In his eight years as an assistant coach at Skyview, Brian Hansen saw what makes a high school baseball program successful.
The Storm were yearly Class 4A state championship contenders, placing in the top four from 2017-19. Several dozen players filled the program’s ranks, from varsity to the freshman team.
Now Hansen is at the helm of a program at the other end of the spectrum. The first-year coach is looking to reinvigorate a Fort Vancouver program that currently has just 13 players.
But Hansen has gotten an assist from the Seattle Mariners. Last week, Fort learned it will be among 10 teams in the Northwest to receive a $5,000 Mariners Care Equipment Donation Grant.
More than 100 schools applied.
“We put a lot of time into getting that grant put together,” Hansen said. “We’re having a hard time obviously getting players to come out for any sport. We want a program where a kid wants to be out there and have fun. Maybe they can express themselves differently than they’re able to otherwise.”
In the 2019-20 academic year, 60.5% of Fort Vancouver students qualified for free or reduced lunch, the highest among Clark County high schools.
Access to equipment might be all that prevents a low-income student from giving baseball a try. Hansen hopes this grant will help bridge that gap by allowing the high school program to furnish more bats, gloves and balls.
“Baseball is an expensive sport,” Hansen said. “There are several athletes in this school who don’t know they can play. Maybe it’s just introducing them to a new experience or giving them the equipment they need.”
Part of the grant will be spent on items that make players feel like they’re a part of something bigger, such as a T-shirt or sweatshirt.
After all, Fort baseball has a history it should be proud to advertise. The Trappers won a state championship in 1990. Outfielder Brian Hunter played in the major leagues from 1994-2003. Former coach Jim Wilson also played in the majors after starring at Oregon State.
It was that history of success, and the value to a school’s morale when a program is successful, that Hansen wrote about in an essay when applying for the grant.
“The biggest thing, Fort Vancouver is a place that should be respected as athletic program,” Hansen said. “We just don’t have all the same advantages that other kids have. We talked about a process to respect and steps we need to go through to be respected as a baseball program and school.”
Baseball, along with other spring sports, is scheduled to take place in Season 2 of the WIAA’s modified 2020-21 sports calendar. Practices can start March 15 with competition lasting until May 2.
Ultimately Hansen hopes that by making Fort Vancouver baseball a stable program that is popular with its athletes, the attraction will trickle down to youth levels.
“We want younger kids to see this as a place where they can play and succeed,” Hansen said. “Fort Vancouver has such a rich tradition. Why not Fort?”
Micah Rice: 360-735-4548; micah.rice@columbian.com; twitter.com/col_mrice.
