Sensational sophomore season pays off

Central Kitsap High School 2016 graduate will play baseball at the Division-1 level.

By Shaun Scott • August 7, 2018 1:26 pm
Bellevue Bulldogs baseball player Griffin McCormick connects on a base-hit during the 2018 season. McCormick, who finished with a team best .346 batting average this season, will continue his baseball career at Sacramento State University. Photo courtesy of Rich Dworkis
Bellevue Bulldogs baseball player Griffin McCormick connects on a base-hit during the 2018 season. McCormick, who finished with a team best .346 batting average this season, will continue his baseball career at Sacramento State University. Photo courtesy of Rich Dworkis

Bellevue Bulldogs second baseman/outfielder Griffin McCormick’s dominant sophomore season on the diamond paid off immensely.

McCormick, who went for 56-for-162 at the plate during the 2018 season with the Bulldogs, had a team best batting average of .346. McCormick also drew 39 walks and connected on 11 doubles. In mid-May, McCormick committed to continue his baseball career at Sacramento State University.

“I committed right before we (Bulldogs) we played at regionals. Sacramento State has a great program and a great track record. They have a really good thing going on down there and I’m excited to be a part of it,” McCormick said. “It will be nice to play in California where you have sunny weather most of the time for sure as well.”

While McCormick’s stats were off the charts with the Bulldogs this past spring, it wasn’t something he focused on.

“I really didn’t think about the numbers too much. That just came from the hard work that our team put in. I just went out and played baseball and the numbers kind of followed me. I just tried my best to help our team out and everybody else on the team did their part as well,” McCormick explained.

McCormick, who is spending the summer at his parents’ house in Silverdale, said he will move to Sacramento on Aug. 17. He is a 2016 graduate of Central Kitsap High School.

“School starts on August 26 and fall practices begin a week after that,” he said.

McCormick has been a regular at Crunch Fitness in Silverdale throughout the summer.

“The priority for me is to put on some weight so I have been in the weight room as much as possible. I am lifting and running sprints almost every day. I’m trying to get in the best shape so when I get down there I’m ready to roll,” McCormick said. “I really like Crunch Fitness. They got 20 yards of turf so I can do some baseball functional exercises as well.”

McCormick credited Bellevue head coach Mark Yoshino, assistant coach David Olson and assistant coach Craig Parthemer for propelling to the Division-1 level on the diamond.

“I have nothing but great things to say about Yosh (Yoshino) and the program he runs at Bellevue. Yosh, Craig Parthemer and David Olson put in so much time and effort into it. It was just outstanding playing for them,” McCormick said. “It was a pleasure to be part of the team.”