Tri-Cities Prep seniors Will Hoppes, Jay Orth, and Evan Kruschke played their final baseball game in Colfax on Saturday, May 15th against St. John-Endicott. But it was more than just a game for these three seniors. They have been in the starting line-up four straight seasons and they are the only three seniors on this year’s team. But their journey through life started long before they ever stepped inside Tri-Cities Prep.
It was at St. Joseph School that the three boys became the best of friends starting all the way back in kindergarten. That friendship has cultivated over the years and grew steadfast. They remain as close as ever today while walking the halls of the small private school in Pasco. They have participated in numerous activities together throughout the years, although they have each seemed to find a niche’ apart from one another. Hoppes is known as the three sport athlete and is the only one of the three to participate in basketball all four years. Orth made his own mark on the football and baseball fields, but he is just as well known as an accomplished drummer in the schools “no name band.” Kruschke has held lead roles in Shakespearean Plays and just finished a set of five performances in two weekends as a lead role in “The Taming of the Shrew.” How was he able to balance his baseball commitment, academic rigors and the demands of having such a big part in the play? When asked that question, head baseball coach Dan Whitsett gave a simple answer. “These kids always amaze me, I am never surprised anymore. When they graduate they are well prepared for the next level (college).”
Will Hoppes closed out an athletic career at Prep that has been well documented. He is a four-year starter in three sports; football, basketball, and baseball. As a junior he helped lead the Jaguars to the 2009 1B state basketball title. As a senior he led the Jags on the gridiron to the 2009 1B state football title, taking with him nearly every single state record a quarterback can achieve in the classification. In his four years as a starter in the Jaguar Football Program, Hoppes contributed to four playoff appearances, two state semi-final appearances, and a state title. In his junior season on the diamond he contributed to the school’s first ever appearance in the post season. Prep lost in the state quarterfinals to Lake Quinault, a game that Hoppes was not able to play in because of an injury in the district championship the week before.
Jay Orth missed his freshman and sophomore seasons of football due to knee injuries. He still played and started in baseball, although not at full strength those first two years. There were times that he was not sure he would ever play a football season for the Jaguars. But he never gave up and worked endlessly on rehabilitating his knee and would become a very big part of the team in his junior season. In his two seasons as a starting offensive lineman and linebacker the team was 20-4 overall. He played left guard on offense and this was very well planned out by head coach Dan Whitsett. “Jay and Will are such good friends and had been for so long that I thought what better than to have one of your best friends blocking your backside for you. I knew that Jay would do anything to make sure Will did not get hit from the backside and that Will himself realized that and it gave him confidence in the pocket. It was a perfect scenario.”
Evan Kruschke came out for football the summer of his freshman year but quickly realized it was not something he wanted to pursue at the high school level. He did end up spending the fall of his senior year documenting and filming the championship football season. Baseball was his sport of choice and he had a knack for acting. Although his baseball coach is not always excited about stretching himself out so far during the season, he admits that the accomplishment and end result is impressive. “That kid is amazing on stage. When you watch the performances you realize it is all worth it. I can’t say enough about his commitment to doing both and being able to pull it off as well as he does.”
Hoppes plays shortstop and is the team’s top pitcher on the mound. Orth is a first baseman (when Kruschke pitches) and outfielder. Kruschke plays first base and is one of the team’s pitchers. All three were immediately thrust into the line-up as freshmen and have been there ever since. “They have helped build this program,” said Whitsett. The thought of not having the three players is something the coach doesn’t want to visit at this time. “The thought of not having them…well, let’s just say that when you look at the programs across the board, these three guys played big roles at this school.”
They have also a 3.5 combined accumulative GPA between the three of them and have all three been selected to the colleges of their choice. Jay Orth will be attending Gonzaga University, Will Hoppes will attend the University of Portland, and Evan Kruschke will attend St. Martin’s University in Lacey. So, just as they have marked their own paths at times at Prep, they will be heading down different paths to colleges. For the first time since kindergarten, they will not be classmates.
Prep struggled to get the baseball program off the ground and wins were hard to come by in the first four years while accumulating a 12-62 overall record. Head coach Dan Whitsett took over the program in 2009 and it was good timing. “We had just one senior and some good young ball players that had played early, so it was time to turn the corner,” said Whitsett. Prep went 10-10 overall while competing in the 1B/2B combo Southeast League. More importantly they finished second in the 1B district nine tournament. This qualified Prep for their first state tournament and quarterfinal appearance.
Prep finished 14-7 overall this season, a school record for wins, but their season ended early with a 3-2 loss to St. John-Endicott in the first game of the District Tournament. “It was a good season, they won more games than any team before them,” said Whitsett. “I wish it didn’t end so soon, it was unfortunate that we lost in Districts but the kids went down swinging. It is always tough losing your last game, but these seniors put in a solid four years for the program, they were the main-stays, the foundation for four years basically.”
The three seniors were not the only ones participating in their last baseball game. It was also coach Whitsett’s last game as the head man for the baseball program. “It’s been fun helping build the program and I think we got it headed in the right direction,” said Whitsett. Assistant coach Jason Jarrett will be taking the reins as head coach next season.