By Joel Willits
jwillits@bellevuereporter.com
More than a 1,000 miles separated Brian Fischer from Newport High School since last season.
And yet, come spring, without fail, here he is again, in the red and gold of Newport, standing on the baseball field, watching his team run through practice drills.
Not even a move to Arizona could keep Fischer away from the school where he’s built a 206-81 record. The coach in his 13th year at the helm is back again – living in Washington for the season – while his family remains down in the heat of Arizona.
It’s not just because of the success – although there’s been plenty of that, with three state titles along the way – and it’s not just because of a love for the game.
It’s because of the school.
“People say why and I say, well it’s Newport,” Fischer said. “I’m just not done here yet.”
The talent that Newport brings in year-to-year? Well, that makes that 1,000 miles a little bit easier.
With a tradition of success and a habit of sending players to the next level, the Knights look to be competitive yet again.
Last year, Newport looked to be on the fast track to the playoffs when things derailed. First, the team was rocked by the shocking death of classmate Taryn Gillies. Then, in the second-to-last regular season game, a blowout against Sammamish, top players Blake Gibbs and Collin Bennett collided in the outfield in a collision that resulted in season-ending injuries for both players.
“When they got hurt, it was all over,” said senior pitcher Brandon Andreini. “They were the heart of the team, and when they went down, it took the air out of the whole team’s balloon.”
The Knights sputtered after the injury, and were eliminated by Skyline in the KingCo 3A tournament and finished with a record of 13-9.
But now Newport returns to the KingCo 4A ranks this season, boasting a pitching staff that some members of the team call the best in recent history.
Although Newport graduated top pitcher Nate Eisenhauer, who led the Knights in innings pitched, strikeouts and wins, Andreini (3-2 in 2008) returns to anchor a staff full of young talent. Sophomores Cole Wiper and Jared Fisher and junior Jeff Gonzales, along with seniors Kevon Zadeh and Graham Bennett round out a deep rotation.
“They’re young, but we’re excited about what we have,” Fischer said.
The staff will have the benefit of an experienced double play combination at shortstop and second base. Junior Trace Tam Sing, who hit .413 last season and led the Knights in batting average, hits, runs scored and doubles, returns after a stellar sophomore campaign. He’ll be paired with second baseman Brad Binder, a senior who played in eight games a year ago.
“I wouldn’t trade those two for anybody,” Fischer said. “So we’re really confident up the middle.”
It’s also a source of confidence for the pitching staff.
“Having Trace back there, there is just no doubt on every ball,” Andreini said. “It will be a good highlight reel.”
With a solid mix of young and old, Newport is confident they’ll be able to compete after moving up to 4A.
“You’d think we’d clash with the mix of veterans and rookies, but we really don’t,” Tam Sing said. “We know our rookies will come through for us.”
With so many younger players, it will be important for the older guys to step up, says senior outfielder and pitcher Colin Hering, Newport’s closer last season.
“It’s really going to be up to guys like Trace and [outfielder Reid] Dilley, who’ve been on varsity for a few years, to step up and lead by example,” Hering said. “They need to show the young guys how to win.”
The last time Newport was in 4A was 1996-97, the year the Knights won their first state title under Fischer, a point he’s tried to stress to his team this season, which kicked off Monday with a 3-0 non-conference loss to Eastside Catholic at the University of Washington.
“We’ve been talking about this since day one, but it’s been 13 years since we’ve played these guys, and we won the state title,” he said. “We need understand that when we go to someone’s park, they need to realize what we were 13 years ago.”
Joel Willits can be reached at 425.453.5045.
