By Paul Valencia, Columbian
High School Sports Reporter
Published: June 15, 2016, 8:55pm
Share:
Alex McGarry of Columbia River is The Columbian's All-Region baseball player of the year. (Amanda Cowan/The Columbian)
The slide was perfect.
He bounced right up, knowing he was safe before the umpire even made a ruling.
Alex McGarry, who seemed to fly around the bases, was still on the move, this time on a different mission. He just had to celebrate with his baseball family.
“It was a blast,” McGarry said of his final season with the Columbia River Chieftains. “Such a great group of guys. A great group of guys I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”
All that respect, love, admiration was on display after Columbia River’s second-to-last game of the season.
McGarry had just raced around the bases for a two-run, inside-the-park, walk-off home run to give the Chieftains a victory in the first round of the Class 3A state baseball playoffs. Teammate Garrett McKee tackled McGarry, and then the rest of the Chieftains piled on in what has to be the signature moment of the 2016 Southwest Washington high school baseball season.
McGarry, though, did so much more than just come through on that one play. He performed pretty much the whole season. McGarry batted .415 and drove in 32 runs in 26 games.
For all of this, McGarry is The Columbian’s All-Region baseball player of the year.
McGarry, though, said he was not always clutch. In fact, that’s what made that home run so special to him.
“The guys expected a lot from me. There were times when I didn’t come through, and they’d pick me up,” McGarry explained. “It was frustrating going through those times. But everyone told me they’ll need me. To actually not be talking about it but to come through was huge. I felt I owed it to my guys.”
McGarry was running toward the dugout after his slide, but he did not get very far. He said McKee, “the football guy,” made a perfect tackle.
“He stopped my momentum completely,” McGarry said.
Then the dogpile.
“Just a great moment,” McGarry said.
Sharing any baseball moment with the Chieftains made this year special for McGarry. In fact, he said the key to River’s success — the team made it state for the seventh time in the past eight seasons — was a commitment from everybody to do extra work.
Well, work might not be the right word.
“A group of best friends who really love the game as much as I do,” McGarry said. “It wasn’t a chore to hit on a Sunday afternoon. It never felt like work to spend time playing baseball. It never felt like work to go out and work on baseball.”
Next up for McGarry is college baseball. If he goes the junior college route, he will be playing for Tacoma Community College. However, he is mulling offers from quality Division I programs as well.
No matter where he goes, he knows it will be difficult for any team to replicate Columbia River’s family approach to the game.
“You really felt an obligation to defend the (Columbia River) logo and what it means to the guys who came before you and the coaches who work so hard for it,” McGarry said.
Rest of the All-Region team
Brody Barnum, Skyview
Could do a little bit of everything for the Storm. Drove in 18 and scored 21 runs while recording a 1.70 ERA.
Morning Briefing Newsletter
Get a rundown of the latest local and regional news every Mon-Fri morning.
Sawyer Bierscheid, La Center
He’d pitch shutouts. He’d hit home runs. And Trico League coaches voted him the MVP.
Colin Biggs, Mountain View
The ace for the Thunder who also wielded a solid bat, Biggs was voted the MVP of the 4A GSHL.
Daniel Copeland, Skyview
An all-league pitcher, Copeland, with his miniscule 1.02 ERA, helped Storm to second-place district finish.
Taylor Easterly, Columbia River
Went 6-2 with a 1.79 ERA while pitching, and played solid shortstop and hit .333 when not on the mound.
Preston Jones, Mountian View
Some pop in his bat and he knows how to find home. Oregon State signee batted .344 and scored 22 runs.
Mitch Lines, Hockinson
The 2A GSHL MVP won his first eight decisions of the season and was a double-digit strikeout machine.
Liam Fitzpatrick, Camas
First-team, all-league infielder became a team leader, hitting .424 for the Papermakers.
Austin Hamilton, Mountain View
He batted .357 and 65 percent of his hits went for extra bases. Drove in 25 runs in 22 games for the Thunder.
Isaiah Smith, Battle Ground
A dangerous bat and a strong center fielder, Smith, only a junior, has a huge (Pac-12?) future ahead of him.
Trevor Wharton, Heritage
Wharton hit .390 plus he struck out 42 in 43 innings of work, picking up three wins and saving another.
Morning Briefing Newsletter
Get a rundown of the latest local and regional news every Mon-Fri morning.
