Kenmore resident helps Western baseball team win the Northern Pacific Regional collegiate title

Published 1:13 pm Friday, May 17, 2013

The Western Washington University baseball team won the Northern Pacific Regional collegiate club baseball title May 12 in La Grande, Ore. with a little help from a Kenmore resident.

The Vikings won their first game 9-4 against Montana State behind senior pitcher Mathew Burrows of Redmond.

On Saturday, they continued strong with a 7-3 victory against Idaho State with pitcher Mason Weathers of Kenmore.

They played Idaho State once more in Sunday’s title game and won 2-1 with a hit from tournament MVP and Vikings shortstop Pete Carlson of Bellingham.

John Barney, the baseball team’s student coach and player, said that the team’s success was due to its overall aggressiveness and team speed. Out of 220 teams in the National Club Baseball Association, the Vikings are one of eight teams that will advance to the World Series on May 24-30 in Tampa, Fla.

Barney said that this is the second trip to the World Series for Western’s baseball team; the Vikings last qualified for the World Series in 2010.

The team is currently working on fundraising to obtain the $10,000 needed to get to Tampa.