born between Jan. 1, 1997, to May 1, 2000.
Third-year Wilder coach Mike Politika said that the team will have a roster of 18 players, but other players can choose to train with the program throughout the summer.
“More as practice players, at this point,” Politika said. “We won’t turn anybody away.”
There also could be chances for some of those players to dress for home games. But their primary experience will be at practices, of which there will be many.
“We do a lot of practicing and development throughout the season,” Politika said.
“The focus is on learning the game and playing it the right way. They’ll be given the opportunity to get a lot of baseball in the summer.”
Politika said the practice squad would be beneficial for younger players.
Politika’s staff will include returning assistant coaches Karl Myers, who played baseball at Gonzaga, and Perry Knudson.
Politka and Knudson are former Wilder players, and Politika said several other alumni will help coach throughout the season, each depending on their availability.
Politika said those coaches could include current Forks coach Jason Richards, Danny Romero, Ryan Anderson and Nick Johnston, who is finishing his sophomore season at Edmonds Community College and will continue his career at Campbellsville University in Kentucky.
Easton Napiontek, a former Texas Rangers draft pick and current pitching coach at Northwest Nazarene University, also might help when he’s in town.
“The Wilder Baseball Club 18U is more than just an elite baseball club; it is a fraternal organization, a brotherhood,” Politika said.
“The past players and those currently involved all recognize what is asked to be part of something special, and think nothing about participating in the way we feel baseball should be played: hard, respectful and with confidence.
“The game of baseball is evolving and we as coaches do adapt with these changes, but there are the few core foundations that the game has that we will not stray from.
“We have always said this goes beyond playing baseball as it reinforces positive life skills and giving back to our communities.
“There is an etiquette and respect involved in what we do, and that’s something I think we all agree on and are proud of.”
The cost for the season is $450. That includes travel expenses such as hotels and meals.
“Our generous sponsors allow us to keep the costs low, and we will not turn away a player because of financial reasons as there are scholarships available,” Politika said.
Wilder will have an intrasquad game at Civic Field Sunday, May 29, at 5 p.m.
The season will open the following day with a Memorial Day doubleheader against Renegades.
Wilder will have 16 home games this season, all at Civic Field, including six at the annual Firecracker Classic, which will be June 30 through July 3.
Wilder also will play in the USSSA state tournament June 24-26 in Olympia (the championship game will be July 5 at Cheney Stadium in Tacoma), and the massive College Showcase in Centralia on July 6-10.
The Senior Babe Ruth state tournament is July 12-14 in Issaquah. Regionals are in Quincy on July 20-26, and the Senior Babe Ruth World Series is Aug. 6-13 in Ephrata.
For the second year in a row, the program will have a Aggies/Wilder Alumni game. This time, though, it will be after the season, Aug. 21, and will coincide with Wilder’s annual golf tournament.
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Sports Editor Lee Horton can be reached at 360-417-3525 or at lhorton@peninsuladailynews.com.
