Vikings are dominating on the diamond in 2018

Bellevue Christian is having a breakthrough season on the diamond.

By Shaun Scott • April 18, 2018 1:12 pm
Shaun Scott, staff photo Bellevue Christian ace pitcher Eric Kats, left, and infielder Daniel Teramato, right, are looking to lead their team to the Class 1A state baseball tournament this May.
Shaun Scott, staff photo Bellevue Christian ace pitcher Eric Kats, left, and infielder Daniel Teramato, right, are looking to lead their team to the Class 1A state baseball tournament this May.

Bellevue Christian Vikings baseball head coach Blane Berry knew before practices even kicked off in late February that his baseball team was on the cusp of greatness.

The Vikings, who advanced to the first round of the Class 1A state tournament last May, were bringing back a multitude of starters and key contributors to the 2018 team roster.

The Vikings have proved Berry’s optimism right.

Bellevue Christian has won nine of its first 10 games thus far this season. The Vikings’ lone defeat occurred against Vashon Island on March 29.

Berry said pitchers Eric Kats, Daniel Teramato and freshman Mason Green are a formidable trio on the hill.

“For us it all starts with pitching and they’ve just been really solid. We have a team ERA (earned run average) of a little over 2. We’ve got three guys who we were very confident in and that really sets the tone for us. Eric is 4-0 so far. He is our leader and he is our No. 1 guy,” Berry said. “Freshman Mason Green has really stepped in and done a tremendous job. He has really good stuff and has a great future. By the time he gets out of here (graduation in 2021) he is going to have some really good games for us. We’re really solid with Daniel too. He has pitched for us for the last couple of years.”

The Vikings’ offense is led by Jeff Jewett at the plate.

“Jeff is off to a tremendous start. He has hit a couple of home runs and is hitting over .500. Daniel (Teramato) is hitting over .500 and Mick Larsen is batting in the upper 400s with 20 RBI. We’re getting guys on base and we’re driving them in,” Berry said. “Our hitting has come around. A lot of guys have made big improvements from last year. We got a team average of around .360 right now.”

With postseason play approaching in May, Berry expects his team to rise to the occasion against their opponents.

“We had big expectations going into this year. We really wanted to build on going to state last year. Everybody felt that we could improve on that and that is the mindset we have. We know we’re going to see better pitching as we go down the road, but we feel like we’re a good team that can compete with any other team we play. We feel like our pitching can keep us in games, we have guys that can swing the bat and make something happen offensively. We’re optimistic we can make some noise (in the playoffs).”