Interchangeable Titans

Members of University’s baseball team consider themselves a high school version of the Boston Red Sox “Idiots.” So loose are the Titans that it even prompted coach Don Ressa, typically a no-nonsense baseball purist, to turn hip-hop poseur, if only for a moment.

“We’re goofy,” senior outfielder Mike Conrad revealed. “If you went to anybody’s practice and went to ours, you’d be scratching your head.”

Another senior, all-purpose infielder Connor Brooks said, “Our coaches in the past have been all about business, but they’ve done a good job of accepting the way we are.”

Fun-loving yes, but the Titans, with seven senior regulars, are workaday baseball junkies who have succeeded while putting the game in perspective.

“These guys are good,” said junior reserve Ben Borgman. “They have a trust and friendship from playing together all these years. It’s going to be hard to live up to these guys.”

Since starting 2-6 in 2005, U-Hi had gone 22-4 in Greater Spokane League games the past two seasons. They were second at 13-3 entering Wednesday’s and today’s season-ending series with third-place Mead.

“‘Suds’ (assistant coach Scott Sutherland) and I talk about all the Mark McLemores we have,” said Ressa, referring to the former Mariners utility player. “It’s probably one of the most unselfish groups I’ve ever coached. They just go out and play.”

An example is Brooks. He wasn’t sure he’d be in the lineup at all. But because two of U-Hi’s starting infielders also pitch, he’s been asked to play three positions: third base, second base and, on occasion, shortstop.

“It was a rough year last year,” Brooks said. “They benched me.”

During the summer he played behind third baseman-pitcher Adam Smith, second baseman-pitcher Nick Burger and sophomore shortstop-pitcher Dan Jordan.

“I questioned my future,” he said. “I had talks with my uncle (Drew) and dad (Kent) and they helped me stay with it.”

Teammates say U-Hi wouldn’t be where it is without him. Ressa marvels at the strength of his arm at third, Brooks’ original position, and ability to turn a double play at second.

Conrad, a speedster and football standout, is another case in point. He hit .307 as a sophomore, but was hitting .107 this year and was dropped from leadoff hitter to ninth, without complaint, said Ressa. Now he’s on an offensive tear.

“When he said he was moving me down, I knew I wasn’t getting it done,” said Conrad. “If you’re not getting on base, and that’s the object of a leadoff hitter, you do the job somewhere else.”

A third example is Smith, who has become one of the GSL’s best all-around players and pitchers, although he didn’t throw in high school until his junior year. Last week he caught for the Titans when the league’s best, Kenny VanSickle, was sidelined by pneumonia.

All of the senior regulars, including pitcher-outfielder Travis Lewis and outfielder Seth Englebert, have played baseball from early on in their lives, and most will continue at area community colleges. Brooks and Burger have been teammates since the beginning of their careers.

“We played on a Valley team together that went 16-0, and when we were 10 we played on a team that won a championship in Fresno,” Burger said.

When they all arrived at U-Hi in ninth grade, they became fast friends. That, said Lewis, has been one reason for their success.

“We are a team,” Lewis explained. “But it’s more like we’re really good buddies who all hang out together.”

There have been position changes and pitching finds. They’ve been more dedicated in the weight room and matured physically more than many of his teams, said Ressa.

They’ve discovered much about the game for which they’ve developed a passion. In a game one year ago, U-Hi led Rogers 11-0 and ended up losing 13-12. This year the Titans have five come-from-behind wins.

“We now know it isn’t over until it’s over,” said Burger.

Conrad added, “It’s a new game every inning. You’ve got to beat them more innings than they beat you.”

Last summer, while playing for a select team that played in California, they discovered the value of camaraderie and chemistry.

“It was unbelievable how we connected,” said Smith. “We were more of a family.”

That might explain the raucous clubhouse filled with pranks and the diverse and booming music that drives Ressa crazy, but led to his brief impersonation of a hip-hop artist.

“We just go out and have a blast, joke around,” said Lewis. “Every day it’s just like a game.”

It’s a game they’ve embraced and play very well.