Tim Ahern is not afraid to give an honest answer.
The Sammamish baseball coach did not mince words when approached on the topic of goal-setting and expectations for his team in 2011.
“I expect to win state, it’s as simple as that,” Ahern said.
With an exciting mix of young talent and veteran leadership, the Totems are buying what Ahern is selling and setting their sights on the ultimate prize.
But they know it’s a long, hard road to state, especially for a program that has never reached the state baseball tournament.
It is that image and mentality that Ahern and his staff have been fighting to overcome since the Eastlake High School alum took the top spot in the program prior to the 2009 season.
“This is not Sammamish baseball of old,” Ahern said. After struggling through much of the regular season in 2010, the Totems made a strong push in the playoffs before falling to eventual 3A state champion O’Dea in the KingCo-Metro crossover game.
“The playoff push was huge,” Ahern said. “Because we played with the state champs, they didn’t blow us out and we hung in the game, you can tell that the players understand that in high school baseball you can play against anybody.”
To kick off the 2011 season, the Totems took their second annual trip across the Cascades to Yakima, where they played a jamboree and used their down time to become closer as a group.
One of the least familiar faces entering 2011 is freshman Joey Giachhetti, a pitcher and utility player whom Ahern called “a stud”.
“I think that was one of the keys to making varsity is coming in aggressive,” said Giachhetti, who picked up his first varsity win in the season opener against Hazen by throwing three scoreless innings.
Giachhetti joins a corps of upperclassmen that includes seniors Navdeep Gil, Craig Sweet and Chris Strain, each of whom Ahern is counting on to provide the structure that has become a constant during his tenure.
Strain talked about the importance of last season’s playoff run for the confidence of the Totems entering 2011.
“It was great, all our returning players knew how fun it was to win and we want to take that into this season,” Strain said.
Thus far, the new approach is paying off.
Heading into their fourth game of the season, the Totems sport a 3-0 record (or as many regular season wins as they had all of last season) with non-league contests against Lindbergh, Inglemoor and Bellevue Christian still on tap before the KingCo schedule begins against Lake Washington on April 4.
“Starting off 2-0, people come out and expect to win and it’s showing in how we play,” Strain said of his team’s renewed sense of confidence thus far in 2011.
But Ahern and his squad are not focusing on opponents. Instead, they are working to make sure they are doing what is necessary to get themselves ready for the challenges that lie ahead.
“They’re definitely ready for the challenge,” Ahern said. “This is the best program I’ve had top to bottom, I’m really excited for the year.”
And all that swagger is rubbing off on his players.
When a similar question about expectations was posed to the senior Strain, the response was a mirror image of the one his coach gave minutes before.
“I think we can win state. I definitely could see that happening.”
Totems at a glance:
Major Losses: Brett Berkey, Rick Teagarden
Impact Newcomers: Joe Giachhetti, FR, RHP/Utility
Key Returners: Craig Sweet, SR, C; Navdeep Gill, SR, Utility; Chris Strain, SR, INF/OF; Ryan Hashimoto, JR, LHP/INF
Crucial Matchups: Friday, April 8 VS Interlake, 4pm; Wednesday, April 27 @ Bellevue, 4pm; Friday, April 29 @ Mount Si, 4pm; Wednesday, May 4 @ Mercer Island, 6pm
From the Dugout: Ahern on the change confidence from last season: “You can really start to see it this year, one of my biggest things here has been getting the kids to believe you can beat anybody”…”They understand it’s a game of reps, if you put your work in it will pay off. I believe in baseball karma”…”As long as we put the work in and we believe, the wins will be there”
