PORT ANGELES — When the Lefties take on the Bellingham Bells this weekend, it will mark the first time former Peninsula College pitcher Jim Clem will be back at Civic Field since he played for the Pirates from 1972-74.
Clem is now the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator for the Bells, a position he has held since retiring in 2011 as athletic director and coach at Burlington-Edison High School after 28 years at that school. During his coaching tenure at Burlington-Edison, his teams won 12 conference titles and appeared in 15 state tournaments. In 2006, he was named baseball Coach of the Year by the WIAA and the national coach of the year from Washington by the National High School Baseball Coaches Association. His high school coaching record is 481-211.
Clem played two years of basketball and baseball at Peninsula College, and also served a year as student body president. After leaving Peninsula, Clem went on to pitch two years for Central Washington University, where he helped Central win the Evergreen Conference championship in 1975.
He has since been inducted into a number of halls of fame, including Washington State Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame, the Washington American Legion Baseball Hall of Fame, the Burlington-Edison High School Athletic Hall of Fame, the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association Hall of Fame, the Central Washington University Hall of Fame and the Peninsula College Hall of Fame.
Clem and other former Pirates arranged for Elvin Sofie to throw out the first pitch for the first Bells/Lefties game tonight. Sofie was an assistant coach for the Pirates during Clem’s two years in Port Angeles.
He was also an advance scout for the Pirates’ basketball team for Coach Jack Estes from 1967-1973.
Clem credits Sofie and Estes for providing the coaching foundation that has helped throughout his career. After the baseball program at Peninsula College was discontinued, Sofie was an unpaid assistant coach for the Pirate fastpitch team for years. More recently, he also volunteered his time with the Sequim girls fastpitch team for a number of years, including their undefeated season in 2011. A former basketball and baseball star at Sequim High School, Sofie, who turned 80 in February, continues to donate his time to help develop young pitchers.
Jim Clem pitching for Peninsula College in 1973.
