PORT ANGELES — A Port Angeles Roughriders middle infield reunion is on tap for the Olympic College baseball program.
Riders senior Milo Whitman has signed with the Bremerton-based junior college, where he’s poised to once again partner with former Port Angeles and Wilder Baseball Club teammate Gavin Guerrero, a 2019 PAHS grad.
And the pair will have a familiar face at first base as Riders’ senior Lucas Jarnigan also has signed with Olympic. A separate story on Jarnagin will appear soon in the Peninsula Daily News.
Whitman is a standout performer at second base, where he was voted first-team All-Olympic League as a junior. And he was set to move to shortstop this spring, taking over for Guerrero.
He’s also a two-time state tennis qualifier, teaming up with Bo Bradow to reach the state doubles tournament in 2019 and earning a runner-up finish at the district tournament last fall with baseball teammate Wyatt Hall. That second straight state trip was scuttled due to the coronavirus pandemic as boys tennis completes its regular season, league and district tournaments in the fall and holds the state tournament in late May.
Whitman and Jarnagin took a couple of recruiting visits together, first to Umpqua Community College in Oregon, the school to which Guerrero originally committed. But it was Olympic’s focus on personal responsibility that won out.
“What coach [Ryan] Parker told us about how they run things,” Whitman said of what was the deciding factor in his choice. “They expect you to get your work in. And your workouts are kind of on you. Group workouts are together, but he expects you to get things done on your own.
“We went and visited and took batting practice with the team last fall. They have a hitting facility that I really liked that you get the keys to and that has a pitching machine, so you can hit pretty much when you need to. And all the guys were super cool and welcoming to us.”
And Whitman also was able to contact another Port Angeles connection, former Rider and Wilder teammate Brady Shimko, a sophomore pitcher on the Rangers’ roster.
“Lucas and I texted Brady and asked him about it and he had good things to say,” Whitman said. “It was really nice to have a guy from PA on the team to ask questions because you know you can trust the answers.”
And Whitman is excited to potentially reunite up the middle with Guerrero.
“Gavin transferred there a little while back, so Gavin and I do get that shot to play together again,” Whitman said. “I’d love to stay at second base, but I’ll play wherever I need to.”
Parker said he knows Whitman has been well coached and played for one of the top high school programs in the area. Olympic coaches also like seeing multi-sport athletes like Whitman and Jarnagin.
“We really liked Milo’s athleticism and baseball instincts,” Parker said. “We also liked his versatility. I know he played second when Gavin was there and was going to be the shortstop this year. We will use him at second base, shortstop and third base in the fall as we do with all our infielders. This allows us to find each guy’s best fit but also allows us a lot of different lineup options because guys can play multiple positions.
“On the offensive side, Milo flat out hits. He needs to work on his overall speed a bit, which we will work on with him.”
Port Angeles baseball coach Casey Dietz said Olympic is lucky to get players like Whitman and Guerrero.
“Having coached both Gavin and Milo, those guys defensively are as good as they come,” Dietz said. “Not a lot of programs are fortunate to have players who can defend up the middle like they can.
“And Milo, he’s a special player and person. Moving forward and looking at the next level for Milo — I expect he will continue to get even more well-rounded defensively. And offensively he already swings the bat well. His work ethic will allow him to succeed and he will endear himself to his coaches. I’m excited he’s staying locally, so we can continue to watch his playing career.”
Clinching back-to-back Olympic League baseball titles in eerily similar late-inning comebacks at Civic Field against North Kitsap in 2018 and 2019 are the primary highlights of Whitman’s high school playing days.
“Beating NK in back-to-back seasons, it was like deja vu, almost the exact situation repeated,” Whitman said.
Whitman had a lengthy list of coaches to thank for helping me reach this point.
“All my coaches, all the teammates I’ve ever played with,” Whitman said. “My high school coaches, coach Karl Myers, he’s been one of the best coaches I’ve ever had. Cal Ripken and Junior Babe Ruth — Brent Basden, Josh Wood, Rob Merritt and Tim Adams, Zac Moore, and for high school, Myers, Dietz, and then Larsson Chapman. He’s really helped me out. He’s been my personal workout guy.
“My tennis coaches too, Brian Gundersen. I’m probable forgetting some, but those are the main guys. And my dad Bill Whitman and my mom Kelly Riddle.”
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Sports reporter Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-406-0674 or mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.
