Ephrata pays tribute to incomparable coach
Pam Robel/Columbia Basin Herald<br>Thomas Bossert, right, stretches for the tag at home plate against Cascade Tuesday.
Tigers defeat Cascade, celebrate end of era
EPHRATA — A community gathered Tuesday to celebrate the long career of Ephrata High School's head baseball coach Dave Johnson.
Former players, friends and family member swarmed Tiger Stadium to pay homage to their coach, a coach who has spent the last 36 years teaching and coaching in Ephrata. A coach who has never had another job.
Johnson was hired by the Ephrata School District to teach social studies right out of college and has never left his post — not his post in the classroom or his post on the baseball diamond.
In 36 years Johnson has amassed an impressive number of friends, colleagues and acquaintances, some of whom came from as far away as Colorado to help him bid farewell to coaching after this season is over.
An equally impressive number in Johnson's career is the number of wins his teams have earned for Ephrata — 677 to be exact. A number that makes Johnson the winningest coach in Washington State.
"It's been so easy to coach," said Johnson. "I don't really know anything about baseball. I still don't know how to do a double play and I don't want to know."
Johnson has fostered nine professional baseball players and 100 collegiate players in his tenure at Ephrata High School.
The outpouring of love and support for Johnson Tuesday culminated in the unveiling of the new name for Tiger Stadium which will hereafter be called Johnson O'Brien Stadium in honor of coach Johnson and his partner in crime Marty O'Brien.
Among those in attendance were representatives for every class to have played baseball for Johnson from 1971, his first year of coaching, to the present squad that currently sits atop the CWAC North league.
Oh, and, that present team won a baseball game Tuesday too.
The Tigers were held scoreless until the bottom of the second when Kevin Sieverkropp crossed home plate on a fly out to center field by Austin Chamberlain.
Cascade was able to tie the game at one in the top of the third, giving both teams the opportunity to start from scratch.
Ephrata took advantage of the even ball game and took the lead for good in the bottom of the inning. Reid Forrest hit a long double to the center field fence to get on base and was driven home by another double to the center field fence by Jim Yeager.
In the bottom of the fourth the Tigers opened up the lead on a 3-run double by Forrest to bring in Danny Grass, Nathan Nash and Austin Chamberlain. Ephrata finished the scoring drive off when Thomas Bossert hit a line single to right field that drove Forrest home and made it a 6-1 ball game.
The Tigers continued to hit the long ball in the bottom of the fifth when Nash hit a line triple to the fence and earned two RBIs before being tagged out at third. The shot gave Sieverkropp and Grass time to score and extend the lead.
Then pitcher Aaron Lutz doubled to get on base before being driven home by a single from Michael Ratigan.
Ephrata scored their final run of the game in the bottom of the sixth when Derek Webb hit a line shot through short and into the outfield to give Sieverkropp time to cross the dish and give the Tigers a 10-1 victory.
The win made Johnson's 677th victory official and marked the last regular season game for Ephrata, who now goes into the playoffs with homefield advantage from beginning to end.
Johnson ended the onfield festivities with humble thanks.
"I just want to really thank all you guys for being here."
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